Evening star., 1915-02-28

Ohm HOWARD PAYNE. famed
principally because he gave Home,
Sweet Home to the world, and i'm
~ portant historically because ne was
the first American to make a reputa.ioii
:, Europe either as an actor or or'hid-
fist. is at this season receiving peiaeed
homage in the National Capital he IL
one of Washington's honored deao anu
residents and tourists alike are niah'is
pilprimage to his grave IN oak MN 'ei,'7
very because of the crowded anniversaries
connected with his life and WORKS WHICH
come during February, March, April May
and June. 49,
payne is memorialized as one oil the
great minor. although in their DAY iii,
portant, public figures VINO nave louhu
dnal resting place in the Nationai eap'eai-
The fact that he once wrote lot "ash-
in,,on uewspapers is recalled with inter
&C. His arrest and imprisonment, to-
sether with Ross. chief OF the Cherohee
Indians. whose cause he was Champion
ing. is recounted as one OF the tr1als ne
had to endure before he achieved a treaty
hetween this Indian tribe ana the gov
ernment. There are yet living in Wash
inpton those who remember when tfr0sh
the leadership of W. W. Corcorafl, IN ',ie
administra ton OF President chester A.
Russell Lowell, then minister to England
f.avne's body was brought to Washington
from Tunis and triumphantly buried IN
Oak Hill cemetery under handsome
monument erected by Mr.. Corcoran
Interest has been revived in the sad
story of his life and in the genius of his
masterpiece. Home. Sweet Home. by the
1f., written by paSne
when but fifteen years Old and a student
at Union College, Schenectady. \. Y
This poem mas been presented to Union
College II was found among the papers
OF Harmanus Blocker of Albany. who was
q friend and patron Of Paynes during MIS-
college course.
This poem is valuable. az showing that
though Home Sweet Home" made its pub
lie debut in Payne's opera "Clari. the Maid
of Milan which had its first presenta-
don, May ), 1929. that world-famous
song had its real birth in the fall of
1906 when Payne was but fifteen. and
was prompted ny a fit Of homesickness-
Quoting from a letter young Payne
wrote 10 his father in October, 1906. vii
lis T. Hanson. jr., who has recently writ
ten interestingly Of Paynes early life,
finds reference to his poem. After tell
ing of his plans for earning Some money
by publishing a work to be entitled The
American Plutocrat. Payne comments on
his health follows:
"FIoyse's tflis sister) letter caught me
in one of my fits Of hypo during the
height of my illness. II afforded me
much satisfaction. for ] was just at that
moment reducing the pleasures OF nome
TO doggreil"
Prof Baker at Harvard, has also re-
Gently aroused interest in Payhe's
memory by pointing out that although
Payne was probably mediocre actor,
and certainly a mediocre dranatist. he
Ii fret
American to make reputation III Europe
in these two fields, and as interest in the
American drama develops his pioneer
work Will be all the wore important for
that very reason. f'ayne's fame rests
principally on mis- one great song, Home,
sweet Home.
John Howard Payne born ;tt ~
Pearl street. New York, June 8, 1891.
His father came from old Puritan stock
that settled originally in East Hamp-
1on Mass One of their descendants was
Robert Treat Payne. u siguer of the
Declaration of Independence. Others OF
the family moved to Virginia. and one
was Dolly Payne, who married President
Madison.
Payne'S father studied medicine for
two years with Or. Samuel Warren, the
famous Boston physician. who perished in
the battle of Bunker Hill. Abandoning
medicine. he took up the work OF teach
ing, especially eiocution He married
Miss Sarah Isa1cs of East Hampton, L. l..
whose mother. formerly Miss Hedges
was the niece of the Scottish -Englisi
Earl of Dysart. a Talmage. Her father
was g. Hamburg Jew of means and edu
cation, who fled from Germany because
OF political troubles there and settled or
Long Island. Because Of his tory pro
clivities, Payne's Jewish grandfather los
nearly all of his fortune at the close o.
the revolutionary war.
Through the influence Of Gov. De Wit