The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-12

o, dear old songs, now seldom seen.
What memories you raise;
You whisper of what might have BEEN
You sing OF long-past days.
TN shop window, few days ago.
saw a stack of paper-covered DOCKS
i whose title was Dear Old Songs.
7 bought a copy and, taking 1t to my
home. | was soon turning back It's pages
and dreamily recalling ana nummng ten
der melodies of other years. Some OF the
old songs / heard in my chiionooo from
Inns that have been silent In deatn iol
many year; and closing my eyes, w" ~
the book in my hand, l could hear tne
dear voices again, like the soft, low tones
of an eolian harp whose notes are a"ah-
ened by gentle breath at twilight.
number of the songs recalled certain
definite incidents and happenings of a dis
tant past; some of them tender ana peau-
tiful, others of them pathetic ana tras
ical Two or three of these incidents
here relate, as they may contain scraps
of experience common to many persona.
For who among those remembering GER
TAIN old songs, such as 1.-THE Lone Starry
Hour" Sleeping, l Dream, Love" "Oft
In the Silly Night" II Dreamt 1 Dwelt
In Marble Halls What Are the Wild
Waves Saying" Ever of Thee I'm Fond
Nv Dreaming''--who, I ask, remembering
such songs as these, which our fathers
and ,nothers sang, has not locked up in
his heart some incident dear and tender,
or otherwise?
THEN YOU'LL REMEMBER ME-"
We were children when we first met,
being about one year her senior. she was
the child of celebrated actor, whom !
remember chiefly for his considerate cour-
tesy and gentleness of soul; for though
frrra / moi
old enough to appreciate MS apllity' ne
IMPRESSED me most in private life.
His child, Julia, had golden hair and
eves as blue as the skies. She was a
dream of childish beauty and innocence.
We attended Sunday school together and
were taught from the Prayer BOOK our
duty to God and to our neignpor. l
was her neighbor, she was mine. one
grew up into beautiful young MAIDEN
hood. ana when about 10 years old, FOL
lowing the footsteps of all her tribe" she
appeared on the stage.
One night I sat In the parquet Of a GER
tain theatre when Mrs. ID. +. Bowers, q
splendid emotional actress. was to play
l.East Lynne" The theatre was packed
with an eager audience. AS the play pro-
seeded 1t was disclosed that neither tne
'.stsr'' nor Barbara Hare could sing' but
Uulia could She, therefore, sang the re-
blurred song, which as the reader knows
Is '.Then You'll Remember Me- now
tenderly she sang. Men and women
around me wept; many sobbed with un-
controllable emotion. / knew by these
tokens what others felt, but what was
Experienced in my own heart no one ever
knew. Even then our young lives were
drifting asunder.
In after years I heard this dear old
Tong in the opera, 1.-THE Bohemian Girl.
Ind while It was sung we'll, yet it lacked
lhe pathos. the tenderness OF Julia
voice There came a day when ! saw her
Tor the last time: and the very last words
That / heard her utter were:
tWhen hollow hearts shall wear a mask
Twill break your heart to see;
In such moment I but ask
That your remember me.
Then years came and fled. matricu-
hted at college as a student Of divinity,
khile Julia's talehts were winning laurels
h New York city, II never saw her again.
houxh n New York many times