Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-11-27
SONGS THAT HAVE MOVED NATIONS.
Who Wrote Them and What Inspired Them

The greatest poem Of the war was writ
ten at Washington by Julia Ward Howe,
under the title of ''The Battle Hymn OF the
Republic" 1t is sung to the tune of "John
Brown" and commences, "Mine eyes have
seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.' u
Mrs. Howe wrote it early one morning and
it is said she penned the lines with her
eyes shut The night before she had been
out riding in the country near Washington
and her party had narrowly escaped being
captured by party of Confederates. AS
they came into Washington they sang
"JOhn Browns Body" and the tune kept
ringing in Mrs. Howe's head all night.
When She awoke before daylight she began
to make verses to it, and in the fear that
she would forget them she wrote them off,
according to habit she had formed to save
her eyes, without looking at the paper.
Mrs Howe is still living and she ranks
among the leaders Of the Woman's rights
movement.
Speaking of "JOhn Browns Body" the
tune itself is an old Methodist camp meet
ing tune and the words were adapted to it
by a glee club of Boston in 1861. 1t was
first published at Charlestown, Mass. Capt.
James Greenleaf an Organist of the dar-
ward Church, set the notes for music, and
Massachusetts regiment made them first
noted by singing them at Fort Warren in
1861.
The author of "Maryland, My Maryland"
is member Of the editorial staff OF the
Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, and during the ses-
sions Of Congress lives at Washington.
You may see him iD the press galleries OF
Congress almost any day during the ses-
sion. He writes gossipy letters to ms pa
per during the session. His name is James
r. Randall, and he isa modest looking, dark
c0mpleXioned man of 10. He must have
been very young when he wrote that beau
tiful poem. His ideas are broader now, and
he is as liberal in his views as any member
of the gallery.
"America," was written by the Rev. Sam
uel Francis Smith in 1882, and it was first
sung in Boston on the Fourth of July of
that year. Like the Battle Hymn OF the
Republic" it was inspired by great tune,
viz, "God Save the King" This tune is
i'm use in nearly every country, and it has
been ascribed to Handel. The writer of the
words still lives in Massachusetts,, and he
says he wrote the song at a sitting. He is
now IS years old, and he graduated at Har-
ward in the same class with Oliver Wendell
Holmes.
John Howard Payne's "Home, Sweet
Home" was written for opera, and he nev-
cI SOC dHN lllluS lOl ~ puV liio Soiho0eoii~
in Oak Hill Cemetery. 1t was first sung in
the Covent Garden Theater, at London, and
made a big hit. One hundred thousand
copies were sold the first year, and by the
end of the second its publishers had cleared
$4,000 from it.
Robert Treat Paine wrote "Ge Sons of
Columbia" early in 1900, under the title of
"Adams and Liberty" and was paid $50
for il. Paine was the son of one of the sign
ers of the Declaration of Independence. He
was christened Tom Paine, but on account
of his dislike to Tom Paine's infidel ten
denotes, he had the Massachusetts Legisla-
ture change his name, and give him what
he called Il Christian one.
Foster got Sl5,OO0 for writing "Old Folks
at Home" Crouch, the writer OF 'kath-
eileen Mavoureen," received S25 for the pro-
duction, and afterwards became begging
tramp while his publisher could have built
Il brown stone front out of its sales George
p. Morris wrote, "Woodman, Spare that
Tree" because the purchaser of a friends
estate wanted to cut down tree which his
grandfather had planted.
'Hail Columbia" was written by Joseph
Hopkinson, in the summer Of 1898, and it
was first called the "President's March,"
twas always sung when Washington care
into the theatre, and one of the objects ci us
writing was the cultivation of Il lgtrlotlc
spirit among the people of the ne" fepuo-
lic 1t was first put to music ~ teacher
at Philadelphia named Roth.,,
"'rhe Star Spangled Bar!er" was written
by Francis Scott Key while Watching me
bombarlment of Fort McIlenry, in !Sl4.
He was in a small vessel among the British
ships, and he saw his countrymen win the
victory. Al through the fight he watched
anyiously 20 see if the flag was still stand
inc, looking for it at night by the flash OF
the hombshells, and anxiously waiting the
dawning. The song was printed in the
Baltimore .lmeyictm eight days after the
battle, under the title of "rhe Defence of
Fort McHenry."
Many people will be surprised to learn
that yankee Doodle" is not of American
origin Even the words date back beyond
the days of Queen Anne, and the tune is
still older. In the wars Of the Roundheads,
says Commodore Preble, in his book on the
flag of the United States, "Iankee DOODLE"
or ''Nankce DOODLE" was applied in deris-
ion to Oliver Cromwell, and Professor Rim
bault, a prominent musician Of London,
wrote song directed at Cromwell under
this title, The jingle Of these two songs is
J. ,t,or1c arnr p)uph