davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02

greatly by its lack of money in hand and it's poor credit We owe a lot of money to some banks. It is possible we may succeed in borrowing more. Banks oc- casionally lend money in the forlorn hope of recovering some that seems almost lost. That is our chance.
 If you are willing to cooperate with me say so. If you are not, let us wind up the concerns affairs as quickly as possible. It probably would save me a great deal of time and worry to shut up shop now, for I am heartily sick of the deception practfced, but I hate to ac- knowledge defeat while there is the slightest prospect of working out sue cess, and there is just one glimmer of chance In this affair.""
 MT Dover, who had listened with deep emotion to MT. Pierson's address, begged the gentlemen to agree to his proposi ton. If any one could save the com pany, he was certain MT. Pierson was the man. He was sorry to have caused so much unhappiness and distress, and 1t had been his misfortune to visit this trouble on those for whom he had the most sincere feeling, but he would make amends in any way within his power. be had spent wildly and foolishly money that belonged to the company, but he had not a dollar left In the world, and his only prospect foT the future was that the company would be saved through MT. Persons efforts, and the shares, now almost worthless, would be made valuable He closed with eulogy of MT. Pierson which that gentleman by no means relished.
 The various gentlemen signfied their pleasure in letting MT. Pierson take upon himself the burden of rescuing the company. One or two expressed them selves vigorously regarding Mir. Dover, but MT. Dover was so weak and his expressive eyes had so much of sad ness in tn em that they rather wished they had not been so harsh.
 MT. Pierson proved himself glutton for work. From the day he first be- gan to suspect Dover he had given so much of his time as he could spare from his regular duties to getting to the bottom of each and every bit of crookedness he discovered. Now he started to reorganize the working of the whole company Of the selling or ganization he took personal charge, us- ing Crowell as assistant sales manager. Harris, who had the contract for sup plies, was made purchasing agent. The factory needed overhe ulng and Pier son found so much to complain of there that he served notice on Lempitt that if there was not radical change he would be discharged
 In office and factory salaries were cut and the force reduced as much as consistent with reasonable service. From 8 a. m. until or D. m. Pier son was at work until he mastered ev- cry detail of every department
 Lempitt did not last long, Being in- competent and showing an unwilling ness to carry out Pierson's orders, he was promptly dismissed. Within six
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02
The Abuse of 3ayonets

From the Washington Post.
 A veteran soldier was talking about bayonets.
 "A lot of unjust obloquy was heAped on our bayonet makers during the civil war" he said. "The makers were blamed for defects that were really the fault of us soldiers.
 'I saw some interesting bayonet tests the other day that proved this. First, in these tests, lot of swords and boy onets were put through the severest or- deals proper to swords and bayonets, and they came out in superb condi- ton. Then they were put through tho improper ordeals that too many of us subected them to during the war.
 "A piece of bread was toasted on a fine bayonet, and then the hot steel was thrust suddenly into cold water. as often happened in the field on tho sud- den appearance of an officer. The result was that the magnificent metal became as brittle as glass Dropped nn the floor 1t broke into five pieces.
 Three bayonets were arranged in tripod shape and a steak was cooked under them. These bayonets cooled slowly, and. when cold. they were as soft as lead.
 And for these things. In the civil war many bayoaet makers name was disgraced."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02

in the way of a contract they desired.
 Sore at heart and disgusted at each new revelation of Dover's conduct, Pier son for a time was disposed to quit the company and return east He had some thought, too, of taking criminal action against Dover, who had obtained his money under false pretense and who also had obtained the money of Piersons friend by deceit, but Pierson hated to have to confess he had been so easily gulled. and gradually his fighting spirit was aroused. Then he set to work to see if there was any way out of the tangle of debt and em- barrassment with which the company was beset. There was merit, undoubted merit in the company's product and there was money to be made If the bus
 mess was conducted honestly and eco- nomicaly, but next to genius for bor- rowing money Dover had a faculty for spending it. Of all the money he had obtained in the several years of the corporations existence there was little to show. Harris. who was Dover's brother-inlaw, was little better than Dover. Crowell, who had the contract for selling the goods, owned some stock, held some more of Dover's as security for loan, and had lent good deal to Dover without security. Lem- pitt, the superintendent of the factory, had been put in charge there because something had to be done for him by Dover after getting all his money. It was the same story with slight varia- ton with others. Peters, the vice pres
 dent, had the job because he had ad- vanced $14,000 to Dover. Peters and Lamar had a little stock and felt the company owed them a living.
 Pierson called the stockholders to- gether and laid the facts before them. He had no hesitency In exposing his own wounds.
 "Gentlemen," he said toward the close, this company has been drained dry by MT. Dover. What he has done with the money he alone can tell. 1 am going to run this concern from this time forward. How long 1t lasts is problem. Today 1t is bankrupt. sup pose if bankruptcy proceedings were be- gun MT. Dover would land in jail. Some of you are related to him. Some aof you are old time friends. sxtAAneSRot your desire, no more than 74<r1ine 10 make him suffer the laW nn{ty for his acts. {S.~s# ~
 If we are to go on or, ra( & to go on, there will have to be kal. Some of you gentlemen haN4e lets that are not fair to the cor1r khey must be cancelled Expen& be reduced. As starter I anI< fe re- duce my own salary one Sxshall endeavor to continue the each and all of you have held 19 com pany, but if I do not finNP &Fou fit into the new plan of work foduc- ing T shall have no hesitauctIin in 4etting rid of you. As for Mrnl Ahougn he is recorded as tha z kholder in this company he All 10 voice or influence hereafV VI (nanage- ment. #51f2y4-aQ&
 'The company is, hmpered
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02

cause, and theviolence of the spirit of party has never risen higher than it did at that time upon that question.
 Written for a Benefit Concert
 "The theatre was then open in our city. A young man belonging to 1t, whose talent was high as a singer, was about to take a benefit. I had known him when he was at school. On this ac- quaintance he called on me one Saturday afternoon his benefit being announced for the following Monday. His prospects were disheartening, but he said that fl ne could get a patriotic song adapted to The Presidents March he did not doubt of a full house. that the poets of the theatrical corps had been trying to ac oomplish 1t, but had not succeeded I told him I would try what I could do for him. He came the next afternoon and the song, such as it is, was ready for hirl.
 ''The object of the author was to get up an American spirit which should be independent of and above the interests, passion and policy of both beligerents. and look and feel exclusively for our honor and rights. No alusion Is made to France or England, or the quarrel be- tween them. or to the question which was most in fault in their treatment of us Of course, the song found favor with both parties. for both were American at least neithep could dsown the senti- ments and feelings it indicated. Such is the history of this song, which has endured infinitely beyond the expectation of the author, as it is beyond any merit il can boast of except that of being truly and exclusively patriotic in It's sentiment and spirit
 Hail Columbia" Ruined the Singer
 The young man here referred to was Gilbert Fox. The song written for him made such a success that 1t is said to have ruined him by the many places he was asked to sing it and by the "ex- cessive demands of conviviality"
 The first night it was sung 1t was encored a dozen times and was repeat cd the next pla. night by special re- quest. It was again sung the day fol- lowing under the narce of The New Federal Song" and was afterward ad- vertised as such. If was at first con sidered somewhat of a political song rather than q national one, and was attacked by the newspapers as being monarchical. The peop'e however. liked 1t. It was sung and whistled on the streets, and soon no lNublic entertain ment was considered satisfactory with out it. It was taken fir nn Philadel- phia to New York, and was equally popular there.
 It Is said thah the air to W Nhich Hail Columbia" was sung was that of "The Presidents March, composed by Ger man named Pfeyles in 17S9. It was in contradistinction to he march of the Irevolution called "Washington's March" It was sung one night when President Washington attended ehe theatre, and the audience called for "Wa shington' $ March as soon as ''Hiil Columbia was concluded, and greatly applau led the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02

latter. This was at the old John Street threatre in New York.
 Another claim is that a German teacher of music named Roth wrote the air to which Hail Columbia was first sung. This man lived in Philadelphia, and the air was written in honor Of the new President, George Washington. It is doubtful which is correct.
 George Washington Parke Curtis claims that the march was composed by Pfeyles and that 1t was struck up when- ever the President entered the stage box with his family.
 The Girls Serenade
 As for Washington. a great many songs were made for mm during his presidency, and his triumphal swings about the country were carpeted with colonial poetry. For instance, when he came to Trenton April 21,. 17s9, truinphal arch was made over the bridge. and as he passed under it number of young girls dressed in white and decked with flow CTS, held baskets of flowers in their hands and sung as follows:
 l "Welcome mighty chief once more, Welcome 10 this grateful shore.
 Now no mercenary Toe
 Aims again the fatal blow,
 Aims at thee the fatal blow. . ''Virgins fair and matrons grave
 Those thy conquering arms did save. Build for thee triumphal bower: Strew. ve fair his way with flowers Strew your hero's way with flowers.
 As the girls sang they scattered the fovers in front of the President. who halted until the sonnet was finished. General Washington was then given a copy of the music, and he afterward wrote a note of thanks to the ladies for his reception.
 "The Star Spangled Banner"
 Perhaps the most romantic story of any of these national songs is that con nected with the star Spangled Ban ner" which was written by Francis Scott Key while witnessing the bom- bardment of Fort McHenry. from a British man of-war which lay in front of the fort. There is no authentic story of the composition of this song but we have ar account cf its origin from MT. R. B, Fancy, wl.o was afterward chief, justic> of the supreme court, Judge Fancy was a Srother-in-law of Francis Scott Key. It seems that Mir Key went out 70 the man-of-war in order to request the release of a pr. Beanes. who had been seized by the British and was kept on that ship. Mir. Key was one of the doctors intimate friends. He was a lawyer by profes- sion and was resident of George town, living in house near the Aque- duct bridge, which is still marked with his name. MT. Key was cour.eousy re- ceived by Admiral Cochrane and his officers. but they refused for some time to release Dr. Beanes. and before they did so the bombardment began. It was then impossible for Mir Key to leave the fleet an6 he was told that he would
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02
OUR

.Copyright,l yU. oy Frank c. Carpenter.)
 washington, D. c. TT is through the researches of the
 national library as directed by 4 Congress, that am able to give you some live information of the four na- tional songs which will be sung all over this country next Tuesday. These are Yankee Doodle,'' America" Hall Columbia and "The Star spangled Ban ner." The work of investigation con- corning them has been collected by Prof. . Oscar G. T. Sonneck, chief of the di- vision of music in the library of Con- gress, and Congress has ordered that his work be published, but that no copies whatever are to be distributed without payment therefor.
 "Yankee Doodle"
 The oldest of these songs is Yankee Doodle" It was sung 150 years ago, and, next to "Dixie,' it is still the most pop ular of our national melodies. How 1t originated no one can be absolutely sure. There are ls different theories which have sprung up since the song was first gem eraIly sung, in e1775. The first is that 1t was composed by a British officer of the revolution in contempt or the Amer leans, and that it was written to the Jingle of nursery rhyme which was in 1lSe lar Ddck dS lHe tiii'C oi Nhoi iSS of England. This rhyme began;
 Lucy Locket lost her pocket,
 Kitty Fisher found it;
 Nothing fin it, nothing in It.
 But the binding round it.
 At the same time it was suggested that it might have come from Holland, and had heen sung there as harvest song corresponding to the following, relatlnS for as much buttermilk as they could drink and a tenth of the crop:
 "YanlSer DIddel. doodel down,
 Didel, dudel lanter;
 Yanke viver, voover vown,
 Botermilk and tanther."
 This is something like:
 '.Yankee Doodle came to town . Upon little pony;
 He stuck feather in his hat
 And called 1t macaroni." 4 Another theory is that the air had IT. origin in a military march which W brought to this country by the Hes4t soldiers during our war for independes and another states that it was fo'u on a tune in use during the tinse Cromwell, and was written to ri6 him. As to the kitty Fisher" sI of in the first verse as the girl whof ..Lucy Lpcket's pocket,' she Is have been a lady of Charles M like nsnv of the ladiss of !1 twas not quite so good as shs be-" Nevertheless, She was a character and was painted by Si Reynolds more than once.
 Al to the word Yankee X f. NH
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02

he detained until the attack on Balti more, which was about to he made, was over
 In his story of the song to Judge Fancy MT. Key described the scene the night of the bombardment, during which he remained on deck watching every shell from the moment it was fired until it fell.
 "While the bombardment continued if was sufficient proof that the fort had not surrendered But it suddenly ceased some time before day, and as they had no communication with any of the enemy S ships Key did not know whether the fort had surrendered or the attack upon 1t been aban ndoned. He. paced the deck for the residue of the night in painful sus- pense. watching with intense anxiety for the return. of day and looking every few minutes at his watch to see how long he must wait for 1t; and as soon as it dawned. and before it was light enough to see objects at distance his glasses were turned to the fort. uncertain whether he should sec there the Stars and Stripes or the flag of the enemy. At length the light came. and he saw that our flag was still there.' And as the day advanced he discovered, from the movements of the boats between the short and the fleet. that the troops had been roughly handled and that many wounded men were carried to the ships At length he was informed that the at tack on Baltimore had failed. that the British army was re-embarking and that he and Mir Skinner and pr. Beanes would be permitted to leave and go where they pleased as soon as the troops were on board and the fleet ready to sail.
 Written Amid Cannon Balls
 'IIe then told me that under the ex-. citement of the time he had written a song. and ,hetcupon handed me a printed copy of The Star Spangled Banner. When I had read it and expressed my admiration I asked him how he found time in the scenes he had been passing through to compose such a song. He said he commenced it in the fervor of the moment on the deck of the vessel when he saw the enemy hastily retreating to their ships and beheld again the flag he had watched for so anxiously.
 He said he had written some Of the lines on the back of a letter which he happened to have in his pocket: but for the others as he proceeded, he was obliged to rely altogether on his memory. He finished composing the song in the boat on his way 10 the shore, and wrote 1t out. as it now stands. at the hotel that night immediately after he reached Baltimore He said that on the next morning he took 1t to Judge Nicholson to ask him what he thought of it, and that the judge was so much pleased with 1t that he immediately sent 1t to a print CT and directed copies to be struck off in hand bill form. He believed, he said that it was favorably received by the Baltimore public.''
 Where the Tune Came From
 The air of "Anacreon in Heaven was adapted to the words of "The Star Spangled Banner" and so 1t Is sung to
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02

used by the NC U blonials as an expression 1n- pure or excellent, and n as one of contempt So1 p& f3tish songs. quoted relate 9ck, the first signer of the k1ndependence. Yankee Df Town We will Ehim.
 And sol Hancock"
 Here, M 5Another, which relates t1 which is said to have 8khe British off "Madaf 1nt dream,
 She dTeafnt Fed something; She dreamt sKK h a Yankee king To crown HN pumpkin
 And just cr1ti which was sung by the schoou ny years ago: Yankee DQI he to town,
 Put on IL 6 trousers Vow'd he qM(1 lee the place,
 There VII sany houses
 The ea410f tnted version to be found of FYankee Doodle" ap- pears inif collection of dances of the ]. under the title of kitty jig." The air was also used asa sidents march. It was played Yankees after the bat tie of <Hin, so a British off cer VII d we learn in the New York VI 176S that 1t was already sung me.
 An6 m is that the air Is of Irish n that 1t Is identical with so Sd "All the Way to Gal wa, another is that it comes froX 5ngarian A Dr. hackburg, bf the British army, is cla have written 1t and a Dr.. Sh is also credited with its at ITO sum the whole matter up o seven different theories none l Origin of "America''
 no doubt, however about the
 2 of our beautiful national hymn H country. tis of thee iy55 16eet land of liberty,
 X1 thee r sing.
 6nd where my fathers died,
 Ind of the pilgrims pride,
 om every mountain side
 Let freedom ring
 &merica' was written by the Rev.
 Suel F. Smith in the town of Andover,
 ss., in February, 1882. Dr. Smith was
 kn in 1908 and he die1 in 1895. It was bng about 1890 that he wrote an auto taph copy of this hymn for Admiral Efebe In this he tells how a friend Of ls, MT. William C. Woodbridge. brought over from Europe in 1881 some German Emusic books, and how Lowell Mason, 8 1German scholar. picked out from them 1some music that might he adapted to
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02

hymns. This was at the request of Dr. Smith of the translations submitted,' the doctor writes. "one fell in with the tune of God Save the King and I at once took up my pen and wrote the piece in question It was struck out at a sit ting. without the slightest idea that it would ever attain the popularity 1t has since enjoyed"
 First Sung in Boston
 '"The first time 1t was sung publicity was at a chiidTen's celebration of Ameri- can independence, at the Park street church, Boston, I think, on July 4, 1882 If I had anticipated the future of 1t, doubtless I would have taken more pains. Such 'as it is, I am glad to have con tributed this mite to the cause of Amer ican freedom
 The books of music from which this hymn came were made up of songs used in the schools of Germany. It was first sung here the Fourth of July, and was brought out by Lowell Mason, much to the surprise of Dr. Smith. Edward Ever ett Hale has written how he as boy. having spent all his holiday money on root beer ginger snaps and oysters at celebration on Boston common on his way home marched with other children into Park street church, and there heard the
 
 The main objection raised against "America, is that 1t has the same air as God Save the King and that there are other national airs to the same music Long before the hymn was written the air was used in such songs as God Save America" "God Save George Washing- ton'' and God Save the President A song was made by Dutch lady at Ihe Hague for the sailors of five American vessels at Amsterdam in June, 1779 which was entitled God Save the Thir- teen States and that air was employed at patriotic meetings in our country for years before America was written.
 Hail Columbia, Happy Land
 As to Hail Columbuia" that song was written by Joseph Hopkinson in 179S. It was penned when war between France and America was thought to be inevi- table and when Congress was debating the possibilities during one of it's ses- sions in Philadelphia. The poet thus describes how he came to write it:
 ''The contest between England and France was raging, and the people or the United States wered ivided into parties fore the one side or the other, some think ing that policy and duty rquired us to espouse the cause of Republican France" as she was called. while others were for connecting ourselves with Eng land. under the belief that she was the great preservative power of good prin- ciples and safe government.
 '.The violation of our rights by both be- lgerents was forcing us from the just and wise policy of President Washington, which was to do equal justice, 10 both, but to part with neither and tol preserve an honest and strict neutrality between them. The prospect of rupture with France was exceedingly offensive to the portion or the people who espoused her
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02
A Bad Advertisement

From the Continent.
 Druggist tto his stout wife)-"Don't come in just this minute. I am about to sell six bottles of my fat-reducing mix. ture."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-02
Where the Tune Came From

The air of "Anacreon in Heaven was adapted to the words of "The Star Spangled Banner" and so 1t is sung to
The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-05-05
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