New-York tribune., 1922-04-23

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other assertions. don't think 7 was
Ill tempered, but I may have shown
some indignation. feel that now :
more than ever before, for do not like
to have falsehood reiterated after de-
nia'.
II. 1t Is an old axiom that one cannot
plead ignorance Of the law IA an e,
cuse make no claim to acquaintance
ship with the photography OF Dante. I
which Is outside OF my baiIiwick. But
Il he is student OF Dante, as think /
he implies he is, he ought not to have
remained in Ignorance for TWENTY-FIVE
years OF the existence OF the first com
prehensiVe and authoritative biography /
OF pa Ponte, whom he sets down (after
others had long ago done so and as the +
poet claimed to be- the "first teacher
OF Dante in New York and "in all
probability the first teacher Of the
Italian language in America" refer
10 Professor Marchesans biography. Of +
course. which was published in 1000. ! I
blame 40 one for not knowing anything
ABOUT any OF my own books. Nv de .
I--l ION that Mr.. 1ittlefeld is "littIe
less than a plagiarism was created bv
MS proclamation in 1915 and again
three weeks ago OF facts which had
been printed in Tie Tribune and in
bo0hs o. my own years before. one OF
those books printed i'll 1890 he cites
later
III. The above reference goes 70 the
book here cited-ny "Review Of the
New York Musical Season 18S9-l8e0,"
which ! am glad to see receive recoc-
a!tion from Mr.. Littlefcld. It i,
matter Of insirnifcance IN the Gaze
that Mr.. Littleheld may hsve had his
attention drawn to this book by Pro
lessor Koch, copy Of whose "Report'
with an Autograph dedication has
rested or MY book shelves since May,
1897. Professor Koch had little matter
30 extract from me account Of nv
researches; his tribute wos due, [
imagine, 20 its contribution TO his
knowledge Of Da Pontc in general. for
have little 20 say in il about Dante
beyond quoting what Da ponte claimed
10 he his literary and scholastic viz
tues. For reprlnting scattered articles
from The Tribune in the "Ecvew"
and tie "Eeview's" essay in & later
book Of essays. need not apologize.
~. When Mr.. Li1tlehe.d wrote what
WAS intended IA he 4 popular article
on Da PoHte as the first American
Danteist,' IN The sp,ing of 1915. FRO /,
fessor Koch's book. dante in Amer .
Ca was already nineteen years old;
Marchcsan's S biography, which contains f,
a chapter on Da Ponto's labors as
teacher Of Dante, was fifteen. and 1 /,
had reviewed il in The Tribune on
September y. 1900. In that re-
view the facts were brought
OUT that Loron.o Ia ponto's
7ea. name Vas Emanuele Cognelano
and that his father vas a Jew, who, On
conversion 90 Christiunity, along with
mis- family. lad adopted the namc o.
Da Ponto, the Bishop Of Ccneda This !
and other facts which learned first f.
from Professor Marchesan's book were
published by me in tie sketch O: D,
Pon.e IN The revised version Of
Groves "Dictiouary Of husic and
Mrsjcians" IN 1907 4 copy Of the
biography was n the library Of Co
lumbia University j. NJ. Littleheld /.
was not able to identity Da Ponte a.
the Jew Coneg!lauo until he read /.
Pompeo Molmenti's story Of Venice !
he was slow in acquiring information
for even II thai BOOK had not been
published. when | had proclaimed my
ignorance OF Da Ponies name and
parcntage in 1887 and n 1882 and even
III 1928 when my "Music and Manners" /
came from the press Of Charlie. Serb (
rcr's Sons. it WAX published in 1906,
SO many original discoveries which
had been written about in divers ar
tices in The Tribune in 1857, in the
"Rcview" Of 16aa-l89o and in Music
and Manners" / have raised no ques-
ton as TO the accuracy Of the story Of
Mr.. Littletieid's visit TO the graveyard
in which the body of Da Ponto was
buried and lost. Ny visit in search
Of the grave happened to have been
made eighteen years earlier, and he
obviously had read Of It, as he admits
familiarity with the essay in the Re
view" 7 am sorry that he could only
confirm what | had reported e1-that no
one knows where Da Ponies body be- |
came part Of Mother Earth. Mol |
menti's history was published, be-
lieve, in 1906,
"Tn 1915 Da Ponies real name had /
been discovered. and also the fact re-
vealed that his body haG been placed |
in the tomb Of friend awaiting a
more individual burial 1rue-in part !
learned the family history OF the /
poet from Professor Marchesan's book |
in 1900, and published the fact in a
review of that book in The Tribune
II 1oGo 1b,-;o