Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-11-06
Music as a Promoter of Courage.
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TT IS James Creelman, the war corre-
 spondent, l believe, who always finds himself humming a tune when in the thick of battle. He says 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 Graeeo-Turlsish war, several years age, in the height of fierce conflict, made the discovery that he was actually shrielxing aloud the .Mendelssohn Spring Song which had been dolni- nant in his brain from the first charge.
 This is nervousness, 1 suppose. Peo- pie whose tastes are strongly musical invariably have 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 T. he had ever experienced anything similar to Creelman's hum ming the Spring Song"
 There is one occasion when l did and I shall never forget either the cir cumstance or the tune. It happened in my student days, when used to prac- tice almost every evening on one of the church organs of town, without any pumping, you know just pedal work, that made no noise. One night late in the fall I sat on the high organ bench working away, with one gas jet flaring above my head and not another light in the church. which was old and gloomy as could be.
 This is d ghost story, by the way; you ought so know that before get any farther-a ghost story that has true ending.
 ''I had come in that evening by way of the Sunday school room, which was just back of the auditorium and sep arated from 1t by large double door. This door, or half of it, had left open, as was my usual custom.
 "As I finished set of exercises I un- consciously turned around on my seat, half making up my mind to shut the organ and go home, as twas after nine o'clock Glancing in the direction of the. double door, l saw that it was closed.
 "This was surprise. How came that door shut? was the question that flashed through my brain in an instant, and then I began casting about for reasonable excuse.
 ssThe draft? No, there was none, as n had closed and 'ocl<ed the outside door when entering the church.
 "A defective hinge, that would swing } to? Impossible; for 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. A strong shove was always necessary in order to get it open.
 ssThere was but one thing left within the bounds of reason, leaving out. of sscourse. supernatural means, which I scoffed at. The door had been closed bv some person who was then in the ( Sunday school room. and who was evi- sdentlv there for no honest purpose.
 'sWelI, the only thing to do was to | liinvest;gate; so, sliding off the bench, I $ left the gas burning and started down 1.-the aisle toward the door.
 ns .IInmediafely and unconsciously !. ..began to whistle and what do you sup fpose the tune was2 That old ballad. ''syyhen You and I Were Young, Maggie, (which never had any fondness for and ss6 can't imagine how in the world it *came into ny mind But it certainly *xas there, and finished two or three ABars in the liveliest manner before Preaching the door.
 ssBefore I put my hand on the knob , | rather braced myself. half expecting sthat there might be opposition on the other side, Lut the door opened as eas- |51y as it ever did, and walked into the Sunday-school room, still whistling my tune, and peering about in the dim sii0lt. I had no matches. so could not light the gas jet.
 1T stood for . few seconds in the