The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1907-02-09
NJ. COT74aE- WIN 17lE c5liAD0W or 1IlF CHURCH


at the time was preparing the opera
OF Clair for Mr. Kemblc. Bishop hap.
pcned to know the air perfectly we'll,
and adapted the music To- the words
The success of this song Is known
In every nation It has had a more
universal circulation than any other in
the world I'm less than year after
it appeared the London publishers
sold more than 100000 copies. Never.
thclcss IL Is curious fact that Payne
never was given credit for 1t nor a
royalty upon II. lie never even re-
ceivcd a presentation copy Of the song.
In 1912 he was appointed consul to
Tunis, and the same year was made
colonel on the stan OF Mai. Gen. Aaron
Ward, of the Fourth division of in
fantry of the militia Of the state Of
New York In February of the fol-
lowing year he left for Africa.
His career in Tunls was as unique
as the rest Of hs life. He became the
intimate and personal friend of Ahmed
Pasha Rey, the king of Tunis, and was
adored by the natives of the city.
He was recalled in 1915, but re-
turned to Africa in 1851. And when
they told the hey that he had reached
Tunis he "crled out ioyfully and said
Let him be made welcome!' Flags
were hung from every window, and
the people filled tho streets with fes-
tiuties in his honor.
D.. 4
for by Greek priest, two French sis.
ters of Mercy and some native Moors
who loved him. Tunis wcpt when his
eyes closed at last, and the hey was in
consolablc.
He was buried in a plot Of ground
overlooking the purple water and the
splendid ruins of old Carthage. Our
government erected there a marble
slab bearing Cmltons lines:
Sure when thy gentle spirit fed
To realms beyond the azure dome,
with arms outstretched, Gods angels
said:
Welcome to Heavens Home, Sweet
Home.
Gabriel Harrison says Of the poet In
connection with the Easthampton cot
tage of which he often spoke:
"One who has studied the character
of John Howard Payne cannot fail to
discover In his picture of the old home
stead deep, unsubsiding love for the
old place, as II the spirit of his boy
hood had come back to awaken mem-
ories of a delightful past indeed It
was here whore his earliest inspira-
tlons were winged, where his eyes
were first opened to the beauties OF
the world. where he first took breath
of the broad green fields. where the
waves of the sea shore, as they broke
their white crests at his young feet,
whispered to him strange stories of
the deep; whore he first tried to count
the stars, and where. each early
morning as he awoke. hope painted
new pictures of his imagined future.
Indeed. # he was thinking of any one
| place on earth when he wrote his song
of Home, Swee, Home it was of the
/ lowly cottage at Easthampton.
. And 1t Is this cottage which has
come into the possession of the Epis-
copal church of East Hampton, and
| because of the necessity for more
room, for the present building is not
/ adequate for the needs of the congre.
/ cation, especially i'm summer when the
/ tow> is filled with visitors, it has been
/ the plan to demolsh the cottage so
as TO secure the building space needed
+ for a larger church and parish house
and rectory adjoining.
Several plans have been put for
ward for the preservation of the cot
/ tage. One is that IL be remodeled and
used as a rectory; one resident OF the
/ town Offers land on which TO place the
/ building; the editor of a boys maga
zine i'm the west urges his young read
ers to support It as a historical mu
scum, and stll others have other
/ plans. Just what will be the ultimate
outcome of the agitation is uncertain
but it surely will be unfortunate II the
place is lost to the country and future
generations who will continue 20 sing
the song of Home, Sweet Home"