The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-11-27


We know their spirits dwell above,
'Tis only dust beneath the sod.
| sLORENA'S'' LOvER.
History OF the song that Charmed
all Hearts Some Twenty
| ..-.. Years Ago.
THE STORY OF LoRENA, f
About the year 1858 there appeared
in the musical circles Of the West
song which, for twelve years, had
run rarely attained by popular melo
dies. The music had a peculiar charm
the words were singularly touching
and their very length, extending t.
eight long verses, suggested to th'
reader q story back of them. In fact
the extreme pathos of the words con
| tributed as much, perhaps, as the mu
sic to give the composition its won.
derful success, 1t was sung every
where, in parlors, in concerts, on the
street, and in the camps of the con
tending armies. In the Northern
army it was immensely popular, and
it found its way South through Louis
vile and Cincinnati, and during the
rebellion it was the only piece sung in
Southern homes, and, excepting mar.
tial airs, about the only one sung in the
Confederate camp. Everywhere was
LOrena.' A steamer on the Ohio
was named Lorena, engines on the
Western roads were called Lorena,
and person now sometimes meets i'm
society young ladies named Lorena,
called that by mothers twenty years
ago. That the song had story near
ly every one familiar with it supposed
and supposed correctly, and it may
not be uninteresting at this late day to
give admirers OF the famous melody
the facts in the love affair.
The author of the words was
THE REV. II. d. L. WEBSTER.
He studied in the ColumbusAcadem
ical and Collegiate Institute, and was
editor of the college paper. In the
year 1S4S, being "a years of age, and
full of poetry and romance, he was en-
joyiDg his first pastorate in GAINESVILLE
Ohio. His leading parishioner was q
wealthy manufacturer, whose resi-
dence was upon one of the many hills
which surround the smoky town. The
house wss about half a mile out, and
the eminence upon which it was seated
was the one referred to in the song:
Twas flowery May.
When up the hilly slope we climbed.
Towatch the dying of the day,
And hear the distant church bells chimed.
There lived in this family younger
sister of his wife, who was the leading
singer in the choir. She was nineteen
years of age, email of stature, had blue
eyes and light brown hair, and was as
fair as lily. She was not only a
sweet singer, but she was as full of
poetry and romance as her pastor, and
they soon became very much attached.
Their loving did not, however, tpros-
per WE'LL for the family were proud
and aristocratic, and had higher no.
tions of the girls future than to sane
tion her marriage with a poor preach
err As she was dependent upon them
for a home, she was forced to yield to
their counsel-Mr. Webster says he
now thinks it wise counsel-and they
were obliged to give each other up.
1t was, however, the strong will and
the proud spirit of the sister, more
than the opposition of the brother. in
law, that separated them, or rather
kept Lorena from him. Lorena seems
to have been passive, indecisive in
character, and submissive in the hands
of her strong-willed sister. Mr., Web
ster saw her for the last time at her
home, learned of the sisters uncon-
querable opposition, heard his fate,
and took quiet but painful farewell,
very little being said. That night she
wrote him a last letter, in which she
used the words so well remembered
by those familiar with the song, 'If
we try, we may forget 1t was eight
years after that he wrote:
For " if we try, we may forget"
Were words of thine. long years ago.
Yes, these were words of thine, Lorena,
They burn within my memory yet.
They touch some tender cords. Lorena.
Which thrill and trembie with regret
There is future. OH thank God,
OF life this is small u part.
'Tis dust to dust beneath the sod,
But There, up There. tits heart to heart.
The effect of the separation was to
crush the young man, and writing to
friend five years ago, twenty-six years
after the occurrence, he says: 1 doubt
if all dark lines are erased from my
heart yet He resigned his pastorate
and sought another field, smOthering
his pain by hard study and work.
And the only sign of that pain the
world ever saw was the heart-cry in
the song Lorena.'
In 1856 he was residing in Racine,
Wisconsin, where
HE MET J. z. WEBSTER,
the composer, who, though of the same
name, is no relation to him. They
soon became very intimate. j. p.
Webster was writing song music, and
was troubled to find appropriate
words. Rev. Mr.. Webster told him
that he would write a song, and in
two dava he nroduced IT. entitled
Bertha q mere fancy name. When
the composer came to set it to music,
he wanted name of three sylables,
accented on the second, and the author