Evening star., 1927-05-25
Newspapers Eulogies Reveal
Secure Place of Song Writer

Comments on the death of Ernest
r. Ball in California reveal the secure
place this writer of lifting melodies
had won in the hearts of those who
know and love his songs. Never
STOPPING to pander to poor taste, but
always giving the best that was in
him, he has left hind him songs that
will be more enduring monuments
than bronze or stone.
"A popular minstrel who wrote
dozen semi-claSsic songs without re-
sorting to the dubious lure of a sug-
gestive theme passes in the death of
Ernest r. Ball." says the Elmira Star
Gazette, which describes his music as
marked by lovely melody" ''Some
popular songs are happy inventions
that strike the fancy on first hearing"
continues the Star-Gazette, land haunt
the memory for a brief season, only
to fade into the commonplace. Ball
had the faculty of hitting the popular
chord and yet injecting into that har-
monization something of permanent
lure
''Most Of the songs of yesteryear
are gone and forgotten, but not so
Love Me and the World Is Mine one
of Balls" says the Rochester Times
Union, which declares that $50 long
as good fellows get together that ia
nous chorus will ring out" The AL
bany Evening News pays the deceased
composer warm tribute, saying:
Ernest Ball. dead in California,
touched the heart of the world with
his songs. Whoever can do that has
written his own epitaph. At least one
of his songs will live so long as the
love and veneration of mothers en-
dure. and that is always. Had he
written no other song, his fame would
have been secure with Mother
Machree.' That song is enough to
keep his memory ever in the hearts Of
mankind" concludes the News.
"Of all the popular minstrels our
country has produced, Ernest r. Ball,
who has just died, was probably the
greatest" says the New York World,
giving as the reason for this opinion
the fact that Balls music "had the
common Tilt. 1t was of the people, by
the people and for the people. No
high-brow smell hung over any part
of it.. Yet he was able to endow it
with something that raised it almost
to the estate of the classics. His
songs lived for years beyond their
allotted span, some of them achieving
permanent lmrnOFLdllLy. 1t VIII D0
long time before we have another
quite like him." laments the World.
In the opinion of the Philadelphia
Public Ledger. ''of all the popular
song writer's of this century, Ernest
r. Ball will probably become the near
est rival to that enduring esteem
which America has held for Stephen
Foster" A place in the halls of fame
is granted to the composer by the
Detroit News also, which believes that
his "songs will continue to thrive long
after the names Of many of our CO.
temporary great have passed remem-
brance. In locker rooms, in camps, in
parlors on q Wednesday night, wher-
ever men sing and wherever heart
strings are stirred by sentiment and
simplicity, the fame of his songs will
survive" concludes the News.
1.-THE heart that inspired the writing
Of Mother Machree,' When Irish Eyes
Are Smiling Let the Rest of the
World Go By and Love Me and the
World Is Mine has ceased to beat.
The last hours of Ernest r. Ball were
spent in doing for others. He ap-
peared at a benefit performance at
Santa Ana when he was sick enough
to be in bed. He collapsed in his
dressing room and soon all was over,
so far as this mortal existence goes.
His is an outstanding service to this