The Coolidge examiner., 1934-04-13

less were lyrics and songs that In spite of their
yulgarify actually represented something dsa
nlteiy American. stephen made Of this class of
music literature that il well worth preserving
he brought artistry and sincerity 10 q medium
that before his entry had reeked Of the alley
and the barroom."
The Eayest Of them all Is 90 Susanna (" writ.
ten when stephen vas a bilthe young blade of
nineteen. lie had half dozen boon companions
youths OF his own age. Who met regularly twice
week TO sing at Stephens home They bronEh,
their banjos and guitars with them. and called
themselves Knights OF the square Table II
was for this group that stephen wrote many of
his finest and earliest songs. including "I.onls
ana Belle Uncle Ned" and 20. Susanna T. The
latter vas Immediately taken up by all the min
sirci shows. of which there were a great number
then on the road II also became the marching
song and the campfire song OF the Forty miners
on their war 10 the gold helds Of California
For 20. susanna" :" Foster received 500 an
event which determined his career for him
lima gine my deiIgh, IN receiving 500 in cash ="
he wrote later Though this song not sue
cessful yet the two SO bills received for II
had the effect OF starting me on my present
vocation
OF all the popular songs that had their birth
on American soil In Fosters time his were the
only ones that lived. The others we're sung for
year or two and forgotten. Curiously enough
stephen imagined that his songs would be FOR
gotten as quickly as the others. IL never seemed
20 occur To him that they might have the seeds
OF Immortality In them. Proof OF this was TO be
found In his willingness. after receiving 1900
In royalties for OF bis songs In SIX years, 10
sell the eopyrlgh; for 500 in the telief that lis
DAY was nearly spent and IL would not be likely
20 bring In more than that So he presented
%. Susanna !" and "Old Uncle Ned 20 W. c.
Peters a friend OF the family who was IN the
music publishing business and who proceeded TO
make $4,000 out Of them.
Fosters Indifference 10 what became OF his
songs led TO their being copyrighted by other
persons Even In the case OF "Old Folks at
Home" song which became worid-famous and
which Mr. Howard believes has been printed
more often than either "Home. Sweet Home or
annie Laurie" he authorized. for small con
sIderatlon. the publication under the name of
T.. 2. Christy. who headed the ChrIsty mInstrels.
Morrison Foster has related how his brother
came TO him with a letter from T. 2. Christy
asking the composer to write a song for him 10
sing before II was published.
Morrison told stephen not TO do II unless
Christy paid him. A form OF agreement
drawn up and the paper was sent TO Chrlsty.
Afterward when the song had become closely
copyrighted with his name author and com
poser. stephen wrote TO Christy to permit him 10
claim IL as his own He wrote humbly: ~On
receipt Of your free consent 10 this proposition,
viii. n you wish. willingly refund You the
money which You paid me thar song. though
Il may have been sent me for other c0nsidera-
tions than the one In question. and promise in
addition TO write You an opening chorus In my
best style free of charge. and In any other way
To advance your interests hereafter. I find
cannot write at all unless write for public ap-
probation and get credit for what write"
Although stephen had told Christy that be
could accomplish little so long as ~Old Folks AT
Home" stared him in the face with another
mans name on II and although he expressed
the hope that the singer would appreciate an
authors feelings In the case. there is no record
OF a reply from Chrsty. and IL was long. long
time before Fosters name appeared on the song
Although Morrison Foster said Stephen received
$500 for the song he confessed TO a friend In
New York that he got from SO TO Sl5 for his
songs from Chrlsty. but that he received two
cents a copy for the 100000 copies OF the first
edition which was soon exhausted. Adelina Patti
and Christine Nilsson helped to make the song
popular by singing 1t in their concerts.
The story has often been told OF how the
Suwannee river, a small stream In Florida which
Stephen never saw or even knew OF. came to