The Washington herald., 1907-07-26
MEN AND THINGS.


Enjoys Water sports.
Advices from oyster Bay are to the
effect that President Roosevelt has prac-
tieally abandoned his erstwhiie favOrite
sport Of horseback riding for aquatic
diversions. A few days ago the dis
patches told of his all-night outing with
some Of his sons and nephews. and. in
addition to this, he has enjoyed various
camping expeditions 10 Lloyds Neck which
neccessitated a long pull in a rowboat.
Nearly every morning the President takes
dip in Cold Spring Harbor, near Saga
more HILL The water there is always
chilly and Il Is said 10 be even colder
than usual this summer: but, Of course,
la little thing like that doesn't bother
so strenuous a man as Mr.. Roosevelt
Judge Parker. it will be remembered
added to his fame during the Presidential
campaign of 1904 by his daily baths In
the Hudson in front Of his Esopus home,
and no Roosevelt would allow a defeated
Democratic candidate to get more enjoy
Inent out Of cold water than he.
Many Of the Presidents rowboat trips
are taken alone in an DID, fiat-bottOmed
skiff which oyster Bay watermen ap-
praise at about $3.50. He rows a good
stroke, and everybody in the immediate
neighbOrhood attempts to emulate it.
/ When not enjoying himself on the water.
or camping, the President frequently rids
/ himself Of supernuous energy ~ chopping
wood and, occasionally, by pitching hay,
although Senator KnOx's story OF the
loF l.- u
welt barn probably was somewhat ex-
/ aggerated. He Is permitting official bus
| mess to bother him as little as possible.
and IS devotlng more time than usual
/ 20 enjoying himself IN the open. Il is
probable that he has not spent more
active summer since he became President.
Hays a Georgetown Graduate.
William Shakespeare Hays, or Col. VIII
5. Hays, as he was known by those IA
miliar with his writings, was a few days
more than seventy years old when he died
at Louisville last Tuesday While many
Washingtonlans know his poems and
/ songs, few, especially Of the younger gen
eration, are aware that he was a graduate
/ Of Georgetown University. II was while
he was a student at that institution that
! he commenced to write verse. and it was
as an employe O. a Georgetown newspa-
per that he first became acquainted with
printers ink. After leaving college he
was in the newspaper business practically
until the day OF his death with the ex-
ception Of q few short periods when he
acted as master or clerk Of Mississippi
Z erl T- 81
came well known all the way from Pitts
burg 10 New Orleans In the late eos and
early '70's. During the war he com
manded the Gray Eagle transport, and
was arrested in New Orleans b. order of
Gen. Butler, who did not relish a song
Hays wrote.
Col. Hays first successful song was the
universally known "Evangeline" TIE in
spiration for this came from a steel en-
craving Of Longfellows mournful heroine,
which Hays saw at the home Of Con-
gresham r. ID. Mallory, where he was
visiting with a number of other young
people. While walking home in the noon
light he hummed the ar and the words Of
the first verse Of the song and some OF
the young women insisted that ne sing il.
just then the party came upon a heap Of
CharTed embers where some slaves had
been roasting corn close beside a newly
whitewashed fence. The young composer
wrote the words and the music on the
planks Of the fence with the charTed
sticks, and the merry company marched
up and down before the imprOvised music
stand. singing the song which afterward
became famous.
Other well known songs written by Col.
Hays were "Shamus O'BrieR. Molly
Darling" Nora O'Neu,' Driven from
Home. THE Wandering Refugee Take
This Letter TO My Mother" and The
Little Old Log Cabin In the Lane Years
ago his publisher sent him a statement
showing that up 10 that time over 100000
copies OF his songs had been sold. Never
theless Col Hays himself used 10 say
that he made no money from them, but
that he was not worrying. Because nc did
not write them for money.