The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-09-28
II Was a "Walk-Around" Com.
posed by Dan Emmett for Use
In Minstrel Show
BECAME RALLYING SONG
OF THE SOUTHERNERS
But the Air Was Too Inspiring
to be Thus Circumscribed and
/; Il Became National

service or the COnIeuefhcy 40
tie song. It's use and popularity are
now natioual--in fact. one hears ~
the world over. Few know the words
OF "Dtxie," yet SO contagiously pieas-
ing is its music that II has become
q song without words OF universal APP
peal. H..
Many stories are related, with
more or less authority by the tell
ers, az 70 how the song came 10 De
composed and as to the origin ana
.siRnificance Of the word Dixie.
There n. however, no doubt as 10
sits anthorShip. II was written py
Daniel Decatur Emmett In 1853 while
he was member OF BryAnts Min.
strels, whose theater was at NO. Az
Broadway.
The story OF how 1t came to De
written was often told by Emmett.
Under his contract he was oongeo
whenever called upon TO compose =
new walk around 70 be sung at
the close OF each performance. II
Wa on one OF these occasions that
he wrote "Dixie"-ou very short no
tice. a he said. II was nrst sung,
a. extant programs show. on Sept.
IL, 1859. A program Of that date
reads: The performance TO conciude
with Dan Emmett's original planta'
ton song and dance Dixie's Land, fu'
Producing the whole troupe In their
festival dance"
AZ TO the origin and signincance Of
the word Dixie" Mr.. Emmett said
that Il was suggested to him In this
way: Az soon AZ cold. wintry weatn,
er set In up North the MINISTRIES o.
his company would wish themselves
back IA Dixie's Land. On Q very cold
day II was common for them TO say
longingly "Oi wish I was In Dixiei
Land" As to the meaning OF the
word Dixie N thus used Il was
vaguely supposed to be diminutiva
Of Dixon" denoting any place south
OF Mason and Dixon's line.
Another authority. the New York
Musical Age, long extinct. had con
nected II with one Dixie, q Long
Island farmer, who harbored runaway
female slaves and treated them 90
kindly that his asylum became known
Tar and wide among the Negroes;
hence, when, from time to time, the
wife OF the slave would make Q sue
cessful getaway" and reach Dtxie's
the word went around that she was
In Dixie Land"
Another widely accepted version
was based upon an old New York
tradition anent man named Dixie
who owned tract Of land on Man
haitian Island. He was the owneI
Iof many slaves, whom he treated -
kindly that Dixie's was regarded %
sort OF Negroes paradise. In course
lof time he sold all his slaves u
| Southern planters, and thereaftel
they used to. wish themselves bacl
lat Dixie's, and so Dixie, or Dixie
Land, became o synonym for plac,
Tor state OF perpetual happiness.
An old resident Of New York tell
Iof q game called "Dixie's Land
which he used to play many year
before the Civil war. The game wa
run upon your opponents section
and then taunt the catcher with {
song running somewhat az follows:
Inn on Dixie's Land, Dixie amt q
home;
Dixie's gone fishing. Dixie can
come.
Another curious conjecture ~ :.
the origin Of the word Dixie" II cur
rent among Louisianians, who ave-
that the word Dixie, was printed OF
1.-THE $40 bank notes which the New
| Orleans banks had made In Paris
They were always referred TO a
'Dixies," and so Southerners ava,
from home and In low water imam
Icially would sigh regretfully fo
Dixie Land and wish themseive'
back there. ~ssss,
But whatever the origin OF tn,
word Dixie may have been the SOM
Dixie" hrst sprang into popularit,
I'm New Orleans IN the fall Of 1880
where it was sung In q theater at thu
close OF q spectacular performance
by troupe OF young women Creased
as zouaves. It's success was fnstan
taneous. and from the Crescent City
II rapidly spread to Confederate bat
tleflelds. soon becoming firmly estab
lished as the Southern war song.
II Is said that New York band
Mentors, brought the song back with
them from New Orleans, whittier they
had gone on an invitation OF the
New Orleans fire companies, to play
in parade of the IRE department.
Thus this wonderful song, composed
by q Northern man with Northern
sympathies, so fired the hearts ant
imagination Of Southerners that n
less than year, by the end OF 1880
II was played the length and breadth
lof the Southland. arousing the wild
est enthusiasm wherever heard. 1
was even sung at tho Inauguration o
Jefferson Davis In Montgomery, Ala
In 1861. The tune soon caught on
with Northerners and its words wer
Unionized. there being several vel
sions with the original wordin
changed to stirring Union sentiment
The song as Emmett originally wrot
II IL 70 be found In old song book,
/ Daniel Decatur Emmett wss Dor
lat Mount Vernon. o., In 1915, an
there he died In 1904. His Iris
grandfather served I'm the War Q
the Revolution, and his father, an II
\ dian agent. fought In the Ware l. a:
Dan" while still In his teens, CON
nosed the once popular "Old Da
4 Tucker" After short military CT
reer he joined circus, and In 1slt
with four others. organized the "vii
ginia Minstrels." who FIRST played q
Purdy's theater IN the Bowery. En-
NETT spent several years IN Chicago
He maze his last public appearing
In 1890 IN Ohio.
The publication OF his song Dixie
twas followed By many limitations. o.
the heals q u In 1sso came Il wisl