The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1894-08-31
A BRIGHT eIRL.
D. Simmons II Baptist Banner.

re want you 10 take month S
lest. / thankfully accepted of
heir thoughtful kindness. In a
ew days we (my family and y
had a party of twelve in the
Mountains of Barbour county
Resting in the woods. We pitch
I'd our tent, built campfire, hung
bur hammocks and donned our
putting clothes in a most beautiful
place near the Tygart Valley
liver.
1 want to tell you about a most
interesting Baptist sister spent
few hours with one day. Her
bame is Miss Ida L. Reed, aud is
Known all over the land by music
publishers. She was born where
he family now live, near Arden
P. O., Barbour county, the 30th
bay of November, 1865. She is
bf Scotch descent and an admirer
bf Robert Burns. She joined the
Baptist church at Point Pleasant
n 1865. At the age of fourteen
she was afflicted with spinal dis
Ease which affected her general
health for years. She sees in
his afflictlon the beginning of
the needed preparation that sub
sequently developed into her
national reputation. Notwith-
standing unfavorable circum-
stances she acquired a fair Eng
lish education in the public
schools in the neighborhood and
at home. She has almost no Ii
b"ary with which to work.
Miss Reeds father died a few
years ago leaving mortgage on
the little fifty acre home place.
She helps to maintain her mother
and two sisters at home and is
also paying off the mortgage by
the earnings of her pen. She is
the acknowledged manager and
money maker of the family. They
live in a neat, old fashioned farm
house, two stories high. The
house, the large wen worked
garden and the farm show they
are all industrious women. Sister
Reeds health has been very
good during the last several
years, and SO she and her sisters
do farm work like men IN the
Spring. Summer and Fall.
Miss Ida does the most of her
writing in the wintert:me. Over
400 of her songs and hymns have
been published. The merit of
her work can be judged by the
fact that it has been selling at
the same prices and published
alongside the writings of the
Oldest and best writers of orr
times. She writes for such
prominent music publishers as
George F. Rosche & Co., Chica-
go; w. L. Mason, and Asa Hull.
of New York; John R. Sweeney,
Philadelphia Charles Edward
Pryor, Jewett City, Conn; W.
H. Doane, Cincinnati; Frank NJ.
Davis, Vicksburg, Miss. and
many other publishers and com.
posers in other parts of the coun-
try. Many Of her pieces are
found in the popular Sabbath
school song books of the country,
some of them are published in
sheet music and sung through
out the land. She also prepares
song services to be used on
Christmas, Easter and Children's
Day. Some of her work in this
line is Easter Dawn" published
and sold by Geo. F. Rosche &
Co., of Chicago, "Star of Bethle-
hem," published by w. H. Doane
& Co.. of Cincinnati; 1.-THE Risen
King" by ]. L. Hood, of Phila-
delphia; "King of Glory" by J..
H. Kurzenknabe, of Harrison
burg, Pa, and others, eight of
which were issued this year.
l looked with pleasure and ad.
miration on this poor, retiring,
nucultured, country girl, who
works on the farm, like a man,
who has seldom been beyond the
hills that surround her humble
home, who writes these stirring
songs and services to help and