The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-11-10
THE SWEET BY-AND-BY.
Talk with the Composer of the
Beautiful Hymn.
DR. BENNET DETAILS THE CIRCUMSTANCES
UNDER WHICH HE AND JOSEPH WEBSTER
WROTE THE IMMORTAL SONG.

From the Chicago News.
DR.. S. Fillmore Bennett, practical
Physician Of Richmond, H.. small
town ten miles southeast of Lake Gen
eva, was visited and conversed with
| yesterday with reference to the author
ship of the words and music of that
remarkably popular Christian hymn
called The Sweet By-and-By." DIR.
Bennett is forty-fve years old, and the
father of considerable family, includ-
ing son who is a recent graduate Of
Rush Medical College. In stature the
doctor is of medium height and quite
spare. He is thin-visaged wears a
thin moustache and goatee, and is of
not very light complexion. He has q
lock of hair, slightly gray, overhanging
his brow, which gives him somewhat the
look of person with poetical faculty.
In this conversation he is clear, practi-
cal, serious and positive. He said:
"The story of the origin of the hymn,
The Sweet By-and-By' is a short one
and soon told. From 1861 to 1871 /
resided in Elkhart, Wis, where l kept
an apothecary store. And during that
period was associated with Jos. p. Web
ster, music teacher, in the production
Of musical works, l composing the
words and he the music. Our first pub.
Nication was The Signet Ring, our
second 'Beatitudes, our third The Sun
day-scho0l Cantata, and our fourth and
and last The Great Rebellion 1t was
in the fall of 1874, when we were at
work on The Signet Ring, that we
composed The Sweet By-and-By.' 1t
was composed for that work and PUBLISHED
first it. And this was the way we
happened to compose it. Webster
was an extremely sensitive and
melancholy man, and very prone to
think that others had sighted him. He
was always imaginig that some old
friend had spoken to him coolly, and
then dropping into bottomless despon-
dency about it until some casual meeting
afterward dispelled the illusion. After
awhile | understood this weakness so
well that | knew how to take it, and it
gave me no trouble at all. On the con-
trary, / used to aid him in getting over
these spells, generally by putting. him to
work, which l learned by experineee
was sure to relive him. So one day in
the fall of 1871 could give YOU the
day if had the copyright here-I was
standing at my desk in my drug store,
writing up my books, when in came
Webster uncommonly blue. | knew at
glance what allied him, but said to him
pleasantly: Webster, what is the mat
ter with you? 'Ah,' he said, nothing
much 1t will be all right by-and-by'.
That is So l said, and what is the
reason that wouldn't be good subject
for songY With that | snatched up a
piece of paper and went to writing, and
within fifteen minutes | handed him the
paper with these words written on it:
"Theres land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we may see IL afar,
And the father stands over the way,
To prepare us dwelling place there.
" We shall sing, on that beautiful shore,
The meiodious songs of the blest,
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
- - -
"To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer the tribute of praise,
For the glorious gifts of his love,
And the blessing that hallow our days
There, l said, write tune for that.
Webster looked it over and then turned
to a man named Bright in the store and
said: Hand me my fiddle over the
counter please The fiddle was passed
tsahim, and he went to work at once to
make tune. And / hardly think it
was more than thirty minute from the
time when he came into the store that
he and | were singing together the
words and music just as you see them
here on the 9th page of The Slgnet
Ring We liked them very much, and
we're singing our song off and on the
rest of the day. Toward evening Uncle
Crosby, as we used to call him, my
wife's uncle, came into the store, and
we sung it to him. He was deeply af-
fected by it, and when it was ended the
spirit Of prophecy came over him and
he said: That piece is immortal. Anc
he was right"