The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-02-21
Money in Songs.

cad or direct taste generally fail; those
who catch the spirit of the hour tri-
1mph. Thus it is that ephemerals
grow rich and notable while giant
minds are starving in obscurity. We
aeed not 60 far for an Illustration of
his anomalous condition. sH-one viii
contrast the success of a certain class
If song-writers with the unsuccess of
composers of grand melodies and the
builders of noble verse there will be
seen In bold front the difference be-
tween gratitication and education in
the matter of taste. u
There are several young men In the
country, bright. observing, but not very
intellectual fellows, who devote a
small fraction of their time to the max
me- of light-flavored songs that appeal
sentimentally to the heart, the music
being little more than a jingle of notes.
with an occasional melodious strain.
Being written to catch the masses, and
not TO delight the sense of the musically
refined. these fugitive pieces are de-
scribcd as craze songs. and the uni
versatility of welcome given TO many of
them iustifies the term. These are the
tunes that, heard from the stare. are
picked up readily and hUmmed by
every one, are whistled in the street
and sung in the parlOr until they are
familiar with all conditions of people,
from gamin to belle. And these. songs
are mostly musical tricks. The writers
;hrewdly take up. some common emo
Jon and play upon it, nothing being
more characteristic of these songs than
heir nursery flavor, their childhood
elements.
In one of the most popular there is
An insignificance of ideas, fatness of
verse, a schoolgirl quality of rhyme
and an insipidity of musical character,
get there have been over 100000 copies
u it sold, and the fortunate author has
already received $4,000 in royalties.
This is the song entitled 'Peek-a- Boo"
written b. bright young Irishman
named Seaman. This Young man, who
IS but twenty-five years of age, has
written several of these ''craze" songs,
among them, He Never Went Back on
The Poor" Terry Joined the Gang"
'Bv-by, Baby, Bv-bv," from which he
has received something more than S2j.-
900, and now calculates his income
from continued royalties about $4,000
month. IT =. 4 n
The sentimental ..silver Threads
Among the Gold is still selling, after
$50, 900 copies OF it have been put upon
the public. ''Put Ne in My Little Bed"
and ''My Grandfather's Clock have
reached 300,0N0 copies each, and are
out of demand. There are score or
more of these craze" songs that have !
been sold phenomenally, and they are
being turned Of necessarily, each sea
son having born.to it from one to
dozen. Of course a great many write
who get no returns, but that is because
they have neither the tact nor the .
means of introducing them to the pub
lie, not because they can possibly write .
anything too idiotic to win favor. We
cannot imagine any one writing less .
sensible things than The popular
catches, I
never drink behind the bar,
Though may smoke q mild cigar,
''Babies on Our Block" or Are JYe5
There, Moriarity?" The profits on such
songs range between -, 900 and 3d.
100.
There is another field in which trash
ellis against worth in the conquest OF .
public favor in astonishing proportion.
Among the most popular plays now are
hose that some wears ago would have
oeen denied admission to the stage.
They are made up Of the most direct
appeals to the sympathetic emotions a.
from the reasoning facul
lies, usually being such affairs as the
Judgment condemns, while the senti.
ment, easily affected, approves 4
play yields its proprietor
anywhere from $4,000 to 100000
year, though the latter figures, OF
course, cover the very rare exceptions.
Profits of $4,000 Il year on Theatre
are not uncommon. 1t will
lot do to say that good plays and good
do not. succeed, for rs Il mat
er of fact they make, in the long run.
.he most money. But the phenomena
'uccesses are the plays that, like the
songs, become a craze"
either for their striking novelty or be.
,ause of some Fictitious circumstance
attending their production The re.
,eipts from the performances OF
Hazel Kirke." for example, have
10 far considerably exceeded $1,000.
100, and it is vet by no means worr !
tut Mr.. BARLEY Campbell received
n one year from two of his play;
he sum of $4,000. He perhaps re,
;eives more than that now. Other play.
writer's sell their works outright, wher /
or play. This year Mr.. DAILY, of New
FORK, gets So. 900 for merely renting
wo of his old plays for a season OF
hirty weeksto Mr.. John Stetson. There
still cheaper class Of PLAYS, foI
which the terms are 800 to $500 for 8
lay perhaps the work of three weeks.
With these figures to encourage the
spirant for wealth and fame, it is small
7Onder so many rush into attempted
with successful sOng-writers
nd dramatists. But alas for credulous ,
uman nature. The successes are as .
ne to a myriad of failures. The for
ines of the few is the ignuS fatus OF
ae There are musical geniCSes
nose songs will never be sung, ano
rodigieS of plavmakers whose writings
ill never be read They may be more
ntitled to the forward place than those
no get there; but the battle is moi ,
ways to.the strong nor the race tothe
Wifi They who succeed are -tEice Z
in the chance and 1
in happily availing themselves !
it.-Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.
'''' Advertising Enterprise. .iIl !
"Moses, I; said Mrs. Sehaumberg &c
ar spouse. ''vou shute hat read de ad 1