Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-09-21
Mew York
Letter

NEW YORK-Did you know that
silver Threads Among the Gold
r e out Of an obscure clipping n
a farm magazine? And that Erred
In Old kentucky" was suggested
bv a horsetrade in Central PARK IN
We olden days? That TIE historic
Floradora sextet started out to be
a duet written by q church organ
list?
well. neither did I until just the
other day when Jim Gelier started
telling me the low down" on the
famous old ditties that have lived
to q ripe old age. James j.. Geller,
theatrical advance man OF the old
school and Manhattan newspaper
man for q generation. has been
spending his odd time tracking down
the stories behind the best known
songs. Recently he collected his re-
m~iniscences and put them In q book
titled, Famous Songs and Their
Stories"
The man who broke the bank At
Monte Carlo" for instance. was bas-
ed on the legend that one Arthu.
Bower actually had achieved that
rare distinction. He was a reckless
and lavish spender n a careless
gambler, and tales Of his exploits
fired the imagination OF Fred Gil
bert, an English song writer. Lon
don gave 1t but ordinary welcome,
but an American team-Hoey and
Evans-used 1t In one Of the old
Charley Hoyt comedies and the
American nation picked 1t up.
Just q few years ago, there came
a news story from London telling OF
the death of Arthur De Courcey
Bower, the inspiration OF the ven
cradle tune. Bower had died penni-
less and the tale went that some
early day press agent had engaged
him to 90 about Europe. tossing
money about and boasting Of his
Monte Carlo winnings. The purpose,
Of course. being to lure gamblers 70
the roulette wheels.
Silver Threads" was used first as
a space filler" in a Wisconsin farm
paper. II was noticed by a travelling
singer named Hart banks while
making a tour OF the middle west.
Making inquiry. banks learned that
IL had been written by Elben Rex
ford. the magazines editor. who was
tickled to sell IL for SO. banks then
wrote the music, sold the song TO a
Chicago publisher and the Ministries
fairly fought for 1t. The amazing
sale of two million copies followed
in record time. Years passed and
Richard Jose, the tenor, repopulariz-
ed it-and so 1t has gone ever since.
$50
But 10 get back to the story:
banks. who had immo-talized nfe-
long alteration OF husband and wife,
became estranged from his own
sweetheart. Something like a dozen
years ago, he was found near death
in a Philadelphia -ooming house.
He was propped up in bed and had
begun to scrawl a farewell message
to the world across a page Of the
song. He had written but six words
1T is hard to die alone"
But ne did die alone, already for
gotten.
And there's a particularly inter-
esting bit: Anent the line In Daisy
Bell" which goes. but you'll look
sweet upon the seat of a bicycle
built for two"
The author, Harry Dacrc, had ar
rived in New York with a bike in
1893. He had brought his bicycle with
him from London and the customs
officer demanded a fee that he could
not afford.
Telling his experience to the his
toric Tony Pastor, who had brought
Dacre over, Pastor commented: "Ycu
ought to be thankful It wasn't a
tandem. That would have cost twice
as much"
Which is where "the bicycle built
for two" idea originated.