The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-09-09

a Talk with the Composer nj the
Beautiful Hymn.
DR.. s. Fillmore Bennett, practicing
physician of Richmond, ILL.,, small
town southeast of Lake Geneva, was
visited and conversed with by Chicago
Nes0s reporter with reference to the
authorship of the words and music of
that remarkably popular Christian hymn
called 1.-THE Sweet By-and-By." DIR.
Bennett Is As Years old, and the father
of considerable family, including a son
who is a recent graduate of Rush Medi-
Cal College. In stature the doctor is
of medium height, and quite spare.
He is thin-visaged, wears thin mus
tache and goatee, and is of not very
light complexion. He has lock of
hair, slightly gray, overhanging bis
brow, which gives him the look of a
person with the poetical faculty. In
his conversation he is clear, practical,
serious and positive. He said:
"The story of the origin of the hymn.
the Sweet By-and-By,' is o short one
and soon told. From 1861 to 1871 1 re-
sided in Elkhart, Wis, where / kept an
apothecary store. And during that pc
Rod was associated with Joseph p. Web
ster, music teacher, in the production
of musical works, composing the words,
and he the music. Our first publication
was the 'Signet Ring our second, THE
Beatitudes,' our third, The Sunday
School Cantata, and our fourth 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 COM
posed for that work, and published first
in it. And this was the way we hap
pened to compose it. Webster ,Was an
extremely sensitive aud melanchl man,
and very prone to think that others had
sighted him. He was always imagining
that some old friend had spoken to him
coolly and then dropping into bottomless
dependency about it until some casual
meeting afterward d spelled the illusion.
After while / understood this weakness
30 we'll that knew how to take it, and it
gave me no trouble atall. On the contra
ry, used 20 aid him in getting over those
spells, generally by putting him to work,
which, learned by experience, was
sure to relieve him. SO one day IN the
fall of 1871 could give you the day if
1 had the copyright here-I was stand
ing at my desk in my drug store writing
mp my books, when in came Webster,
looking uncommonly blue. knew at a
glance what allied him, but said to him,
pleasantly, Webster, what is the matter
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 a song-By-and-by?' 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:
''There's land that is fnirer than day,
And by faith we may see it atar,
And the Father stands the way,
To prepare q dwelling place there.
"we shall sing, on tina. beautiful shore,
The meodious songs of the best,
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not sigh for the blessing OF restl
"To our bountiful Father above
We Will offer the tribute of praise;
For the glorious gift ri His love,
And the blessings that haliow our days.
"'There,' 1 said, write n tune for
that. Webster looked it over, and then
turned to man named Bright, in the
store, and said: Hand me my fiddle
over the counter, please. The fiddle
was passed to him, and he went to work
at once TO make q tune. And l hardly
] think it was more thHn thirty minutes
from the time when he came into the
store that he and [ were singing togeth-
er the words and music just as you see
them here, on the ninetieth page of
'The 'Signet RING. We liked them
very much, and were 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 sang it to him. He was
deeply affected by it, and when it was
ended the spirit of prophecy came over
him, and he said, That piece is immor-
tai. And he was RIGHT"