The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-11-12
Music as a PrOsOter Of Courage.

IT Is James Creelman, the war CORE
spondent, L believe, who always finds
himself humming a tune when in the
thick of battle. He a Y he went
through the San Juan fight with
-"Rock of Ages in his mind and half
the time on his lips. and that during the
-Graeco-Turhish war, several years ago,
in the height of Il fierce conflict, made
the discovery that he was actually
shrieking cloud the "Mendelssohn
Spring Song which had been dOmi-
nant in his brain from the first charge.
This is nervousness, l suppose. Peo-
pie whose tastes are strongly musical
invariably nave a tune in their minds
when under strong excitement of any
kind.
We were talking on this subject not
long ago. and some one asked Mr.. Al
fred Robyn 1: he had ever experienced
ANYTHING similar to Creelman's hum
ming the Spring Song"
There is one occasion when l did,
and | shall never forget either the cir
cum$tance or the tune. 1t happened
III lN-SluttIll IdS - llC hSCN W pA"S
tice almost every evening on n of the
church organs of town. without any
pumping. you know-just pedal work,
that made no noise. One night late in
the fall | sat on the high organ bench
working away. with II gas jet fiaring
above my head and not another light
in the church. which was old and
gloomy as could be.
This is a ghost story, by the way;
YOU ought q know hat before l get
any farther-a ghost story that has a
true ending
Il had come in that evening by way
of the Sunday school room. which was
Just back of the auditorium and sep
-arated from e by a large double door.
This door, or half of it. l had left open,
as was my usual custom.
"As I finished 4 set of exercises I I'M
consciously turned around on my seat,
half making up my mind TO shut the
organ and go home. as twas after nine
o'clock. CHANGING in the direction of
closed.
This was Il surprise. How came
that door shut? was the question that
flashed through my brain in an instant,
and then ! began casting about for a
reasonable excuse
The draft? No. there was none. as
I had closed and 'ocked the outside
door when entering the church.
~ defective hinge. that would swing
to? Impossible; for l well remembered
that this same door would never close
of itself, having invariably to be opened
with much eXertion. owing to thick
ness of the carpet about the door. \
strong shove was always necessary in
order to get it open.
There was but one thing left within
the bounds of reason, leaving out. of
course. supernatural means, which l
scoffed at. The door had been closed
by some person who was then in the
Sunday school room. and who was evil
IDENTIFY there for no honest purpose.
We'll, the only Thing to do was to
investigate; so. sliding off the bench, l
left the gas burning and started down
the aisle toward the door.
Immediately and unconsciously /
began to whistle, and what do you sup
pose the tune was? That old ballad,
when You and 1 Were Young, Maggie
which I never had any fondness for. and
so can't imagine how in the world it
came into my mind. But it certainly
was there. and l finished two OF three
bars in the liveliest manner before
reaching the door.
Before 1 ;,ut my hand on the knob
I rather braced myself, half expecting
that there might be opposition on the
other side, Lut the door opened as cas-
ily as it ever did, and 1 walked into the
Sunday-school room, still whistling my
tune, and peering about in the dim
light. 1 had no matches, so could not
light the gas jet.
81 stood for q few seconds in tho