The Osceola times., 1879-03-15

father in a war vessel, and at the early
age of ten he participated with hi, father
in the battle of the Nile,
The ship caught fire during the action.
and Capt. Csssabisnca fell wounded and
insensib'e upon the deck while the brave
boy, unconscious Ci his fathers fate, held
his place at the battery. The flames
ragged around him ; the crew fed one bv
one, and urged the lad TO do the same,
but he reused and fought on until the
whole vessel was in flames, losing his lie
in the tremendous explosion which fol-
lowed.
All of us are familiar with the pretty
little Scottish ballad, Comm thro' tie
Rye" The common idea Of this song is
that a rye field is meant, but who ever
saw a Scottish lassie walking through a
field Of rye, or any other grain :? The
river Rye, at Daily, in Ayrshire, is
meant. Before the days of bridges it
was no easy matter to cross rivers with-
out paying such penalty as has immor-
tslised Jennie in the old ballad. Burns
wrote the ballad and Brown modernized
it. As Burns wrote it, it includes the
river plainly enough:
"Jenny's O. wet, puir bodie.
Jenny's seldom dry;
She drag It a. her petticoatie
Comm thro' the Rye"
Rye is spelled with a capital X. The
air is nearly pentstonic-the only +
which occurs in the melody being very
characteristic and effective.
The following is the origin of Long.
fellows " Hanging the Crsne"
A dozen years ago, shortly after the
marriage Of Mr.. I. B. Aldrich, Mr.. Long
fellow visited the young couple and took
tea with them at their charming little
house in Boston. The supper was laid
on a very small table, indeed, but the
peot, always vigilant in his search for
new ideas, took the smallnes. Of the table
as theme for discussion, and associating
the IDEAS with an old Acsdian custom,
then and there spun the thread Of his
future poem.
As the family increases" said he to
Aldrich, !" the size of the table must be
increased. When, after long years, the
children have grown up to manhood and
womanhood and have left the fold, the
large table will again be replaced by the
small one FIR the two old folks who lin
ger at home. Here you have a picture
CT life, of the growth of the family; as
you are now entering upon q literary
career, and have already written some
good essays, why not write an essay on
the subject in hand 2"
Mr.. Aldrich promised to think about
1t. The years flew by, but no essay had
appeared. Three years ago the elder aud
the younger poet met agsin, Have you
thought OF that theme, asked Mr.. Long.
fellow, (Which proposed to you long
time sgo?" 81 have thought OF 1t q
hundred times" replied Mr.. Aldrich,
"but can not make anything cut OF
it," "The subject reverts to me, then"
said the venerable poet, and be at once
began to write: .... ....f.....
"The lights are out and gone are all the
guests
He completed the poem and sent ii TO
Mr.. Bonner, receiving in r.turn the
princely compensation OF thousand
dollars. In the ensuing winter, after its
publication in the Ledger, the poem was
put into the elegant holiday volume in
which it may be said it then became
widely known
1t would be appropriate, in this con-
nection, to refer to Bishop Heber, whore
other poems, whose learned Brompton
lectures and able articles in the Quar-.
terly Review, are weighed down by
single matchless missionary hymn. 1t
came about in this wise:
While he was rector at the Episcopal
church at Hodnet, in Shropshire, he paid
a visit TO his father>in>law, DR.. Shipley,
the vicar of Wrexham, on the border Of
Wales. On the next day, which was
Sabbsth, DR.. Shipley was to deliver a
discourse In behalf of the "Society Tor
the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign
Lands" Knowing his son-in-law's happy
gilt in rapid composition, he said to him
Write something for us to sing at the
missionary service Tomorrow morning"
Short notice that, for man to achieve
his Immortality. Heber retired to an.
other part OF the room and in little
time prepared three verses of the popu-
lar hymn commencing:
From Greenland's icy mountains"
DIR. Shipley was delighted with the
production, but Heber was not satisfied
"The sense Is not complete" he said.
In spite ot DR.. Shipley's earnest protest,
Heber retired tor few moments longer,
and then, coming back. read the follows
ing glorious bugle blast which rings Ii ke
the reveile OF the millenial morning:
"Waft, watt, ye winds the story,
And you, ye waIers, roll,
Till, Ike sea Of glory,
It spreads from pole to pole!
Till DER our ransomed ,ture,
The Lamb for sinners slain,
Redeemer, King, Creator,
la bliss returns TO reign"
The next morning the people of Wrex-
ham church listened TO the first rehearsal
OF a lyric which has tince been echoad
by millions of vo,ces around the globe.
No profsne h ymn tinker has ever dare d
TO lay his bungling finger on a single
syllable Of those fou stanzas, which the
Holy Spirit moved Heber W write.
On that Sabbath morning he caught
obs nf T.. "A