Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-10-23
A Study In Songs.

| Il hereby give YOU authority 10 print
in Your pape: the first and second
ve,scs and chorus, provided that YOU
protect my copyright by entering di-
rec:iv under the verses and chorus
Copyright 1901 by W. ID. Allen and
il would be pleased if YOU would fur
Their state that there are several other
jVc.sns 10 the song, each bringing out a
good point. etc. | have written several
o>hcr songs recently. one Of which.
The Doom Of Anarchy" think you
will like. and that you may judge of
the merit of the lines. | enc!ose a copy
o; same. Another one which think
is fairly good is Only a Bird on a
Lady's Hat" dedicated 10 the Audubon
Society, and one which I am sure will
please the lovers of bids. You will
always find me on the righ, side OF
the questions of the day and hope
/ that my efforts will met your APP
probation"
The opening stanll of the Schley
scng affords an excellent example of
Mr. Aliens rich and glowing "tyle. il,
runs as follows:
There is mach in The air 'hou, our Drcy-
fJS .n&lr.
, BAT here's what We think of the charge.
! AS they cant buy th.- vote. Schlcy', brave
Shiy Will still float
Will" The verdict will sink Simpsons
! barge:
The qu' stion they state that l. up fos
! Is VINO hi, til. spanish G..;'a .ye?
Why. Their, ism; man. from Eec--..he -ha
10 Dan
! But who knows il was Admiral Sch!.y
Copyright. ltii. by ". ID. Al!rrJ
We confess that We are somewhat
II loss 10 know which to admire more
: in this GENTS cminen. conference or
| the cleaIness and elegance of it's die
lion. We We're led u believe at the
START that the writer contemplated a re-
view Of the Dreyfus case. and that ne
fidencc. his unbiased and thoughtful
: judgment Of the charge against that
unfortunate officer: but al this inter-
esting and exciting point he gravely
| assures us that they can't buy
! vote" which indicates practical eX-
perience on the part of the author in
| Chicago politics. We settle back for
some clear and definite statement Of
the means by which they" have been
reduced TO this plight: but again the
gifted writer disappoints us. There is,
| however, a relief to us in his positive
| g ssuranCe that Admiral SChley's ship
Gy which we assume he means the
! Groohlyn-"will still float" although
we are obliged to admit that this is the
| first intimation we have received that
she has been leaking. He then goes
! on to assure US that the verdict will
sink SIMPSONS barge. We had sup
posed that Hobsou did this: but We
have no desire TO be opinionated in the
matter. 1t might after all. have been
| the Dreyfus verdict. 1t is interesting
TO note also that the question of Who
hit the Spanish i'eet's eye" has been
up for debate" This may refer to
| the search lights carried by the ships
supposed, before reading this song,
that most of the hitting had been done
| OH their armor plate. But after all the
vital question at issue is WHO hit
William Patterson" 1t is right here
! that Mr.. Allen rises to his sublimeSt
height. He solemnly assures us that
there isn't a man from Beer-shc-ba
TO Dan" who doesn't know that il was
Admiral Schley. This is reversal in
the ancient order of travel; but Mr.
Allen is probably right in assuming the
distance to be no greater After Civ
ing the hyphenated word Beer-sh ba
Z careful study we think we observe
the unmistakable signs of crypto-
gram; not so complicated as the one
that Ignatius Donnelly discovered in
the writings of Lord Bacon, and much
more apparent. Beer stands here for
cheer. 1t is isolated partly perhaps
for the purpose of popularizing the
song, and partly to indicate 4 posi-
bic source OF its inspiration She is
somewhat more obscure. We take il.
however. that it is meant to conjure
up Il mental picture of the Brooklyn
IS she appeared. while Admiral Schley
. vas getting in that shoulder blow on
| III" eye al, the Spanish fleet Ia" is
probably an abbreviated form for
| bah" and is meant to convey to the
, discerning and sympathetic reader, the
writer's honest opinion of Admiral
Sampson.
We have reviewed this song ut some
length for the reason that it is not
often our fortune to pass upon works Of
this character. Mr.. Allen indicates a