Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-11-11

j. was not TIL she had passed into
the 30's, and was spending her vaca-
lions as a teacher at North Reading,
that she fell into the hands of the late
Prof George +. Root lin after years
the composer of so many famous war
sorgs), and he first turned her talent
to practical account. They formed a
combination by which he set to music
the songs she wrote. Some of the
songs produced in that partnership
period are popular and good sellers to
this day, notable Hazel Dell. The
/ Honcysuckl9 Glen, Resale, the
Prairie Flower, and that perennial
fayoItc Of al the college boys in New
l5agland Music in the Air. And she
The Flower Queen and the Pilgrim
Fathers, which had a good deal of pop
ularity in their day, though long since
in the musical junk shop.
Miss Chosby has enjoyed the per-
sonal friendship of no end OF proml-
net mon, among them Presidents Tyler
ard Van Buren,, Henry Clay, William
II. Seward and Gen. Winfield Scott.
among the ancicnts, and scores of big
wigs of a later date. A bit of senti-
ment surrounds her acquaintance with
Mr.. Clay The great statesman lost
beloved son in the Mexic9n battle
Of Monterey, and Miss Crosby had
tried to cheer him up by the gift of a
few appropriate stanzas, which APP
pcared to touch Il chord In the old
cCmmoner's heart, for when, Il few
months later, he visited the institution
where the writer was teaching, while
on a visit to New York, and when she
vas delegated to give him poetical
welcome, Mr.. Clay very tenderly drew
her arm in his and said, as he wept:
n his is not the first poem for which
] am indebted to this lady. She sent
me some beautiful lines on the death
Of my dear SON" Miss Crosby says
that MIR. Clay soon recovered himself
by ii splendid effort, but she could not
control her tears" Miss Crosby, by
the way, was the first woman whose
dice was heard publicly in the senate
hamber at Washington, where she
once read poem, back in the sos.
1t was not, however, till about the
lose of the war that Miss Crosby
truck her real pcotical vein. She was
II this city, at the old Ponton hotel in
Franklin street. When she met the
ate William b. Bradbury, and wrote
or him her first hymn, beginning
We are going, we are going
To home beyond the skies.
1t met with Instantaneous success,
nd she has had no trouble since then
II supporting herself handsomely by
her wonderfully prolific pen. In add-
ion to Mr.. Bradbury she has worked
in unison with such wcll-knoWn COM
posers as William II. Doane, Rev.
Robert Lowry, J. II Sweeney, Philip
Phillips, w. j. Kirkpatrick, Slas j.
Vail, II. =, Danks, Fl. p. Mann and
Rev. Samuel AImon. While at work,
a friend says, she always composes
with an open book in her hand held
closely over her eyes. She had eX-
cellent musical instruction in her early
uuSS, NHlCl llil uldlly lHlpIONeu HSl
fine sense of rhythm, Il most important
fOctor in all song work, not only for
the composer but for the singers as
Well. This feature of her hymns has
had much to do with their worldwide
popularity Though simple in con-
struction they are always clear and
direct, and composers find it compare
lively easy to set them to pleasing
airs.
No happier or merrier creature lives
than this remarkable old lady. She
loves her work, gloriGs in the assur-
anCe that her life has net been barren
of good results, and she does not look
her age within 20 years. She laughs
at the notion of growing old. During
the Ocean Grove season she holds a
ontinuous reception to oElge the
undreds of Christian visitors who
lamor for a chance to meet and thank
he venerable blind maker of verses
hat have echoed through every Sun
day school in the land.