St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-08-07

| to restrain his musical disposition. The
old gentleman had conscientious scru-
pies against the Use of musical instru
mentS. and also naturally feared that
his boys passion for these would take
too much time from his other studies.
| But his father might as well have tried
to stop IL volcano with his fiat as to
smother his sons love of music. In Il
surreptitious way it learned the tones
of the flute and the clarionct. and came
ont on the violoncellO, though never
when the father waS expected at the
college. Subsequently the youth left
| Harvard for Dartmouth. where he
graduated, and. after leaving college.
! learned the mysteries of the piano and
organ.
So he got used to calling music ont
of strings and pipes. hut had not learn
ed to call it out of himself. He was
| thirty-one wears of age before he knew
how. One afternoon he WAS in his Ii
brary reading Theodore Hooks novel.
Passion and Principle. an affecting sto-
~ terminating with the SaddeSt results.
He became deeply absorbed in the
book. and read il to its close. Laying
down the volume and walking about
the floor, thinking of what he had read.
Mrs. Steele's beautiful hymn, begin
ming,
so fades the lovely, blooming flower
came To his mind. AS he said over the
| last verse,
Then gentle patience smiles on pain,
an unbddcn melody tioated into his
mind. He was not attempting COM
position but, without effort the words
somehow melted into music. He sat
down to his piano and played the tune.
adding the harmonies. He hastily put
it on paper, and then, with IL modcSty
which many tune makers would do
well to initiate. threw il into il drawer
where it remained unsImg for more
than two Years. At the end of that
time DIR. Lowell Mason, to whom thc
Church in this country owe an everlast-
ing debt. was teaching large class of
Young and old at Salem, Mass. where
our author lived. One evening Dr.
Mason asked if any one had attempted
composition if So, he would he happy
to examine their productions. Our mu-
stefan hcthought himself of his tune in
the drawer and produced it. DIR. Ma
son was greatly pleased with it. and
asked the privilege of publishing it III
the Boston Academy collection of
church music.
OF course the composer WAS only too
glad to consent but what should he
name it ! 1t did not take Il good huS-
band long to determine. Il will name
ii after my Wife" he said. Until then.
he had, perhaps. never thought what
an unromantic name his wife had.
just think of calling tune sally :"
No. that would never do. Composers
of tunes have been remarkably free in
tritliug with nomenclature. hut this WAS
too much, He tried every way It"
poetic the name. but it was no use.
| He had already changed his witc'S
name as much aS the laws of MasSa-
chlisctt> require. To change it further
outraged his >clI>c of Justice.
1t cost Il struggle To keep "SallN" ont
of the hymn book but. justly or I'M
justly. she was excluded. The huS-
band. no doubt. forgot what il royal
name Sally i in the Hebrew. aud if he
had called the tune "Irincc>>." his roy
al wife would have been justified. and
the hymn book would not have. been
li>"raccd. However,. he compromised
10y naming the tune after the street in
salem on Nnltn MS WIG ll\tl. ana
where she had been brought up. And
We have all been thankful to Henry X.
Oliver ever since. not for the II me. for
IL tune 10y ANY other name would sound
aS sweet. hut for this sweet melody
which. if not the most artistic OF most
beautiful. was still the first born of
many children.
The success of .Fcderal Street" en-
c"uragcd the production of ''iIarmony
Grove, 'M"rning." walnut Grove.
"Elit"m. ''NcSpcr. ''Ilud>"n. and
'Beac"u Street which many of the
Generals trichd> think his best pro-
ductiou. Gen. Oliver afterwards pub
li>hcd Il collection of church music. also
several mntct>.
General oliver. who i now q years
of age. i an earnest and devote mem
her of the | nitarian Church at Salem.
hut he l. no more SrctaIian in his thc"l-
ngy than in his melodies. which think
have never been suspected %! hrrr>N.-
:. j. Ed,roT~ in christian Ini"n.