Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-06-22
DIXIE LAND.
How the Term Originated. A Song of
Wonderful Popularity.

Doodle has brought an inquiry as tc
the origin Of the word Dixie as applied
to the southern land. The question
cannot be better answered than by a
recent contribution on the subject sent
from Worcester, Mass, by Herbert l..
JlllSOn to the New York Sun, and
which displays careful research regard
ing the matter. In the course of his
statement as to the origin of the
term, Mr.. Jillson says: THE original
song Dixie Land was composed in 1859
by Daniel Decatur Emmett as a walk
around for Bryant's MINISTRIES, then
performing in Mechanics hail. New
York. Mr.. Emmetts experiences
were varied, and part of his life had
been spent with the circus. He had
frequently heard the performers make
the remark, L wish l was in Dixie as
soon as the northern climate began to
be too severe for the tent life which
they followed. This expression sug-
gested the song DiXie's Land. 1t made
hit at once with the playgoing public
of New York, and was speedily spread
to al parts of the union by numerous
bands of wandering MINISTRIES, who
sang and danced to it. In the fall of
1860 Mrs. John Wood sang it in New
Orleans in John Brougham's burlesuue
of PocahOntas, and ere week had
passed the whole city had taken it Up,
and the darby on the street corner and
the banker in his office were both hum
ming it contentedly. A New Orleans
publisher saw possibilities in the mu-
sic, and without the authority of The
composer had the air harmonized and
rearranged, issuing it with words en-
bodying the strong southern feeling
then existing in the chief city of Louis
lana.
There is little doubt that these an-
alone would have given the
song an evanescent life, but General
word Dixie in a thrilling battle song
that gave the term an endurance that
it might not otherwise have enjoyed
Prior to these metrical uses of the
name, the word" according to Mr.
narration, "had been used to
indicate the Southland only by a few,
and in no sense was the term familiar
or it's usage general. There can be no
denying this statement, but the geper-
al impression concerning the origin Of
the word Dixie existing outside of the
south and in many parts of it is in.
correct. Naturally the popularity CT
the word created interest concerning
it's origin. The fact that the term was
used to indicate the states south Of
the Mason-iDiXon line has led the gen.
eral acceptance of the statement pub
licly made some years ago that Dixie
ly made some years ago that Dixie
sprang from Dixon. The argument
was based mainly on the alleged SINH
larity of the two words, Dixie and
Dixon, and pointed out that the ex-
of Dixon's land, a term which, by the
way, was never in use. AS a result,
the real root of the word has never
before been made known. 1t is often
difficult to trace such word back to
it's first usage and firmly establish its
origin, but the arguments in the pres
ent instance, however, are both conclu-
sive and convincing, and leave no
room for reasonable doubt that the
term Dixie land sprang from the ten
dollar note Dix, issued by the Citizens
bank of Louisiana, which had such IN
unprecedented circulation for a num-
Der of years previous to the war. The
story is not a long one, and in addi-
ton to it's historical significance it
cannot fail to be of much interest, for
the word Dixie has grown INTO general
usage, not only in this country, but
throughout the world.
In the days Of state banks their
notes suffered a discount in other
states owing to the opportunity offered
70 counterfeit, for with such large
variety in circulation it was difficult 10
identify them and discover whether
they were genuine or wild cat Some
idea is gained Of what this identiica-
ton meant when you learn that pa
per called the Bank Note Reporter was
published for the sole purpose Of de-
scribing the rates of the most reputa-
bic banks, some 1,400 in number, to aid
in the Identification of their notes.
In consequence the managers Of every
state bank did all in their power to
enlarge the circulation of their banks.
It enabled them to increase their loans
and, with currency widely distributed,
the dangers attending run were ma
terially lessened. C.. W. Cammack,
teller of the Citizens bank in Louisi-
ana, was instrumental in achieving