our school, I remember, Henry Summers; and it was just the same there.
It was continually, "Look at Henry Summers! he doesn't put the
preposition before the verb, and spell business b-i-z!" or, "Why can't
you write like Henry Summers? He doesn't get the ink all over the
copy-book and half-way up his back!" We got tired of this everlasting
"Look at Henry Summers!" after a while, and so, one afternoon, on the
way home, a few of us lured Henry Summers up a dark court; and when he
came out again he was not worth looking at.

Now it is perpetually, "Look at Shakespeare!" "Why don't you write
like Shakespeare?" "Shakespeare never made that joke. Why don't you
joke like Shakespeare?"

If you are in the play-writing line it is still worse for you. "Why
don't you write plays like Shakespeare's?" they indignantly say.
"Shakespeare never made his comic man a penny steamboat captain."
"Shakespeare never made his hero address the girl as 'ducky.' Why
don't you copy Shakespeare?" If you do try to copy Shakespeare, they
tell you that you must be a fool to attempt to imitate Shakespeare.

Oh, shouldn't I like to get Shakespeare up our street, and punch him!

"I cannot help that," replied my critical friend--to return to our
previous question--"the germ of every thought and idea you have got in
that article can be traced back to the writers I have named. If you
doubt it, I will get down the books, and show you the passages for
yourself."

But I declined the offer. I said I would take his word for it, and
would rather not see the passages referred to. I felt indignant.