Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-09-09
CREDIT TO WHOM?
Memory Test Concerning Popular
Quotation.
Who vii, Come Forward With Proof
as to Authorship of Words
Ascribed to Many7


Who said: There, but for the grace
Of God, 20 l. ." Having asked
practically every one we know and
also some we did not know we have
discovered ourselves TO be as wise as
when we started.
Eminent theologiaus. quite naturally
It seemed to us, should have been
the authorities from whose decision
there could be no appeal on this ques-
tion. Several Of them. questioned,
knew but had for the moment forgot
ten They were 70 let Us know, says
Hartford Courant writer. We have not
heard from them. Others, not having
forgotten, told us If we had stopped
with one all might have been well, but
seeking CorrOboratiye testimony -
fellow worker having put the matter
Oh a sporting basis, as it were, by bet
ting 81 that John Bunyan said tive
went further and asked several of the
eminent clergymen, Those who told US
had 50 many favOrites that we were
more beWildered and amazed than
when we began. John Milton, John
Bunyan, John Wesley, Sir Isaac New
ton, Francis Bacon Samuel Johnson,
DR. John Dome, Bishop Hall, Dean
SWift--we could not believe that
Dean Swift would have said that
Isaac Watts and Bishop Berkeley,
those are some that we recall
Eminent literary men, appealed to,
were equally certain they knew and
did not IN all cnses disguise an amused
contempt that we should ask ques-
tiOn when the answer was Of nature
that should spring spontaneously to
the lips Of the educated, but their
choices were as varied as those Of
their eminent brothers in another field
Of eude0vor. About the only addenda
10 the lists given by the clergymen
that we recall We're Alexander Pope,
Ben Jonson-we know he did not say
it-Wilium Pitt, Earl Of Chatham,
Sydney Smith aud Thomas attempts,
but they, when pressed, produced no
documentary evidence
A pebble cast into the Pacific at Cal
ifornia viii start in motion wave
that finally breaks upon the distant
Asian shore, we have heard-we do
not knoy who said that either, nor
do we believe it-and in a somewhat
similar fashion our query began to in
yolye others A young woman hearing
of the quest kindly called up TO in
~ ..f a
II. We asked her how she knew She
had attended "A lecture shortly before
ana the lecturer had quoted the
phrase and uscribed il 10 the man who
once remarked that God Almighty
planted the first garden Somewhat
to her surprise we asked If she could
possibly get Ia touch with the lecturer
ana ascertain where the quotation
with its credit might be found The
lecturer il later developed, was Ger
tHin of the fact, but could produce no
authority for it, That started the
young woman on a search among all
the books of quotations that were ever
written and are still extant In Hart
ford
one person insisted somewhat heat
eddy and with no reservations that Mil
ton said It, Perhaps he did, but aside
from discovering that the blind poet
once remarked that
For contemplation he and valor formed
For Setuess she ana sweet attractive
grace
ana also
Grace was in an her steps, Heaven in
her eyes
not 20 mention
And grace that won who say TO wish her
stay.
we were unable 10 find that he VAS
ever guilty OF the homhasuc and con
celted remark under discussion
And SO It went and SO 1t goes. Per
haps some day we Will know, but we
have nearly given up hope.