The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-10-23
The Author of aHoms, svss, Home.


eral weeks past, announcing that the
Euthor of the touching and tender ballad
Home, Sweet Home" is Washington
Irving. Soon after, the first appearance
Of this statement, Mr.. Irving, indignant
that so foul an attempt should be made
to strip this beautiful wreath of poetry
from the dead brow of him who twined.
it, wrote letter denying the authorship
of the song, and re-afirming the fact that
it was the composition OF the gifted John
Howard Payne. -ill-12 .Iia- aiii
The details of Mr.. Payne's history are
very interesting, and should be better
known than they are to his countrymen.
BE was born in the city of New York, en
the 9th of june, 1892, but was soon after
taken TO Boston, to which place his father
removed to take charge of an educational
establishment. His precocity displayed
itself in various forms, and when, about
the year 1905, he returned to New York
and entered a ceunting-house, he amused
himself by publishing little periodical
entitled The Trespisn Mirror" Some
Of his articles thus disseminated attracted
much attention, and argued so favorably
in behalf of his ability, that benevolent
gentleman of that city, Mr.. John B. Sea-
man, volunteered to defray the youths
expenses at Union College. The Offer
was gladly accepted, and Payne took his
departure for Albany in s1osp, in COM
pany with his friend and kind adviser
the celebrated American novelist, Charles
Brockden Brown. The bankruptcy oi
his father led young Payne to insist upon
trying the stage as a means of support
and, inasmuch as he had already dis.
played histrionic capacities, he obtained
the consent of his parent and patron, and
leaving college, made his first appearance
at the Park Theatre as Young Norval, or
the evening of February Oath, 1903. il
his sixteenth year. The performance
like those of the whole engagement, was
highly successful. He subsequently full
filed engagements in the principal citiei
of the United States. In january, 1913
he sailed for England, where, and il
France, he remained until the year 1882
when he returned home. OF the varied
scenes in which his life was passed on tn.
islands and on the continent, we have no
space to write. An account of the trans.
action which resulted in the composition
that is sung wherever the English tongu,
is spoken, must not, however, be omit
ted. 90 -'--
When Charles Kemble became manage
of Convent Garden, he, like his predeces
sors, applied to Payne for aid. Payn
offered the new manager a number o
manuscripts for $3.50. The odd thirt,
was the value set opposite the piece after
wards called, "Clari." Kemble closet
with the offer, and produced this piece
which, at his request, the anthor had con
verted into an opera. 1t made the for
tune of every one prominently connected
with it, except the usual exceptions il
such cases-the author. 1t gained 70
Mrs. M. Tree, (the eldest sister of Mrs
Chas. Kean, who first sang "Home, Swee
Home" a wealthy husband, and file,
the house and treasury. Upwards of on
hundred thousand copies of the SON.
we're estimated, in 1882, to have beel
sold by the original publishers, who's
profits, within two years afterit was issued
are said to have amounted to two thou
sand guineas.
After his return to the United State:
Payne issued the prospectus of period
ical, which was to appear Simultaneous
in England and the United States. TIL
prospectus of eight pages, was the onl
part of the work that ever saw the light
He subsequently became contributor t
the Democratic Review, and having twic
received the appointment of consul
Tunis, died there in 1852. The song b
which he is best known appeared origin
ally as follows: 1 '.'501.'-i .s--E'i
HOME, SWEET HOME.
Mid pleasures and palaces, though wemay roam
Still, be it ever so humble, there's no place lik
70 home. L.- ''II r-i' ."-f - . ,-'''-''4-
A charm from the skies seems to Lallow it ther
Which go through the world, you'll not me,
llg i elsewhere. baa- I .r-4E
Home, Home,
o. .l.- st-- Sweet Homel Hal
There's no place like home
-a' - ts-l There's no place like home.
An exile from home, pleasure dazzles in vain.
l All! give me my lovely matched cottage again:
] The birds singing sweetly that come at nay call.
Give me them, and that peace Of mind dear,
'D''. ..'.5w '',. .s. 20 Home Eo,n. 4
Many songs on whose composition fl
| more time has been employed than eve
was spent on this, have faded from reco
lection, not that they were destitute {
merit, but because they failed to awake
/ that thrill of the heart which is the trr
measure Of the power of music. He,
| different the fate of this ballad? Write
with nothing of the delights of HON
] about him, but the recollection of i
homeliness, its cottage thatch, and il
birds, the author strung the song wit
chords whose tones find a respon:
| in every heart that ever had or dreane
of home. This simple lyric is know
all ever the world, and doubtless salute
the authors ears in far off Tunis. He ont
heard it sung by fellow captive viii
1 in London prison, and sighed for Il
4 freedom of the birds of which he ha
written. In the parlors and salons of Il
great, the rich and the fashionable; in ii
simple abode of the humble, the poor an
the afflicted; by the wayside, in the col
cert-room, and at midnight in the serenad
at morning and at evening. in the stree
| and through the open windows is hear
this song, which will be remembered
long as the language remains in which
was written. Still the author wanted Il
| leg ofmutton while London was dissolv,
! in tears by his lyric; and he not only 10
khS twentv-fiya pounds which uas tn ha,
been paid him for the copyright of Il
opera in which the song appeared on Il
twentieth nightsof its performance, b
was not even oonplimentsd with. a col
Of bis own, ballad by the publisher
4 Troy Rhtg.1 su'ss t1s e75zs-oa cl5 90
A ohild's Laughter.
Is there anything like the ringing laui
4 of an innocent, happy child p Can Al
other music so echo through the hear
, inner chambers 2 II il symnathetic. II