Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-08-06
How the Aspirations Of an Iowa Com.
poser Were Crushed.

HE was q quiet, Indifferent even
bashful young man, and, although yester-
day afternoon was hot, and we were busy
as a book-agent trying to get into heaven,
his respectful, apologize manner dis
armed our wrath, and drove the storm
cloud that was gathering on our alabaster
brow. We paused right in the midst of a
deathless sentiment, and cooled the glow
of genius that was upon us 1--WE were writ
ing puff of Mrs. Soothlow's Winding
Syrup, and asked the young man in, and
begged him to sit down. He obeyed, and
planted the end of his backbone on the ex-
teme edge of chair and we felt nervous
lest the scanty grip he had on his seat
should lose its hold and dash him PROSTATE
to the mating. We saw by the way he
came into the room that he had never
entered an editorial sanctum before, be-
cause he knocked at the door and took off
his hat when he came in, and said: Good
afternoon, sir, instead of kicking the door
open, splitting on the stove and yelling:
"Hello, stealin' editorials, haygH at the
top Of his lungs. We mentally blessed
the young man for his innocence, and even
relaxed from our professional dignity
sufficiently to assure him that it was eX-
tremely warm, an act of gracious condes-
cension on our part which overwhelmed
the young man with grateful confu-
sion, and he blushed and stammered out
that I" it was, indeed, very chilly, ur-ah-
haw-yes, yes, quite so, thank you" And
we frowned him into silence OF he would
be plodding through the mazes of that
snarl yet.
Then we glanced ominOusly at roll of
manuscript under his arm, and in those
bland, patronizing tones we are prone to
assume with aspiring young authors prior
to tearing out their lungs with a nail
grab, and rending their quivering bodies
limb from limb, we asked, inquiringly,
what we could do for him, and stealthily
reached for the nail-grab.
He said, while his tender face was suf
fused with bushes, that he had nothing
that we could publish-we pushed the
nail grab back to its place-but he had
come to ask our kind advice. He was a
musician; vocalist, and in an humble
way a composer. He had written a ballad,
only simple little thing, but before send
ing it to a music-hOuse for publication he
thought he would let us hear it, as we
were so accustomed to dramatic and musi-
cal criticism, and then we would frankly
tell him our opinion of his abilities, and
what we thought of his prospects for the
| lyric stage.
We were charmed. The idea of having a
local musical protege to bolster up, and
puff, and write, and lie about made us
break out with smiles like fat baby with
prickly heat. We promised to dr. can
didly with him, and asked him if .e,had
his music with him.
Yes, he had; he thought that, perhaps
! if it wasn't inconvenient-tha is, if-if-
Oh, yes, we said, we would be de.
1ifrhf Wa 4ha Il "a
no one could disturb us, and he could
sing few bars, or stanza or two, Just
to give us an idea of his skill and style in
composition and execution.
Then the timid young man took his po-
sition in the farther corner of the room
and began to unroll his manuscript
" You will understand, " he said, apollo
getically, "that although the music is
quite complete and arranged, yet the
words need little final polishing and re-
vision. You see" he explained, II write
poetry little, and have written the words,
as well as the music, to this, my maiden
ballad. | am aware that it is far from
perfect, and in your criticism please re-
member that it is my first effort"
We smiled encOuragingly, and he put
his left hand in the breast of his vest
held his music at arms length in his
| right nanu, lalu his head little to one
side, and began in a very altitudinous
voice.
"Dar-"
"Hem," he said, in some confusion
"that was little high.'
He was right 1t was about 100 degree:
in the shade. We are no judge of the
human voice, else He started again:
" Darl-oh, no, that isn't it either
Dar-oh, yes, now have it,"
And away he went in "A rich some-kind
Of-a tone:
"S,pIarling, am growing oh-hOldl
And then we rose up and made a sortit
for that yo1ng man en- mdSSe. We twineC
our brawny hands in his golden locks anC
dragged him down to the press-room and
had the boys run him through the double
cylinder press till they had worked off al
edition Of 5000 of him, and then W.
dashed his CORY carcass, tlattened, cha
otic aggregation of rags and ruin, out OF
the sidewalk, where the needless feet o
busy men would trampie it into the dus
of the earth. Send us another origina
vocalist and composer. = Burlington
Hdwk-Eye.