The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-03-01
RALEIGH. n c. WEDNESDAY, MARCH l. 1882
Gossip About Books.

Clemens. the hunorist better kuow I
as Marx Twain, mas done better than
any man in his turn Of labor. He has
been 8 years before the public, and
during hat time has become rich enough
to live off his income He own. property
in Hartford worth more than $50, 600
MrsStowe has made more by her pen than
any other American woman, and has
proba bly, cleared 500, 900. This may
seem like large century it is not such
an immeanse sum as it first appears 10
be. NJ ,rian Harland Mrs. Terhune
who made $50, 900 by dozen novels.
Her cook book has also been very
profitable. Mary j. Holmes has been
also successful. Josh Billings, (Shaw
has found unusual popularity. He is
funny things. 1t seems pity that
such clever fellow should be obliged
to borrow the jokes of poor Artemus
Ward and prin. them SO original, but
such is one of the weaknesses Of funny
fellows. Carleton has paid Shaw $50,
900 for his almanac, which has been
issued 10 years or more.
One Of the most popular songs Is
"MV Grandfather Clock by Henry
C.. Work the author also of "Marchi. 6
Through Georgia" :" on which the roy
atty year ago had amounted to 81 :
900. A song less widely known, but
one that has had like success, is
''Tenting on the Old Camp Ground, .
by Walker Kittredge, of New Hamp-
shire, which WAS written in the early
days Of the civil war, and whose sail
has already reached hundreds Of thous
and of copies. Charles Dibden's Poor
Jack" was sold to publisher by its
author, with some other songs, for
s3Oe, but had long since netted the
publisher upwards Of $25 900. 1t has
oeen reported that Stephen c. Foster,
author of "Old Folks at Home" go,
nearly SIS, ZOO out Of that sweet plan
tation melody This, Mrs. Johnson
says, is not the fact, while it is ,ru
hat he relied something like $2e, ,0Uo
from all his compositions. II. p
Christy. of negro minstrel fame, pain
$4O0 for the prlvi eye of printing hi,
own name as author and com poser on
a single edition of "Old Folks at
Home Foster composed between
;wo and three hundred songs, words
and music, more, 1t is said, than any
other American; and many OF them
were first written on pieces Of brown
wrapping paper IN the back room of
down town New York grocery. Or
his ''Old Dog Tray" $4,000 copies
were sold in eighteen months. This
was almost parallel success to that Of
at
Home Of which 100000 copies were
sold in single year, and out of which
the publisher netted $4,000 in the
first two years Of sale.
Many Of our best-known songs are i'm
promptu compositions. "A Life on the
Ocean Wave" came to its author, Epes
Sargent, naturally enough, as he sat
one morning on the Battery looking
off ever the harbor OF New York
Henry Russell, who composed the
music to fit the words, sat down for
that purpose at piano in a Broadway
musc-stu and hit the melody after
a moments 5 tumbiing at the key. The
copyright of this song became very
valuable, though Mr.. Sargent never
got anything from it. DR.. Thomas
Dunn Englisil's Ben Bolt" was a sim
ilarly happy and sudden thought, struck
out 10 ohlige his friend George P. Nor
ris, who wanted song for his paper.
the NeU Xork; Mirror. Another re
markable extemporization. though in a
very different poetic key; was Bishop
Heber's Il See them ON their w hiding
Way" which he composed one eve
ming to suit march played by favor
ite cousin who was visiting in his
family.