The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-12-21
A SAD LIFE STORY
HOW A BEAUTIFUL LOVE SONG
CAME TO BE WRITTEN.


CANE TO BE WRITTEN.
rhe True Story Of '.Lorena." One OF
the Most Popular Songs Of Its
Day, and ..Pau vane."
We priat below true. but ~ery
sad love story OF the lons ago:
The years creep slowly By. Locena.
The snow is on the grass again:
The suns low down the sky. Lorena.
The frost CLEANS where the flowers
have been.
But the heart th-obs o. as warmly
AS when the Summer days were
2iga.
The snp can never dip so low
Adown affections cloud.ess sky.
A hundred months hare passed. Lo-
rela,
Since last ! h.id that hand in
mine:
And Eel; that pulse beat East. Loreoa.
Though mine beat faster Ear than
thine.
| a hundred months. twas fo~ery
May.
Wien gue tho ailiy slope We
climbed,
To watch the dying Of the day
And hear the distaa; church-oe!ls
chime.
We loved each other then. Lo7ena.
caore than we ever dared 20 tell:
| And wha, We might hare been. Lo-
| Had but our loving prospe-ed
well.
| But, al It's past, the years are gone.
Well not call up their shadowy
forms;
Wen say to them: Lost years.
sleep on,
Sleep on. nor heed LIES 2eltins
storms.
THE story of.the past, Lo-ena,
| Alas. care not to repeat:
The hcaes sha. could no: last. Lo-
reaa,
| They lived. bat only lived 70 cheat,
would not cause cen one reere,
! To 5-ankle In yocr bosom now
i.sEor II we try. ne may forget
Were words OF thine long years
Yes. these words Of thine. Loreaa-
They are within my memory yet
They touched some tender chords,
Lorena.
1 Which thrill and t-emsle with re.
gret.
Twas not thy woman,s heart which
/ spoke
Thy heart was always true to me:
A duty stern snd piercing broke
The lie which linked my soul with
thee.
1T matters little now. Lorena.
The past Is With the eternal past:
Our heads Will soon lie low, Locena,
Life's tide IS ebhing ont so fast.
Bat there's future. Oh. thank God.
O. life this Is SO small q part
IT'S dust TO dust beneath the sod.
But there up there It's heart to
heart
Rev. q. .. L Webster.
One of5the most popular OF Amer.
lean sentimental songs is ~Lorena. .
land almost equally SO It's companion.
paul Taar:: or Lorena's Reply"
The sad story told IN the words OF
tais song IS true episode Of human
life and human lore. During the
Civil War i was sung everywhere
lin parlors, in concerts. On the stree;
and In camps. It was equally pop
uiar in the South as in the North.
In po-tray.ng the fate OF two lovers
It IS emotional 20 tseh degree. and
In ics truly pathetic tone. perhaps.
fss chief charm Hes. Il was so pop
tu,ar during che dark days OF the war
that 9 steamer on the Ohio river was
manned Lorena, engines on the West
fern roads were called Lorena. and
many mothers called their daughters
Loreaa out os sentiment FOR this "a
Ivor;te song.
The author OF eLorena." Henry de
Lafayette Wes.e-. was born In
Oneida county. New York. IN 1924.
His father. William Webster. was a
iineal deseerdan: OF John Webster.
who Vas Colonial governor Of Con-
necticrt IN 1856 and later. Henry
was the Youngest child in a family
! OF fre daughters and three sons. He
died IN Chicago on Noremb Der 5.
|ISa6. In 1928 his father moved 10
Loa!r county. Ohio. and located
about three miles south OF Elyria.
where he worked for many years at
bis trade. that OF blacksmith.
The authors opportunities for ac-
curing an education were limited.
and as he grew IN years ne was re-
CURED 20 30 his share toward the
|snpport Of the family. so that fell
Ing trees and work in the forest was.
perhaps. his best accomplishment.
But he was strdious and in spite
|os his limited opportunities. even
Isual!y had acquired sufficient knowl-
edge 10 teach school. Later. through
bard work in store and as tutor.
BE was able to pay mis- way through
the collegiate institution IN Column
h,yc - Ea ,str,e.a1 70 eoo,a +bo