Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-07-10
THE GnEAT WRITERS.
IDEAS and Inspiration Taken by
One Author From Another.
cut GENIUS BoRROWS NoBLY

The Crude Ore Is Refined and the Raw
Material Fashioned Into a Thing Of
B-auty-shakespeare as a Most Bril-.
Ian, Example.
oar great writer's are not great rob
bers. Literature is not repository of
stolen goods What seem like steal
Ing. Is the steel pen are rather the
output Of the lIpdary or reissue OF
tho miut or better still. the borrow
Jugs from a bank repaid with interest.
II Is WONDERFUL says Charles
EDJje. 'hoW genius can borrow" "Au
literature remarks oliver Wendell
Holmes. elves by borrowing and lcnd-
INK and. he adds "a good image IL
like a diamond, which may bc set
hundred times I'm rs many generations
and gain new beauties with every
change This is not question OF
originality The lighting candle
att ncighbor's fire" observes Dean
Swift does not affect our property i'm
the wick and flame" Genius Dor
rows uubly.' The transferencc is
pftop trnuSmutation. For brass. the
borrower brings gold ana for iron.
silver. ana for wood. brass. and for
stones. iron. The crude ore Is refined
ANA the raw material fashioned into
la ding of beauty
u has been pointed out by Mr. Huth
'u his Life of Buckle" that there is a
.Nnd OF pedigree i'm literature. Dante
'tuWS his Indebtedness TO Virgil us
the latter himself WINS under obIiga-
ions to Homer.
Ar.o~to owes much TO Virgil. and
Sprusrr boITows frequently from
Nio~to Sponsors "Faerie Qucenc"
gave birth TO Tlctchcr's Purple Is
land and this To- Bernards isle OF
Man, and this i'm turn to Defoe's
Robinson CruSoc" and Bunyan's
"IilgIlm'S HrogroSs'- like so many
blossoms rising from the one stem
Shakespeare has been called "the
great WARN ickshirc thief" so invetcr-
ate is his borrowing habit. He invaded
literature like Napoleon ana brought
huc6 The rarest art treasures TO enrich
and beautify his verse. One is sur
priscd 10 learn that our dramatist has
mo- original plots that he has given To
poetry no new rhythm or stanza and
that ''he ran not only I'm the old road.
hui i'm the old rutS" His CAS- You
Like IT. Is taken from an old romance.
The characters Of his Julius Caesar"
are old Romans taken from Pmtarch.
But whnt borrowing, Dry bones are
turned into living men. The common
rst materials are taken into the lam
bent flame Of his genius and transmit
ed into airy beauty.
Milton too. is free borrower II is
this fact. indeed. that makes his verse
So rich I'm learned reminiscence and so
gorgeous with "barbaric pearl and
gold lie owes much To Shakespeare.
Some critics think Millions Eve Is Dor
rowed from ShakeSpeare's Miranda. In
ihc Tanning OF the Shrew" occurs the
line.
AS morning roses newly washed in dew.
While Milton I'm "LAllegro" speaks
Of
Fresh blown roses washed in dew.
Milton is n very mine to many. Pope
is his debtor Millions Smoky Sor
ccrcss'- woman to the waist and
foir but ending foul i'm many a scaly
fold yolumiuous and vasr'-is made to
say. They call me sin and for a sign
portcntous hold me; but, familiar
grown, I pleased and with attractive
graceS won the most averse" pope
sings
Vice is monster Of so frightfu mien
as IT, Doe hated needs but to be seen:
But seen too Oft. familiar with her face.
We hrst endure then pity then embrace.
Tcnnyson must have had in mind
Nrlton's
Hanging I'm golden chain
This pendent world
whom ne wrote:
The whole round world iq every wav
Bound by gold chains about tine feet OF
God.
Tonuvson indeed. derives much of his
exquisite imagery and fe'icitous phrls
ing from authors whose names. even.
mwy literary men do not know.
Pope borrpws his "Nitm Spark" idea
from 5000 old poem by Thomas Fmmau.
BYRON gets ls Eagle Feather" im.
ngc u h.- "Iudeh Burds and Seol Do
Reviewers frum ADscnsms. who flour
.sH"d 100 the nrh century before our
era
rp.rr1ge owes DIS code to Mont
Blaze to-" Gomaupl.m by Friedrich
Eo.u
Bishop Ken H indebted for uI,
fNw-hl boo "1ho Evening Hymn" FOO
SUI uWH Browne Zoo DIS .Couuuuy