The Ordway new era., 1922-06-30
CREDIT TO whom?
Memory Test Concerning Popular
Quotation.
VINO Will Come Forward With Proof
as to Authorship of Words
Ascribed to Many7

who said: "There, but for the grace
OF God, go 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 theOlogians, quite naturally
IL seemed to us, should have been
the authorities from whose decision
there could be no appeal on this ques-
ton. Several of them, questioned.
knew, but had for the moment forgot
ten. They We're to 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 corroborative testimony "a
Fellow worker having put the matter
on 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
mad so many favOrites that we were
more bewildered and amazed than
when we began. John Milton, John
Bunyan, John Wesley, Sir Isaac New
'oh, II IdiiclS bdcoll, SaIluel JollnSOl
DIR. 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 cases disguise an amused
contempt that we should ask ques-
ton when the answer was of a 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 endeavOr. About the only addenda
to the lists given by the clergymen
that we recall were Alexander Pope,
Ben JonSOn-we know he did not say
it-William Pitt, Earl of Chatham,
Sydney Smith and Thomas attempts;
but they, when pressed, prod>'ced no
documentary evidence.
A pebble cast into the Pacific at Cal
ifornia will start in motion wave
that finally breaks upon the distant.
Asian shore, we have heard-we do
not know who said that either nor
do we believe it-and in II somewhat
similar fashion our query began to in
volve others. A young woman hearing
of the quest kindly called up to in
form us that Francis Bacon had said
it. We asked her how she knew. She
had attended lecture shortly before
phrase and ascribed it to the man who
once remarked that God Almighty
planted the first garden. Somewhat
to her surprise we asked If she could
possibly get in touch with the lecturer
and ascertain where the quotation
with its credit might be found. The
lecturer, it later developed, was GER
tain of the fact, but could produce no
authority for it. That started the
young woman on search among all
the books of quotations that were ever
written and are still extant in Hart
ford.
One person insisted somewhat heat
edly 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 softness she and sweet attractive
grace.
and also
Grace was in all her steps. Heaven in
her eyes.
not to mention
And grace that won who say to wish her
stay.
we were unable to find that he was
ever guilty of the bombastic and con-
ceited remark under discussion.
And so it went, and so it goes. Per-
haps some day we will know, but we
have nearly given up hope.