The Hartford herald., 1879-12-10
THE REV. III. ID. l.. wEBsrER.

THE REV. III. ID. L. WEBSTER.
He studied in the Columbus Aeadem-
ical and Collegiate Institute and was
editor of the college paper. In the year
ls4S, being then twenty-four years
of age, and full of poetry
and romance, he was enjoying his
first pastorate In GAINESVILLE, Ohio. His
leading parishioner was wealthy man.
ufacturer, whose residence was upon
one of the many hills which surround
that smoky town. The house was
about half mile out, and the eminence
upon which it was seated was the one
referred to i'm the song:
Twas fiowery May,
When up the hilly slope we climbed,
To watch the dying of the day,
And hear the distant church bells ehimed.
There lived in this family younger
sister of his wife, who was the leading
singer in the choir. She was nineteen
years of age, small of statue, had blue
eyes and light brown hair, and was as
fair as lily. She was not only a sweet
singer, but she was rs full Of poetry and
romance as her pastor, and they soon
became very much attached. Their
loving did not, however, prosper well''
for the family were proud and aristo-
cratic, and "had higher notions Of the
girls future than to sanction her mar
riage with n poor preacher" AS she
was dependent upon them for a home,
she was forced to yield to their coun-
sel-Mr. Webster says he now thinks
it wise counsel-and they were obliged
to give each other up. 1t was, howev-
er, the strong will and the proud spirit
of tho asofar tx.Ara thar. fks. c...So~usff<..,
of her brother-in-law, that separated
them, or rather kept LOrena from him.
LOrena seems to have been passive, in
decisive in character, and submissive in
the hands of u strong-willed sister. Mr..
Webster saw her for the last time at
her home, learned of
THE SISTERS UNCONQUERABLE OPPO-
sITION,
Heard his fate, and took a quiet but
painful farewell, very little being said.
That night she wrote him a letter, in
which she used the words, 50 well re-
membered by those familiar with song,
"If We try we may forget" II was
eight years after that he wrote:
For ssif 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 tremble with regret.
There Is n future, Oh thank Col
OF life this Is 80 small part,
rris dust to dust beneath the sol,
But there, up There, tis heart to heart.
The effect Of the separation was to
crush the young man, and, writing to a
friend five years ago, twenty-six year,
after the occurrence, he says, II doubt
if all dark lines are erased from my
heart yet" He resigned his pastorate
and sought another field, snothering
his pain by hard study and work. And
the only sigh of that pain the world
ever saw was the heart-cry in the song
of "LOrena."
In 1856 he was residing in Racine,
Wisconsin, where
HE MET .. Il. WEBSTER,
the composer, who, though of the same
name, il no relation to him. They
soon because 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 u song, and in two days he
produced it, entitled BERTHA" u mere
hncN ndlflt. w utu the COlifS<cI
came to set IL to music he wanted n
name of three syllables, accented ON the
second, and the author then made up
the name Of ssI,Orena."
The young lady's name was not Lo-
rena, however, nor Bertha, but Ella
1t Is said that she lost her vivaeity
and sunny, witching ways after they
parted, and never regained them, and
that she is now u sad, sickly woman,
past the prime of life. She Is the wife
Of judge, and lived for many years ut
Ironton, on the Ohio. When last heard
from, however, several months ago,
she was straveling in Europe. Her proud
and naughty sister has long since passed
over the river, where ''tis heart to
heart, instead of dollar to dollar" I"
Her brother-in-law died only n few
weeks ago. Mr.. Webster, also past
the prime of life, is married, and lives
i'm Neenah, Wisconsin, minister and
the editor Of a local paper.