Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1919-06-27
"IF I SHOULD DIE TONIGHT"
The Story of a Beautiful Poem.
published by Request }

In the Christian Observer" OF
February 10, 1919, there was publish
ed a beautiful poem entitled IF I
Should Die Tonight" A correspon-
dent writes us the following interest
ing facts concerning this poem--facts
that were published some years ago
in the New York Evening Post" The
lines were written by Miss Belle E.
Smith, and were published in the
christian Union" under date of
June 18, 1873. 1t is said that Rider
Haggard republished them, without
credit, in "Jess" and incurred
charge of plagiarism which attracted
some attention at the time.
The following article concerning
the poem appeared in the journal
of Commerce" under date Of January
"a, 1888:
after a search of nearly year
we have at last reached a reasonable
certai :ty as to the authorship of the
poem, If I Should Die Tonight
about which there has been so much
dispute. In a mangled form with
some of it's finest parts omitted (be-
cause they did not suit the charac-
err, it's authorship was ascribed by.
H. Rider Haggard to his heroine in
the novel entitled Jess the assump-
ton being, of course. that it was the
composition of author Of that work
of fiction. We soon found much
finer version in little work publish
ed, without the name of the author,
by Mr.. A. D. F. Randolph, Of this
city, under date of 1873. Mr.. Ran
dolph replied to our inquiry that he
scissored it from newspaper, where
it was printed anonymously, and be-
ing truck with it's truth and tender
ness he had reprinted it for preserva-
ton in amore durable form. We
then set to work to trace the author
We found it in print with Henry
Ward Beecher given as the writer,
but his family at once disclaimed
the credit. We next discovered it in
Hills Manual of Social and Business
Forms published in 1879 by Moses
Warren & Co., of Chicago, which con-
tains Selections from the Poets to
give interest to the volume. In that
book it is credited to F. K. Crosby
We followed this evidence until we
were satisfied that the ascription was
an error of the publishers. Soon af-
ter a correspondent sent us a news
paper statement that the poem was
written by Lucy Hooper. We search
ed the published volume of her poems
| first issued in 1S48, and the later
editions of 1852 and 1857, but none
of these contained it. Continuing
our investigation, we found work
entitled One Hundred Choice Selec-
tions,' in which the poem is credited
to Robert c. ". Meyers. Obtaining
no confederation Of this statement,
we pursued the inquiry. Recently
we received a letter from Mr.. Will
liam M. Brooks, president of Tabor
College, in Iowa, in which he asserts
that the author is Miss Belle E.
Smith, formerly student in Tabor.
College, and now teacher in that in
stitution. He states that he has
known Miss Smith from childhood,
that she wrote the poem in the win
ter of 1928, and first published it
over her initials in the Christian I'm
ion,' June IS, 1873. In corrobora-
tion of this, if any were needed, we
have found the poem in the paper Of
that date, over the initials B. S., and
we havt no doubt that Miss Smith is
it's author
The poem is republished here, as
many persons may wish to preserve it
If I Should Die Tonight.
If T should die tonight
My friends would look upon my quiet
face
Before they laid 1t in it's resting place
And, laying snow-white flowers
against my hair,
Would smooth it down with fearful
tenderness,
And fold my hands with lingering
caress,
Poor hands, SO empty and so
cold tonight.
If I should die tonight
My friends would call tomind, with
loving thought,
Some kindly deed the icy hand had
wrought, 4
Some gentle word the frozen lips had
said,
Errands on which the willing feet
had speed;
The memory of my selnshness and
pride,
My hasty words, would all be put,
aside,
And so 7 should be loved and
mourned tonight!
If 7 should die tonight
Even hearts estranged would turn
once more to me,
Recalling. other days remorsefully;
The eyes that chill me with averted