The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-02-26
1.-THE WHITE PILGRIM"
An Amusing Incident Regarding
the Old Song.


Longview. Tex, Feb. 20. 1893.
Editor L'ANsE SENTINEL:
"When ia Rome, do as the Romans
do. y Having in u measure always
practiced this habit of conforming
to the customs OF a place, and hav-
ing been Hospitality entertained for
day and night by one of Long
view S most popular young ladies, j
invited her to come Monday, take
tea, spend the night and the next
day with me. After very pleasant
evening passed in friendly chat with
my host and hostess, we retired to
my room about 20 clock, intending
to have one OF those long confiden-
tial talks SO dear to the heart of wo-
man We discussed many subjects
under the sun and some that were
under the sod. About eleven we
made up our minds to go to sleep,
but we could not as easily make our
brains cease actlou as we could our
tongues, SO after trying in vain for
that the other was awake. Miss
Estelle said ut last: IL IN thinking
of a funeral | attended while in the
Panhandle year ago. We sang
one Of the Strangest songs at tins
funeral; 1t was something about Il
pilgrim. With that telepathy OF
soul that often exists with congenlal
spirits, at once said 1T was the
White Pilgrim; do you know
that" And we began TO sing, |
had not heard it since childhood
the stranIcst, wierdest old song. to
be sung i'll u very high key aud if
more than one voice in different
keys The story OF the funeral is
tins: An old man died; Que OF his
most intimate old friends desired
this song 20 be sung at the funeral.
He (the ,tiicnd) had an old hymn
book in which was this song with
the music in old fashioned square
notes. The friend sent over The
book for the young people TO learn
tht hymn to be sung at the funeral
next day. All The evening was
spent in practicing this queer old
song. The hour of the funeral ar
rived. The PRESBYTERIAN choir rose
to sing, but when looking at the
peculiar notes and words they look
ed at each other and sat down, leav-
ing the old friend and Miss Esteile
to do the singing Size, unable 10
raise her eyes sang to the end Of the
song, accompanied only by the old
friend She had noted his peculiar
pronunciation the previous evening,
and pronounced the words as h. dad
-"ly bcing pronounced as lie. "
j II write verse AS Il sample.
Imagine ii you can, an old, old man
and beautiful young woman sing
ing such strange, wierd words in
very high shrill key:
l came to the spot where the White Pilgrim.
lay,
When in u low whisper u voice seemed to say,
How swee;ly (liel sleep here alone
Go tell my companions and children most
To weep not for Joseph tho gone,
The same hand that led me thro' scenes dark
and drcar
Has kindly conducted me home.
Southern homes are so different
from our northern ones that we
could sing that even at II o clock
without awakening anyone. So we
began to sing, each in u different
key, the old song that she heard
about year ago, and which | had
heard once thirty years ago. lfany
of your older readers have ever
heard it I'm sure they will appre
ciate the humor of the situation.
The son Of the deceased, at whose
funeral it was sung, came to Miss
Estelle the next day saying,
Wherever did you learn that old
song, and as she naively expressed
it, Il gained awonderful reputation
as u musician because they supposed
| sang that music written with
square notes at sight.
am very glad my letters prove
of interest to my many friends in
the far-away north, for ] can assure
you Lake Superior's cold country
has very warm place in my heart.
Shall start for FL Paso Wedncs
day at sunset, going on the Sunset
Limited. " one of the finest trains in
the world. Sincerely yours,
-. n