Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1886-03-04
MAKING SWEET SONGS.
THE WORK DONE BY A WRITER, =
SINGER AND A ToILER.
Aunt Becky's" Little Back Parlor in
Plttsburg from Which Came Forth
Many Beautiful nIelodies-A
Story of Three Friends.

"AA1h
Many Beautiful NIeIodies-A
Story of Three Friends.
Who has not been awakened from sleep
in the early morning hours by some party
of home-going jewellers singing, way
down upon the Suwanee river?" The me.
lodious music invades the half-rOused
senses like dream, and the dreamer does
not resist it. He closes his eyes again to
Observation-Disclosures. He has heard the old
song many times before; he can anticipate
every word and note; there is no novelty
in it for him, but he is not provoked at
being awakened. He listens dreamily
and lets the music bring TO him thoughts
of home-nOt the home of his manhood,
made happy by wife and children, but the
dream home Of his childhood, where
mother was.
The old song never grows old. Every
body sings it and everybody loves to hear
1t sung. No matter at what time or place
its music rises, there will be found Il re
spectful audience. Not even the street
gamin will cry "chestnutsl" He instinct
lively respects the song of home without
knowing why.
JOURNALIST, MUSICIAN AND MECHANIC.
There stood N the city OF Pittsburg,
forty years ago, cottage ut 81 Pearl
street. 1t was cosy home, with vine
covered windows and broad hearthstone.
1t was the home of Charles P Shiras and
his mother, Familiarity known to her
friends as AUNT Becky" Shiras. Charles
Shiras had Two particular friends Of his
own age, Stephen c. Foster and John
! Hull. These men had been companions
from their boyhood. and death alone
broke off their friendship.
Shiras was literary genius. He was
well-educated, brilliant, and possessed Of
fertile, active mind. He 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 his liter
airy work was full of merit, and many of
his productions gGinCd wide attention.
:. - ,,cai;shed two small volumes of poems,
TIE acst known e. which Rre "Dollars and
Dunes" "Iic,,,Is. .s'iJL o. Labor" and "The
lr"T City" These he considered his best
work, but he strangely refused to pub
licly acknowle;l.,a the authorship OF the
beautiful songs WHICH would have given
his name. with tia. Of Foster, a world
wide fame. liz erred in his Judgment of
the effect they would produce, and, in his
ambition fer higher fights, considered
them childish and foolish.
Foster was musician and composer.
His soul was full Of the poetry Of sound.
He had fine, etfemnRta face, and his
nature was as soft and yielding as c
mniden's He was q dreamer, often sad
and melancholy, and every bar of his
beautiful, simple music is marked with
the characteristics of his nature. He
found close sympathy in the fine, poetic
mind of Shiras, and both found sym
pathy and encouragement in the more
rugged and aggressive nature Of their
mutual friend, Hull.
Hull was q mechanic working for his
daily bread from earliest boyhood. I'm
like his friends. he had no education, but
the circumstances Of his life gave him
strong, good sense anI clear judgment.
He was lover OF tue beautiful, and he
found much to admire in his friends
Shiras and Fostc~. He had a musical
voice, and Foster, Who could not sing,
taught him mUs.s. lie 4ad a retentive
memory, anu from Shirls he learned
much Of literature lie became the
WIN " LIZ ~ Vi bOu4A his
friends. and lis 5:iT.s,:.e..S of poem or a
scrg vas 70 ti.tIl IA. sufficient.
THO O. E.Ssy-.i-u SPIRITS.
And 50 a beautiful friendship existed
between tuese the in boyhood, in youth,
and unit; tbc:c elrty manhood, when
Suiras died. They were together during
all their leisure time, and many happy
hours they squanderei" in AUNT Becky
SbiEas' little back Parlor. It was here
that Shiras, in his resting moments, wrote
those beautiful songs to please his friend
Foster; it 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 Pittsburg
house for 800. With this money he pur-
chased a small piano and placed it in
Aunt Becky" Shiras' little parlor. And
On this little piano was afterward played
music which has gone around the world.
aOId Uncle Ned made its appearance
about the year 1880 and Immediately be-
came popular. Within three years later
Shiras and Foster together produced sold
Folks at Home" "Susannah, Don't You
Cry" "Gentle Annie Hard Times Come
Again No More" my Old Kentucky
Home" "Massa's in de Cold, Cold,
Ground" @Old Dog Tray" willie,
We Have Missed You" Come Where My
Love Lies Dreaming" and others fully as
popular.
1t is certain that Shiras wrote the lines
of nearly all these songs, except "Come
Where My Love Lies Dreaming" Foster
was willing and anxious TO share their
authorship with his friend Shiras, but the
latter often laughingly told Foster that he
was welcome to all the reputation he
would get from their publication.
Poor Shiras died when he was % years
old, before he dreamed that the songs
which he had written in an idle fancy, as
a mere pastime, would live in every home
in the Christian world Mrs. Jane Swiss
helm wrote his obituary. He left young
wife and girl baby. This baby is now a
buxom wife and mother of babies.
Foster lived some years after the death
of his friend. He went to New York city,
where he died in 1884, from the effects of
Q fall in the Bowery. He was widely known
and very popular His funeral was at
tended largely by the literary, theatrical,
and musical classes.
Aunt Becky" Shiras, who so often
scolded "the boys" for staying up late at
night and making so much noise in her
back parlor, has passed away. And so has
John Hull, who first startled good "Aunt
Becky" with the rafting rhythm of HOld
Uncle Ned" and soothed her with the mel
ody Of "Massa's in de Cold, Cold Ground"
All are dead. But their music will live
as long as there are homes.-Paul Hull in
Chicago News.