The Coolidge examiner., 1934-04-13

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z 7. !. ! ! !. . !. !. !: !" ! 7. Z. !. :. !. !. Z. !. !. : !
nations hws u have the making
~ It's ballads bat lt remained Tor an
IL III American 70 give real significance 20
( that oft-quoted and usually mss-
IeISl quoied-sayinE. with bot few ercep
RcNI tlous. the fame os tile hundreds of
our lawmakers has scarcely survived
- their brief moment on the stage ~
History. boz the fame of stephen Foster has
endured FOR nearly a century and seems likely
g. endure for centuries 10 come. For be was
th~ nan Who wrote some % a nations best
loved ballads and a uew biography % him by
l'hn Tasker Houar Published By the Thomas
J. Crpweil company. bears the appropriate title
% stephen Foster. Americas Troubadour."
Considering The place which Foster and his
souss hold 10 the hearts of his countrymen. Il
is also appropriate that the birthday of the
nation should also be bis birthday. For be was
born on July 8 is-8. the hfieih anniversary Of
The signing % the Declaration of Independence
and AZ noon on that day he was ushered Into
the world 20 The tune % Hall Columbia" "Yan-
ke- Doodle Hail 20 the Chief- and The Star
Spangled Banner" played by tlar!ng bands
while cannon with their noisy Salutes shook the
ground heavily that some wcre afraid they
would disturb The delicate. though accustomed
operation AZ the White Cottage IN Lawrence
vile. IA. tbow = district 10 the city of Pitts
burxhl.
The reference % The accustomed operation"
s. 10 the fact that the new member ~ the Foster
famiiy vas the nlaih child born % William n
and Elira Fokter and had stephen been the
arst rather than the ninth child his wif. had
borne him. William n. Foster might not have
felt as free 70 absent himself from his home at
noon on that sth % July But that does not
necessarily mean that such eveniA we're too com.
monplace 20 keep william Foster az the side ~
n Eu~ h. aaa .lsaN
and trader. leading citizen OF the community
on The banks q the Allegheny river and on that
particular occasion an assistant % the mayor
% Pittsburgh in the conduct OF the Independence
Day csiehration--a good reason for bis absence
FROM The white Cottage
A part OF the celebration was an excellent
dinner ~ which - ioasss Gin honor Of the Thir-
teen Original Siatesl we're given and william
Foster came second. as irst vice president of
the day. following the mayor. who drank 20 The
United states % America Foster toasted The
Independents os the United States 'ae.
qulred ~ the Llood and vaiour Of our venerable
proxenltors. To us they bequeathed the dear
bought Inheritance: 10 our care and protection
they consigned "a: and the most sacred obiiEa.
tons are upon ux 20 transmit the glorious pus.
chaSe unfettered BY power 60 our innocent and
beloved offspring Was he thinking Of his latest
offspring o, whose comlnE By this time he must
have knownY~
Under the circumstances the newcomer In the
Foster household perhaps should have been given
= name In keeping With the importance 81 that
day. for II was one of the most significant Inde-
pendence days In our history Ia that II saw the
death OF two former Prcsldents-Thomas JeTer
son and John Adams. month later relative.
writing 10 the little boys older sister Charlotte
Poster. asked How does the little Hero.
FOR prophecy he wIiI be one. being born so
great and eventfui day. You certainly ought
e. call him jefferson Adams and no other
mama = But his mother thought other
wI-. she named him stephen Collins for the
son o, neighbor and childhood friend OF hers.
q little boy who had died just before her son
was born.
The youngest member OF a large family. Ste
phen vas both petted and spoiled. but he seems
never 60 have been very well understood by the
other FosierS His aptitude for music came into
evidence early. When he was two. he would
place his sisters guitar on the noor and bending
over a. pick out harmonies from It's strings.
When he was seven he taken into a music
store by one OF bis brothers. There he saw
nageolef. picked II M and was playing a tune
upon II before his brother realized what be was
doing.
AT the age OF thirteen stephen was taken by
his older brother. William. TO Towanda. Pa. 50
he could attend Athens academy at Tioga Point.
not far away But the 10y was homesIck NJ
Athens and spent much OF his time with his
brother az Towanda. attending the Towanda
academy as well as the one az Tioga Point He
was not a particularly apt student and about
the only Importance there Is TO this period In his
career Is that during this time he composed his
first music The Tioga Waltz arranged for
four flutes aud written for the commencement
exercises at Athens. upon which occasion Ste
phen played the leading part himself while three
other students played the remaining parts,
In iS4l stephen entered Jefferson college
AZ Canousburg Pa. IS miles from his home az
Pittsburgh. and stayed in this institution just
seven days. Then. overcome by homesickness.
he left college. never again TO seek formal
education. A year later he composed the music
for his first song open Thy lattice. Love"
poem written by George r. Morris which had
appeared In a supplement TO the New Mirror.
IL was issued two-page song. without title
page with this heading on the first page
OPEN THY LATTICE LOVE
Composed for and dedicated
To
Miss Susan +. Pentland