Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-30
Two Famous Writers
of American Song
Copyright. 1905. BY Gilberta 8. WHITLEY


the Abotts of three generations. The eioer'
then an old man, wishing to learn 10 play
HYMNS was almost his first organ pupA An
Boston bringing about more proionseo ie-
lations with his sons, the Weh-Ano"
writer's and educators, at whose ne" AoA
school Root taught. and also win '"e
grandson Rev. Lyman Abbott MAJ. 49,
Is indeed, incorporated in JACOB Aooo''
"Rollo Books" where he appears as oncie
George, and Uncle Georges olrecliohs
Rollo in forming a boat club were ootaiieo
by the author while sailing In ROOFS o"n
boat in the waters about New I .na Abbott
In addition to his work at the Apu Sti
school Mr. Root taught at RuIgeI ,t anao
tute and at the New York state ihs'''o@
for the Blind. ,+..- nlace"
he said. Il crossed, in going from ao IAN
street to 4th avenue potato and corn n si.nS
sometimes muddying my shoes IN y, uNA
where Madison Square now stan atas ,vas
Among his pupils at Abbotts was
bright. yiyacious girl, conspicuous at EN- en
tertainments, especially those hav ..as ari
in them This was Helen Fiske aItef Y Matu
known the world over as Heieh 'nuN' ''
son."
At Rutgers one morning MS auicA .oo
detected a strange voice IN the GLASS; Va wv
before him. .,,.
1T was not lOuQ, MI. Aeoos S~'
| 90 rich in quality that it pervaded the "hoie
| room. 1t seemed mature, and ran my e'es
over the young ladies, but there was ~
| stranger among them. Presently traced II
| to small brunette about thirteen Years
old with a profusion of wavy mar hansins
about a lovely dark face rms was A .nnr
| Thomas first day at school, put sne go
became our prima donna, while ner nanae
| will be long remembered in musical clIcieS
! in New York. Annie used TO go inr
ally with me to hear my piina p .hpan1osicsi
There she captivated young theoioE FrS;
| student then one of the teachers. this
| Student, later Rev. William Clevelana, ha nae.
a Younger brother engaged as an once p ~.
in the institution. Grover N'e'e''
| name NJ poot,s
| But. while Annie Thomas was MI. Koo.
New York vocalist, his best piano pupii was
a little girl the future wife OF C !a go she
lev Warner, of whom he said: nope sIs
| still remembers her Cramer exercises anu
| how well she used to play them. ,,,, g.,
| His musical compositions. brought o MN an N
| touch with another interesting peisoh' OH"
| in this connection Mr.. Root SAID:
II have never felt that 1 had call as
| composer. my work along this line beng
begun with no o othe ef ues, own pupils.
| At this time there was at the S.,au nf
| stitution a young teacher. graduate ol
! the school, who had wonoerlui .aS .ia,:
| at rhyming with fine poetic lmae lnalioIi.
A school entertainment created a neeo lor
q cantata, and to supply it Mr.. Root has
| tily wrote his Flower Queen, Gaming 70
| his aid the young teacher mentioneo: EaSn ~
| dav when 1 went to my blind classes, ne
| said Il would tell her IN prose VIVA.
| wanted the flowers to say, huninilns me rhe
tune to give her an Idea OF the mesei. r.adr
next day she would have the verse READY
| for me-"
This teacher, Fannie Crosby. who died
| NOT long since was then known only to
| hlf after
| ward became familiar wherever Gospel
| songs were sung.
| roots work as a composer once fairly
| heou proceeded of it's own momentum
and the immense popularity OF Hazei
| Deli" taken up by the street ofsan rs aiiu
sung and whistled from Maine ~ aeN a.
| suggesting to him the people SONG do Ale
| forte he wrote a number of others possess
ing less vitality. About this time Boston
| arm aplied 10 him fo- half dozen songs
and when these were handed in with cha 1o
an nronptness and his price of $500
for the lot mentioned, the dealeT lausneu
at the hire idea. The usual royalties were
accordingly agreed Ion on ana he he" paid me
81 Ooo for Resale, the Prairie Flower, the
| other five having also large SAFES ne proo-
ably regretted not having eioSeo "'A '
first proposition. 49,.
In the early fifties Root, who was the
originator of the musical normal came "
Richmond to conduct one OF these conveh-
inns
nerformances of his Flower Queen in the
same city. -, ,;a .u etayed
a+ Tho house of the father of Marion Har-
land then a Young girl engaged In writing
| her second novel; her first Alone. having
| brought her both profit and reputatlon
Rev Mr.. Terhune, whom she aa.er"afo
| married was also guest at the mousse.
X
At the breaking out of the civil war the
composer as a member of the musical nrm
| of Root & Cody, was living In Chlcago'
when he wrote the initial song OF the per-
iod beginning, 1.-The First Gun is Fired"
Others followed with ceaseless rapidity.
his productions in this connection being a
!; sort of rhymed journalism, having the
marketable quality of timeliness and voic-
ing the sentiments of the people under the
circumstances incident to the situation, or
when moved by some marked event. mus
iJncoln's second call for troops suggested
Orally Round the Flag, Boys" and Just
BEFORE the Battle, Mother" expressed the
ment: TRAMP, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys
are Marching his feeling in prison, and
the Vacant Chair the sorrow Of those at
home for the slain. some OF tne ase, nein ~;
both armies, while all had immense sales.
.'Tramp, Tramp, Tramp brought the au-
thor $4,000 in single year ..a,a striking
NV MARYLAND" for which Mr.. Randall re-
ceived $1Oo in confederate money, ex-
changed. as he said, "for much-needed
But although Mr.. Roots compositions
were tremendously popular, he wrote.-as
no one was better aware than himself
nothing distinctly great. They lived to a
. good old age, as the life Of a popular song
! is reckoned. serving a useful purpose and
appealing to the elementary taste. but none
tally: Hazel Pei" and Resale -, the Prai.
far and wide, have breathed their last
True, his war songs have a brief, annual
r Grand Army reunions. stirring from asso-
> citation the hearts Of the old soldiers. bu,
these, too, will doubtless perish with the
, | survivors of the war. His gospel songs.
: | written during q business connection with
: | bliss and sung by the latter at the Moody
, meetings, give promise OF more prolonged
: usefulness His Come to the Savior was
, a special favorite with the evangelist and
employed by him with tremendous effect
Moody saying Of IT. t.. .d 1T Is the Rally
m. morning in Chicago In the earlv ma ri