Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1886-05-08
Making Sweet Songs.

W no has not Oeen awakened
from sleep in the early morning
hours by some partNof lome-goine
jewellers singing, saWay. down upor
the Suwanee riverY" The melodi
Gus nnsic5invades the half-roused
senses like a dream, and the dream
ersdoessno resist it. he closes
his eyesto:I listen mr.. ioIlIess. sHe
5llasshelrdsthe old son 6 man times
before; lie can anticipate every
word and note; there is no novelty
in it for him, but he is not prOvok
ed at being awaken. lie listens
dreamily and let's the music bring
to him thoughts of bome-not the
home of his manhood, made happy
by wife and children, but the dream
home Of his childhood, where moth
er was.
The old song never grows Old
Everybody sings it and everybody
loves to hear it sung. No matter
at what time or place its music
rises, there will he found respect
lul audience. Not even the srteet
galnin will Cry "cllesnuts!' He i'll.
stinctively respects the song OF
home without knowing why.
There stood in the city Of Pitts
burg, forty years ago, cottage at
81 Pearl street. 1t was IL cosy
home, with uncovered windows
and a broad hearthstone. 1t WAS
the home of Charles P. Shirds and
his mother, Familiarity Known to her
friends us .'Aunt Becky" Shir is.
Charles Shiras had two particular
friends Of his own age. Stephen q.
Foster and John Hull. These men
had been companions from their
boyllood, aud death alone broke Oft
their friendship.
Shirils was IL literary genius
lie was welleducated, brilliant, and
possessed of Il fertile, active mind.
lie WAS ambitious and animated
by the noblest purposes. For some
years, and at the time Of his death,
he was connected with the Pitts
burg Commercial Journal. All mis-
literary work WAS full OF merit, and
many OF his productions gained
wide attention. LIE published two
small volumes Of poems, the best
known OF which are "Dollars and
DimeS;;" redemption of Labor
and 1.-The Iron City, These lie
considered his best works, but be
slrangclysIefused to pabliel y-ac-
knowledge the authorship Of the
beautiful songs which would have
given his name, with that of Eos
ter, d Worldwide fame. He erred
III his Judgment Of the effect they
would produce, and, in his ambl.
ton for higher flights, considered
them childish and foolish
Foster WAS IL musician and com.
poser. His soul WAS full of tile
poetry of sound. lie had fine,
efeminate face, and his nature WAS
lis soft and yielding as IL m;Liden's.
Lie was IL dreamer. often sad and
melancholy, and every bar OF his
beautiful, simple music is marked
with the characteristics Of his ma
Lure. He found close sympathy
i'll the fine, poetic mind OF Shlr;ss,
and both found sympathy and en-
enlargement in the more rugged
and aggressive nature OF their mu.
tual friend, Hull.
Hull WAS IL mechanic, working
for his daily bread from earliest
Joyhood. Unlike his friends, he
had no education, but the circun.
stances OF his life gave him strong,
good selse aud clear Judgment
Lie was IL lover OF the beautiful, and
lie found much to a-lmlre i'll his
friends Shiras and Foster. lie had
IL musical voice, and Foster, who
could not sing, taught him music.
He had IL retentive memory, aud
from Shiras he learned much OF
literature. He became the critic
of the productions of both bis
friends, and his Judgment OF IA poem
OF d song was TO them all-sut1icient.
And So d beautiful friendship ex-
listed between these three in boy
hood, i'll youth, and until their ear
ly manhood, When Shiras died.
They were together during all their
leisure time, and "many happy
hours they squandered" III "AuuG
Becky" Sbirsls' little back plrlor.
1t was here that Slliras, in his rest
ing moments, wrote those beautiful
songs to please lis friend Poster;
1t was here that Foster composed
music for them to please himself
and his friend Hull, and it was
here that Hull sang them for The
pleasure OF all.
The first song they published
was sold Uncle Ned" Foster sold
it to a Pittsburg house for 500.
With this money he purchased Il
small piano and placed it IN ".Aunt
Becky" Shir;ls' little parlor. Aud
GU this little piano was ;lfterward
played music which has gone
around the world. "Old Uncle
Nedn made it's appearance about
the year 1850, and Immediately be
came poi .u,a'. Within three years
later Shiras and Foster together
produced "Old Folks at Home,"
Susannah, DON'T You Cry for Me"
.:Gentle Annie," Hard Times
Come Again No More" my Old
kentucky iiome," "Massa's i'll de
Cold, Cold, Ground," "Old Dog