, 1879-02-02
s. C. FOSTER.
The Sad story Of the Great American "a
j.. poser.

fotter's american NonAly
OF all the popular song composers our conn
try has produced, there isno one better kno,~s
than the subject OF this sketch, Stephen cn,l;,.
Foster, with whom it was u,Y pleasure, IN soms
ways sad one, it must be confessed, to becona
personally acquainted during the last year =,
his brief existence. It was in the Inter part =,
the year 1852, and in the City OF New Yo,,
that saw him for the first time. II rae;,
t1oIuced last pigLt to Foster, the comnosaru
said friend to ME; II would you like to know
him?'' It WIS an opportunity / had long ia.
sired, and accepted the invitation to MAKE
call upon him. Immediately the songs I h,l
loved from childhood-almost all associsted
with Fosters name-bubbled I'D from u7 heat
and murmured i'll my ear, and 1 already inae.
ined myself before hale, merry Old man, viii
long white hair, Ills head bald Ut the top and
kindly smile ever on lis lips, such as had Al,
ways pictured hiD.-the man Tor whom 1 had
long 1eIt sort Ut reverence
Talking OF him and his many melodies. =.
walked quite i distance down the BoFcrr. l.
tile ucighboshood of tile old theatre and tnrns1
into Hester street. On the northwest cornsr ~
Christie nild Hester streets wa3 au old tumh,ts
down grocery, anu into this we entered anl
passed through to 4 d'ngy barruum ut the barl,
| Of the store, where, moment after, I was fl.
troduced to the author Of 1.-The Did Folk7 -
/ Home.n Let me briefly describe him Is be thcn
! appeared to me: 4 figure Slight AMI a ttle
| below medium stature, stirred in 4 Wellworo
suit; his face long and closely sbaven: soft,
| brown eyes, son;ew hat dilnmeu, shaded bY !
! rather high forehead, winch WAS dsiieured bT
| the peak Of glazed zap that chung closely Il
| bis head, scarcely allowing his short brown
hair to be seen. His appearance was at ouce 20
| Youthful aud so aged that it was ditlieult to
lrrtp Inv IL: -.
! An anxious, startled expression hovesel over
| his face that was painful to witness.
| Looking at him thus, 1t was hard for ME tn
I believe that stauutng before me was the then
| most popular songtpmposer III the world; but
| it was Foster, indeed. He secuted embarrassed
as girl in the presence OF stranger, and .hi
ditiidence never entirely wore of. Whether IL
was natural bashfulness or voluntary leserre
| I caG11ut say; but, even With those who knew
him most intimately, he Was never familiar.
Ills conversation, made up, mostly Of musc.l
"Reminiscences vas always interesting
after made IN opportunity u visit bin.
He lodged generally at small hotel in The
Bowery, but that small grocery he tnade bis
usual sItting-r room, and an exquisite melody hil
its birth in That most 'uncongenal place.
He was not one to haggle about tile prtce
when selling his songs, aud It was not selicm,
In consequence, that publisher would take 3D.
vantage Of this fact, as well as his poverty, paI
ING him paltry sum for What otner and h.
ferior composers would demand and reeeiys :
fair remuneration.
and how he first happened to discover hs DOW.
ers as a composer. At very early agc he hid
attained, unaided, 4 moderate proficiency b,
playing upon the flute, fageolet, and pdnotore;
and 0esiles this, his voice was well under con-
troll. These qualifications made him quite 4
leading spirit lii serenadlng expeditions, aud 1t
the solicitations OF bis comradesi in thesep parties
he attempted to write songs for them, Rhiea
| were so SUCCESSFUL thct they speedily beca1ns
fnyorites anon. them. This tired mis- ambition:
| and when travelling minstrel troupe passed
through his native town. -fittsburss, Pa,-aud
he CHANGED to be present at one Or their pcr-
formauces, he sought, through them, to lava
one OF his OVID songs brought before the Dnblh.
ttOh. Sussaua!" was submitted by him, accept
ed and sung, and shortly Afterwards was pub
lished by Peters OF Cincinnati, meeting with 4
five copies, or thcreabouts Of the song. This
was in the year 1872, when Stephen, VINO VAS
born On 1udcpeudence-Day, 1896, was O NETS
boy of Ii. In the same year, 'Open thy Lat
tice, Love" q sereuade, was published b7
George Willig, Of Baltimore, anu = Uncle Ned, !"
by the publisher of MS first song, both bccona-
ing rapidly popular. =
He saw alL felt that he was appreciated. and
needed no other incltement to cxcrttou. Song
after song he taught the people, each new ola
to pe loVea oy tnela oaly oet.eI tnan 1ne lass,
ior ne lau aeoulso ne ses1ee ~ lsausia,s..'
Tue 1nouSuss, leeltnss' "no ., Anpatnes ~ e'et'
daE NE INTO laeiouy. -r ..,.
NneheVe: an oppoitunltI onercu 1tseli " "
w1ud V1s15 Methoalss ca!npmectnes, ae;, a;sa uosa
wntc anu pl:1Sh. ai'1, is1cnn " snel. nr1a ~
eaauts, as uc ~ W ~: nou9 eatuei uaaa: ~
1uea 1of us anu ~ tuLs l:.' pesaap
nes tne sceL " nIs suete1S ~ ~, =
lus ucEto uleloses: oue aou~ ~ ~ o. - -
palt'cuGlaI sptans 11u.' .ns oous -. a.
1lunes ooule A.usn ~ ~. a"o Has a.
nere inentlon tn4I ou tnole taau one oeSas!on ~
tnat olo sEoeely na,e iealu nltu sLs tnat soo1
o'u sonS " meIt 49, ~ a ate ~ pastos
~ ~ s'lo u lu'uA tl,s1 NC " Nv ~ 1ole e. sta
uote anu lot e. pucs saouiu nase W osa ~.
eE ptacs laan LIS .nat nc HILL ~ noe' a.
20 toliu 4lleuo ~ eou1o1t ~ uAu 5et Aeie nc w
IN lnat 2reat. coIu cts, ln tnat sense alone, ael
"1n!ng esel " s !ose t ul,u " ~; =, 1os
us unnecgssGry eo give i.ss ot az oa ro;1 l'.
iers sons, ue1 alG 60 uu1iletous, anu ~ .s:. ~.
kno"n; out tne lolo"1n taoles .. SUES U. .a a.
na4i uozsu " tt.eu: taaeu ttuul az w ~ ~
!ogue o. tne pupiea.aons ot fiftu, 1onu ~ . ~,
!ssueu osef tMeHt5 1eals aSo, VIII glse e'1a7
1alut 'ueA VI tAeii "oooetAu4 popul14LJ -.
Old FoiEs AZ lone -*-..-. ..-.- .--.-. 2gGogo ~
~! tu hettuGAy Apns, -.'''.''12g'GT sTr
,; H., r. ~. ~ 1s;V ug1I * nj
W;ilie Wr H,yc siissea yon. 80. .'-- - ia g0
E}ien f,arnr 115 (s00
11,,-;nt< ,to 1ne+ +a,ant~, ,.a,rr .,,oeo Ho,}r,,
,,,,s. t,aIa .rrsa,iv ;n"rasSo f.,r ers; at fhIs
-. ~, ,"n,a1, H. fie., ,,se ~ - s.,oeaf,