The Bourbon news., 1913-12-16

come recognized as the song of the South
land, it is almost as we'll loved in the North, and
has become recognized of our national
anthems. Strange, indeed, that this song that
sends the heart of the Southerner bounding and
beating and inspires him with patriotism such as
no other song does should have been written by
a Northern Stranger, too, that this song
that is full of that kind of music that inspires
and thrills not written, as most other great
national songs have been written, through in
spiraton.
Years before the war; when Negro minstrelsy
the most popular form of entertainment and
when the bones and the tambo were instruments
OF delight and the end man important
being, Old Dan Emmett, as he was lovingly
called, the author of "Old Dan Tucker" ranked
high in popular favor. He wrote Dixie" as he
had written "Old Dan Tucker" with desire to
give his audience something catchy and he GER
tainly succeeded, for Dixie" will remain as an
everlasting monument to him. It's inspiring tone
never failed to awaken enthusiasm.
In 1904, of the great hotels in New York
City included it in its nightly program of music
for the reason that many Southerners were con-
stantly guests there. On June 18th of that year
as the orchestra struck up Dixie" the crowded
room expressed its intense pleasure. While this
tribute was being paid to Dixie" the old min
strel author forgotten by the world at large lay
dying in his humble home at Mount Vernon
Ohio.
Daniel Decatur Emmett was born in Mt. Yer
non, Ohio October 29 1915. His grandfather
was a soldier in the Revolution, fighting under
Morgan at the Cowpens. His father, who was a
blacksmith, fought in the War of 1872, in the
regiment commanded by Lewis Cass. Dan as a
boy would "blow and strike for his father in
the latter's smithy. At intervals between his
work he ran errands or played the fiddle for the
villagers. He managed to pick up elementary
education, and when thirteen years of age en-
tered a newspaper Office compositor. The re-
suit of his experience in printing Offices is said
to have been shown in the careful punctuation
of his manuscripts He still working "at
the case" when, at the age of fifteen or sixteen,
he wrote "Old Dan Tucker" A year later he
enlisted in the United States Army ffer,
and during his service also learned to drum.
More than sixty years later, after his DEATH there
was found among his manuscripts one entitled
"Emmet's Standard Drummer" which is COM
plete school for fife and drum according to
the 'Ashworth mode"
After serving full enlistment he travelled with
various circus bands. At that time negro min
strelsy was as yet unknown, although there were
individual Ethiopian performers, like Dan Rice
of "Jim Crow" fame. Emmett had travelled with
Rice whose performances possibly suggested the
negro minstrel idea to the young drummer. AS
in all such cases. various claims to priority are
advanced but it is certain that early in 1S43, in
New York, Emmett organized a string quartet,
with violin, banjo. tambourine and bones and
named it the Virginia Minstrels, first carefully
looking up the word Ministries in the dictionary
to assure himself that it could be applied appro-