Bridgeton pioneer., 1885-08-13
POPULAR AMERICAN SONGS.

were adapted to it by a glee club of
Boston. 1t was first published at
Charlestown, Mass Capt. Jas. Green
leaf, an organist of the Harvard church,
set the notes for music, and a Massa-
chusetts regiment made them first
noted by singing them in Fort Warren
in 1861.
The author of 'Maryland Ny Mary
land" lives at Washington, and you
may see him in the press galleries of
Congress almost any day during the
session. He writes gossipy letters to
the Atlanta Chronicle. His name is
James r. Randall, and he is a modest
looking, dark complexioned man of
forty. He must have been very young
when he wrote that beautiful poem.
His ideas are broader now. and he is
as liberal in views as any member of
the gallery.
America" was written by the Rev.
Samuel Francis Smith, in 1882, and it
was first sung in Boston on the Fourth
OF July of that year. Like the Bat
tile Hymn of the Republic it was in
splred by a great tune-viz.: ''God
Save the King" This tune is in use in
nearly every country, and it has been
ascribed to Handel. The writer of the
words still lives in Massachusetts. and
he wrote the song at sitting. He is
now seventy-five years old, and he
graduated at Harvard in the same class
with Oliver Wendell Holmes.
John Howard Payne's Home. Sweet
Home" was written for an opera, and
he never got anything for it but his
tombstone in Oak Hill Cemetery. 1t
was first sung in the Covent Garden
Theatre in London, and made big
hit. One thousand copies were sold
the first year, and by the end of the
second its publishers cleared $40. 600
from it,
Robert Treat Paine wrote ''Ye Sons
OF Columbia" early in 1900, under the
title OF Adams and Liberty" and he
was paid S756 for it. Paine was the
son of one of the signers of the Decla-
ration of independence. He was christ
ened Tom Paine, but on account of
his dislike to Tom Paine's infidel ten
dencies he had the Massachusetts Leg
lslature change his name and give him
what he called a Christian one. He
was Massachusetts man. and he died
IN Boston in 1911. Foster got $15.O 900
for writing "Old Folks at Home
charles Dlbdin netted several weeks
BOARD Tor writing Poor Jack" while
his publishers made s25. 900 out of if
crouch, the writer of the Kathleen
Mavourneen," L." received $25 for the pro-
duction, and afterward became a beg
glng tramp, while his publishers have
built a brown stone front out of its
SALE George P. Morris wrote, Wood
man Spare That Tree" because the
purchaser Of friends estate wanted
10 cut down tree which his grand
father had planted. His friend paid
the purchaser $40 to spare it. Morris
was touched by the story and wrote
the song.
Hail Columbia'' was written bv Jos
Hopkinson in the summer 1893. and if
was first called the 'President's March y
1t was always sung when Washington
came INTO the theatre, and one of the
objects of its writing was the cultiva-
tlon OF patriotic spirit among the
people of the Republic. Joseph Hop
knson was twenty eight years old
when he wrote it. An autograph copy.
penned in 1928, was shown at the Cen.
tennial. 1t was first set to music bv a
German music teacher at Philadelnhia
named Roth.
The Star Spangled Banner was
written by Francis Scott Key while
watching the bombardment of Fort
McHenry. He was in a small vessel
among the British ships, and he saw
MS countrymen win the victory. All
through the fight he watched anxiouslv
10 see II the flag was still standing:
looking for it at night by the flash of
the bombshells, and anxiously await
ing the dawning. The song was printed
In the Baltimore american eight DAYS
after the battle under the title of 'oThe
Defence of Fort McHenry'
Many people will be surprised to
know 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 Com. Preble
in his book on the flag of the United
States, to which, by the way, l am in
debted for much of this information
Yankee Doodle" or Nankee Doodle y
was applied in derision to Cromwell
and Professor Rimbault, a prominent
physician of London, wrote the song
directed at Cromwell under this title
The jingle of these two songs are about
the same, and the words are not mucb
different DIR Schdobburo. G4 :.