Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-05
THE SWEET BY AND BY.
It's Author Tells an Interesting Story
of It's Composition.

From the Louisville QAy) Post.
In Richmond, little town of less than
1000 Inhabitants, almost on the southern
boundary line of Illinois, lives the author
of I'm the Sweet By and By" He is a
practicing physician and Is under sixty
years of age. Then Immortal hymn was
written when he was only thirty-one, and
is the single song of his life
During the civil war a wave of moral
| elevation and intellectual activity passed
over the country. In this grand awakening
of the conscience there was a flood of
| music-martial, relisioas, domestic George
F. Root and Stephen j. Foster were both
writing songs that lived, and Sunday school
| hymns passed out of the driveling period
into one of elevated simplicity.
Just at this time Samuel Fillmore Ben
nett was graduated from Ann Arbor, Mich,
and began newspaper career at Elkhorn,
Wis, on The Independent. ]. P. Webster
the musical composer. was living in the
same town, and 1t was only a few months
collaborating The war intarvened, ard
Lieut.. Bennett of the fortieth Wisconsin
volunteers returned TO Elkhorn to open
drug store and resume his verse writing
He and Mr.. Webster began in 1867 to
| work on Sunday sche oil song book, called
''rhe Signet Ring" which was afterward
published
This period of his life is the most prec-
Not long ago he told the whole story to an
interested group of listeners, his eyes fill
ing with tears as he vindicated his friend
from calumnieS.
Currency has been given to the shame
full story that Mr. Webster was drunk when
he wrote the music, and another account
has it that we were both drunk 1 am
thankful to do justice to one of the noblest
men that ever lived-a fine, sensitive soul
with the true artistic feeling. Again. it
has been said that We Were both infidels,
i
As to my religion, that is my own affair;
but the hope and longing of every immor-
tai soul as expressed in that song was the
faith of both of us. To both creation would
have seemed farce If infinite love and i'm
mortality had not overshadowed US and
promised a life, of bliss beyond the grave
MIR. Webster, like many musicians, was
of exceedingly nervous and sensitive
nature and subject to fits of depression |
kreW his peculiarities well, and "yhen I
found him given up to blue devils l just
gave him a cheerful scEg to WORK on. One
morning he came into the store md walked
to the stove without speaking
What's up now, Webster?' I asked
It's no matter. 1t will be all right by
and by
THE idea of the hymn came to me like a
flash of sunshine. The Sweet By and By
Everything will be all right then. Why
wouldn't that make good hymn:
Maybe it would he replied gloomily.
Turning to the desk. wrote as rapidly s
] could. In less than half an hour. l think,
the song rs it stands today was v :itten.
Here 1t is:
There's land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see 1t atar.
For the Father waits the way,
To prepare dwelling place there.
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet that beautiful shore
In the sweet by-ani-by.
We shall meet that beautiful shore.
We shall sing on that beautiful shore
The melCdous songs of the hlcst.
And spirits shall moro
Not sigh for the blessing of rest
ClDrn