BENJAMIN RL'SSEL " ^NBY 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 "DARLING NELLY GRAY' 
 
 G A L B R £ A T H 
 
BENJAMIN RUSSEL HANBY 
 
 AUTHOR OF "DARLING NELLY GRAY." 
 
 By 
 
 CHARLES BURLEIGH GALBREATH. 
 
 Illustrated. 
 
 Columbus, Ohio : 
 Press of Fred. J. Heer, 
 
 1905. 
 
JLlBRAHYcif OONGHtSS 
 
 J JUN •^'{ lyui 
 
 tL^iS^ /I /AC. Nw 
 
 CUP" S. 
 
 Copyright l!)0o 
 
 By 
 
 CHARLI-S BrRLKK.II Gali!ri:ath 
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 
 
 For important data used in the preparation of the follow- 
 ing- Images the author is under obligations to Mrs. Kate Hanby, 
 Mrs. M. A. Fisher, Mrs. A. L. Billheinier and Prof. F. M. 
 DeMotte. Among others who gave substantial aid in various 
 ways. Mrs. C. A. Bedell, Hon. W. C. Whitney and Prof. Henry 
 ( larst deserve especial mention. 
 
 This sketch, in sul)stantia]ly its present form, first appeared 
 in the Quarterly of the Ohio Archaeological and Historical 
 Society. April, 1905. For the privilege of reproducing it thanks 
 are due to the Society and its obliging Secretarv, Hon. E. O. 
 Randall. 
 
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BENJAMIN RUSSEL HANBY. 
 
 Author of "Darliiig Nelly Gray." 
 
 A plain brick structure of ample size and pleasing propor- 
 tions, rising on firm foundations from a well-kept campus ; a 
 mute array of sentinel trees, guarding the shady silence of the 
 place and leading outward along the avenue in two noble ranks 
 that stretch forth their arms in salutation to the passerby ; a beau- 
 tiful stretch of lawn, facing the afternoon sun and sloping gently 
 toward the winding stream that with never failing current mur- 
 murs gladly on its southward journey; and, bordering all, the 
 neat and orderly village of Westerville, — such is the seat of 
 Otterbein, honored preceptress of a worthy student body, beloved 
 alum mater of numerous and devoted alumni, typical educational 
 institution of the middle west, in the strictest sense a denomina- 
 tional college' in which founders and faculty built broader and 
 better than they knew. In glorifying the Master, they ennobled 
 man ; in advancing the interests of a sect, they made no mean 
 •contribution to the world outside of the church ; in preparation 
 for the hereafter, they achieved something of immortality here. 
 
 The visitor entering the spacious main building is impressed 
 with the fact that many of the excellent features of the old 
 time Ohio college are here retained unmarred by the innova- 
 tions of later years ; the chapel, where students and instructors 
 assemble daily ; recitation rooms, where the traditional curricu- 
 lum, with its preponderance of pure mathematics and ancient 
 classics, is faithfully taught ; the halls of the literary societies, 
 with richly carpeted floors, immaculate tinted walls and vari- 
 colored windows, admitting a softened radiance by day and 
 transmitting by night something of the mellow glory that glows 
 within ; below, a carefully selected library, administered in accord- 
 ance with modern methods and frequented by the student body, 
 whose clean-cut. thoughtful faces are at once a study and an 
 
 (5) 
 
Bcnjaiitiii Riisscl Haiib' 
 
Author of "Darling Xelly Gray." 7 
 
 inspiiation. Even the modern conveniences of life enter unob- 
 trusively. Natural gas and electricity blaze and beam silently, 
 and at. the end of the avenue of trees the interurban cars come 
 and go withoiit a rumble to disturb the student as he bends 
 over his books. Athletics are not excluded, but football, with 
 its glorious concomitants of stentorian hilarity and broken heads, 
 is still subordinate to music and debate. 
 
 But why dwell upon this institution unknown to fame and 
 unambitious to emerge from the delightful seclusion peculiar to 
 numbers of its kind? Again, we repeat that the founders built 
 broader and better than they knew. 
 
 It is w^orthy of note in passing, that one of the great univer- 
 sities of the East is even now considering the raising of an 
 endowment fund of two and one-half million dollars for the 
 avowed purpose of greatly increasing the teaching force and 
 "importing into the university the methods and personal con- 
 tact between teacher and pupil which are characteristic of the 
 small college." It is refreshing to know that a great university 
 can learn something from such a source. It encourages the 
 hope that further investigation may reveal other features worthy 
 of imitation. 
 
 That the denominational college, with all its limitations, has 
 rendered an important service to the cause of education, is 
 attested by results — the men and women it has sent into the 
 world. 
 
 If a single alumnus of this particular institution should be 
 known as widely as his work, his name would be a household 
 word in America. When Otterbein was young, from her classic 
 shades he gave to music and to human liberty that sweetly pathe- 
 tic song, Darling Nelly Gray. 
 
 Occasional comment has been made upon the fact that most 
 of the southern melodies have been composed by northern men. 
 It is a singular coincidence that the authors of Dixie and Darling 
 Nellie Gray were both born in the North and in the central part 
 of the same state. In the little village of Rushville, that nestles 
 among the picturesque hills of Fairfield County, O., Benjamin 
 Russel Hanby began life July 22. 1833. The same county gave 
 
,8 Benjamin Riisscl Hanby, 
 
 to Ohio and the Union Thomas Ewing, the younger, and the 
 famous Sherman brothers. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the eldest son of Bishop 
 William Hanby, a prominent minister of the United Brethren 
 Church, who early espoused the cause of universal liberty in 
 America and by word and deed supported the anti-slavery cause. 
 His humble home was for a time a station on the '"underground 
 railroad," and in the family the wrongs of the sable bondman 
 was frequently the absorbing theme of conversation. 
 
 In many respects the childhood of young Hanby did not 
 differ from that of his fellows in the isolated hamlet of that day. 
 The boy was prophetic of the man. Blessed with a happy temper 
 and bubbling over with good humor, the pious teaching of his 
 parents, to whom he was devotedly attached, usually kept him 
 in his sportive hours well within the limits of harmless mischief 
 and innocent fun. 
 
 Of a teachable nature, he early found engrossing interest 
 in his books, and with advancing years he aspired to follow in the 
 footsteps of his father. 
 
 The salary of the itinerant minister to-day is usually far 
 from munificent. Sixty years ago it was meager and sometimes 
 precarious. Bishop Hanby was a power in the pulpit and held 
 in high esteem throughout his circuit ; his good wife was careful 
 and frugal, but his stipend was not sufficient to provide for the 
 family of children and give to each a collegiate education. Young 
 Benjamin, like many a youth of his time, went cheerfully and 
 resolutely to work "to earn his way," with a baccalaureate degree 
 and the ministry as his goal. 
 
 At the age of sixteen, he enrolled at Otterbein, the college 
 of his church, in which his father was deeply interested, and in 
 a short time was commissioned to teach in the common schools. 
 This gave him thorough drill in the common branches, oppor- 
 tunity for study, and employment to earn his way through college. 
 At the age of seventeen, he taught his first school at Clear Creek, 
 in his home county ; later he had charge of the schools of his 
 native hamlet. He formally united with the church before the 
 close of his first term in college. 
 
Author of "Darling Xclly Cray." 9 
 
 From childhood he manifested a fondness for music. His 
 genial, sensitive nature found soul-satisfying expression in song. 
 At the regular church service on the Sabbath day and through 
 protracted religious revivals, his voice was heard in the choir. 
 In his first school teaching, long before he had received formal 
 instruction in the art, he taught his pupils to sing. To his 
 other gifts were added the graces of speech. In the school he 
 was at once teacher and companion. He mingled with the 
 children on the playground. With the older boys, outside of 
 school hours, he roamed over the surrounding hills, through the 
 lonely forests and along the murmuring stream. They followed 
 where his spirit led, and many at that early day through his 
 influence united with the church. 
 
 An event of first importance in the history of the family and 
 the cause of general rejoicing among the children, who thor- 
 oughly appreciated the opportunities it would bring, was the 
 choice by Bishop Hanby of a new home in the village of Wester- 
 ville. Thither the family moved after many farewells, and soon 
 the older children were, enjoying the advantages of higher edu- 
 cation in the little college, already launched on an auspicious 
 career under the ambitious name of "University of Otterbein." 
 
 Here the natural gifts and winning personality of "Ben," 
 as he was familiarly called, made him a leader among the students. 
 True, he did not have the advantages of physical culture enjoyed 
 bv the college boy of to-day. His gymnasium was the wood-pile ; 
 his natatorium was Alum Creek ; his stadium was chosen at 
 will in the w'ide valley of meadow and woodland that stretched 
 awav on either side. In spite of the absence of trapeze and 
 arena, he excelled in athletics, was fleet of foot, accurate of eye, 
 a lithe, agile wrestler and an expert swimmer. On one occasion 
 a student got beyond his depth in the stream and with a gurgling 
 shriek sank from sight. 
 
 "Hanby, Hanby," shouted the affrighted companions. 
 Hanby rushed to the water's edge, leaped in, dived, caught, 
 raised and rescued the drowning boy. 
 
 In the college literary society he took a prominent part, par- 
 ticipating in debate and always assisting in the arrangement 
 and rendition of the musical program. He wrote a play that 
 
10 Benjamin Russcl Hanby, 
 
 was acted with great success by a selected cast of amateurs. 
 His enthusiasm in these diversions, however, did not cause him 
 to neglect his regular studies, and he was graduated in due time 
 with the degree of bachelor of arts. 
 
Author of "Darling Xclly Gray." 11 
 
 DARLING NELLY GRAY. 
 
 As already Jntiniated, the convictions of the father were 
 shared by the son. In the troublous times before the war, Bishop 
 Hanby from the platform and the pulpit sternly denounced the 
 slave power. His milder mannered son, through the avenue 
 of song, rendered more effective service to the cause., In 1856, 
 two years l^efore graduation, he composed Darlitig Nelly Gray. 
 
 Definite and trustworthy details in regard to the composition 
 of a popular melody are usually very difficult to obtain. Espe- 
 cially is this true When the witnesses who were personally com- 
 petent to bear testimony have passed away. Even when those 
 who knew the facts are still living, the difficulty is not wholly 
 removed, for memory is treacherous. Fortunately, in this in- 
 stance, while the composer does not survive to relate the origin 
 of his famous lay, friends and relatives qualified to speak with 
 almost equal authority are still living, among them the cousin of 
 the author who was present when the song was siuig from manu- 
 script and the announcement was made that it had been dedicated 
 to the young lady who was then teaching music at Otterbein. 
 
 The song had its origin in the composer's sympathy for the 
 slaves of the South. The innnediate inspiration,, if such it had, 
 is not definitely known. Among the stories of its origin, one that 
 gained considerable currency is to the effect that while on the 
 cars, Hanby read in a newspaper an account of the separation of 
 a slave girl from her lover in Kentucky. A planter from the 
 far South bought her and took her to Georgia. After reading 
 the article. Hanby took out some blank paper and wrote a part 
 of the song. He finished it and composed the music on his 
 return home. This story is plausible, but careful investigation 
 has failed to reveal any basis for it in fact. It is quite probable 
 that the words of the song suggested this origin to the imagination 
 of a newspaper correspondent or his informant.^ 
 
 ' Dr. W. C. Lewis, of Rushville. O., cnntrihutes the following reminis- 
 cence relative to the writing of Darling N'cllie Gray: 
 
 "Ben Hanbj- and m3'Self were very intimate when boys, and well 
 along into our young manhood. I think it was during the autumn of 1855, 
 wlicn he taught school here. His assistant was a voung man he brought 
 
12 Benjamin Rnsscl Honby, 
 
 This much seems beyond dispute. A number of young 
 friends, including" the music teacher. Miss Corneha Walker, were 
 invited to the Hanbv home, where as usual on such occasions, 
 
 with him from Westerville, Samuel Evers. They were then attending the 
 Otterbein University, of that village. The same winter I taught a graded 
 school about one mile from Rushville. but lived in town. 
 
 ".Mr. Hanby and myself frequently spent the evenings together. We 
 also attended a singing school, taught by Peter Lamb. Even at that early 
 day Ben. Hanby was recognized wherever lie was known as possessing 
 musical ability of a very high order. 
 
 "It was in this winter when he first composed what afterward became 
 tile noted popular song, UavUug Nelly Gray. He read the manuscript to 
 me, and' said at the time that when he was perfectly satisfied with the com- 
 position he would set it to music. I am not able to say how long it was 
 Ijefore he did' this, or how many changes, if any, he afterward made: but I 
 '•ery well know that I caught the following lines from his reading the 
 manuscript : 
 
 Oh. my Darling Xelly Gray, they have taken you away, 
 .And I'll never see my darling any more." 
 
 .A. well-known local historian of Hamilton, O., gives quite a different 
 account. In a recent published article he says: 
 
 "When living in Sevenmile. the Rev. Hanby was a regular subscriber 
 to the Cincinnati Gazette, and while reading this paper one day, on the 
 train between Sevenmile and Cincinnati, his attention was drawn to an 
 recount of a slave sale in Kentucky. Nelly Gray, a beautiful mulatto girl, 
 was among the list of slaves sold. She was to be taken to Georgia, far 
 rway from home, early scenes and kindred. This incident created an 
 impression upon the mind of Rev. Hanby, and suggested the theme for his 
 world renowned southern song, My Darling Nelly Gray. He drafted a 
 skeleton sketch of this familiar air on the train, and when he returned 
 home, that same night, completed the song. It was first published in the 
 C ineinnati Gazette, and immediately became very popular." 
 
 In a letter the author of the above adds that he personally heard 
 Hanby relate the circumstances under which the song was written. 
 
 It may be observed that the song bears the copyright date of June 17, 
 185(1 Mr. Hanby did not go to Sevenmile until about four years after- 
 ward. He therefore could not have written it while a citizen of that vil- 
 lage. There is nothing in Mr. Lewis's statement that conflicts with the 
 accounts given by other friends and relatives. The song might have been 
 commenced at Rushville. It was certainly completed and set to music in 
 Westerville. 
 
Author of '• Darling XcUy Cray." 1^ 
 
 .iiio-ino- was the leading feature of the evening-s meeting. Mrs. 
 Corneha (Walker) Comings of Girard, Kansas, distinctly recalls 
 the evening in .x recent letter to Mrs. Hanby, and we give m 
 her own words her statement relative to the -initial singing of 
 the song for the entertainment of guests. She says: 
 
 ••I well remember the first time I heard it. We were at a little gath- 
 erii- at the Rev. Mr. Hanby's one evening. We always had music at such 
 
 HANBV HOME AT WESTERVILLE, O., WHERE "DARLING NELLY GR.W'WAS 
 COMPOSED AND FIRST SUNG. 
 
 times At last I was called upon to listen to a song by the Hanby family. 
 T admired it very much, and then Ben. told me it was mtended for me. 
 
 \. explained elsewhere in the same letter, Mrs. Comings 
 meant to sav that it was dedicated to her. She nrged the young 
 author to send it to a publisher, which he did. 
 
 She was evidentlv under the impression that- it had been com- 
 posed very shortly before the gathering. Collateral testimony 
 
14 Benjamin Ritssel Hanby, 
 
 sustains tliis view and disposes of a number of conflicting" tra- 
 ditions in regard to the origin of the song. ReHable information 
 leads to the conckision that it was written in W'estervihe early 
 in the year 1836. 
 
 As no response came from the publisher, the young composer 
 supposed that the manuscript had been consigned to the waste 
 basket and oblivion. He gave the matter no further considera- 
 tion. He had written it without a thought of publication and he 
 was not disappointed. In fact, the word disappointment had 
 no place in the vocabulary of this optimistic youth. He and 
 his family were genuinely surprised some months later on learning 
 that it had been published and was already on the road to popu- 
 larity. He procured a i)rinted copy and saw that it bore his 
 name, with the dedication to Cornelia Walker.^ The words, 
 which have a merit peculiarly their own, aside from the melody, 
 are as follows : 
 
 There's a low, green valley, on the old Kentucky shore, 
 
 Where I've whiled many happy hours away, 
 A sitting and a singing by the little cottage door. 
 
 Where lived niv darling Nellv Grav. 
 
 Oh! my poor Nelly Gray, they have taken you away. 
 
 And I'll never see my darling any more; 
 I am sitting by the riv-er and I'm weeping all the day, 
 
 For you've gone from the old Kentucky shore. 
 
 W'hen the moon had climlied the mountain and the stars were shining too, 
 
 Then I'd take my darling Nelly Gray, 
 And we'd float down the river in my little red canoe. 
 
 While my banjo sweetly I would play. 
 
 One night I went to see her, but "She's gone !" the neighbors say. 
 
 The white man Ijound her with his chain ; 
 They have taken her to Georgia for to wear her life away. 
 
 As she toils in the cotton and the cane. 
 
 My canoe is under water, and my banjo is unstrung; 
 I'm tired of living any more; 
 
 ' All printed copies bear Hanby's name. Only the first edition has 
 the dedicatory imprint. 
 
Author of "Darling .Xclly Cray." 16 
 
 My eyes shall look dowr ward, and my song shall be unsung, 
 While I stay on the old Kentucky shore. 
 
 My eyes are getting blinded, and I cannot see my way. 
 
 Hark ! there's somebody knocking at the door — 
 Oh! I hear the angels calling, and I see my Nelly Gray, 
 
 Farewell to the old Kentucky shore. 
 
 Oh, my darling Nelly Gray, up in heaven there they say 
 That they'll never take you from me any more. 
 
 I'm a coming, coming, coming, as the angels clear the way, 
 Farewell to the W Kentucky shore. 
 
 It is very difficulc to apply to a poptilar song the rules of 
 literary criticism ; it is nevertheless safe to affirm that the fore- 
 going verses are not without poetic merit. What is said of 
 Foster's songs is true of Hanby's first successful composition : 
 "There is meaning in the words and beauty in the air." Indeed 
 we may go further and aver that the author of Old Folks at 
 Home, first though he be among the writers of southern melodies, 
 never wrote verses more sweetly simple, more beautifully and 
 touchingly suggestive, more sadly pathetic, than Darling Nelly 
 Gray. Perfect in rhyme and almost faultless in rhythm, the words 
 flow on, bearing their message directly to the heart. The tragic 
 climax is delicately veiled behind the picture of the bondman 
 pouring forth his sorrow for his lost lady love. Her vain appeal 
 to the slave driver ; the insult of the heartless new master ; the 
 burdens of the cotton and the cane fields ; her comfortless grief, 
 wild despair and pitiful decline to the merciful release of death, — 
 these were too awful to find expression in song. We are spared 
 the heart-rending reality ; even the pain from what we see is 
 relieved by the vision of a happy reunion. Darling Nelly goes 
 to her cruel fate — and meets her lover in heaven. 
 
 It has been urged in criticism of the song that it idealizes 
 the colored race. The sable twain are clothed with the refined 
 sentimentality of the Caucasian. We are told that the bondman 
 and his love are creatures of the imagination without counter- 
 parts in the realm of reality ; that death from the pangs of 
 separation '-f^ about the last thing that, under the circumstances. 
 
16 Bciijaiiiiii RiisscI Haiiby, 
 
 would have occurred ; that the beautiful Nelly down in Georgia 
 would have yielded gracefully to the new situation ; that her 
 dusky lover would soon have drifted again down the river and 
 twanged his banjo to the delectation of another "lady of color"; 
 that constancy was foreign to the slaves of the Southland. 
 
 That this was often true is one of the saddest commentaries 
 on the brutalizing system that held the l)lack man in a "debasing 
 thraldom." Despite his unhappy condition, however, there is 
 abundant evidence that home was held dear and that ignorance 
 did not blunt the pain when love's ties were ruthlessly sundered. 
 
 A well known poetess, now a resident of Ohio, whose father 
 and grandfather were slaveholders in Kentucky before the war, 
 and who recalls vividly and relates entertainingl\' nnich that 
 occurred on the old plantation, tells a story from real life that 
 may not inappropriately be introduced here. Frederick Brown 
 was the name of a slave who had grown up on the Brown 
 estate. Physically well formed, tall and commanding, he was 
 a natural leader among the slaves. Though gifted with a high 
 degree of natural intelligence, he was, with his less favored 
 fellows, forbidden the privilege of acquiring even the rudiments 
 of an education. Of a somewhat fervid religious temperament, 
 he frequently preached to the slaves on the Sabbath daw leafing 
 over, as he did so, a J'.ible in which he could not read a word. 
 Though popular among his people, by the master's family he was 
 regarded somewhat im])ertinent. He had married, shortly before 
 the events we are about to narrate, one of the most beautiful and 
 gentle slave girls on the plantation. Finally the old master 
 died and the slaves, sharing the fate of other property, were 
 divided among the children. "Rev." Fred fell to the share of 
 a dauglV^er whose husliand did not appreciate his worth and 
 magnified his irritating delin([uencies. 
 
 'T will sell the impertinent rascal," said the new master. 'T 
 will sell him and send him South." 
 
 The slave bu_\er. that ul)i(iuitous person of shadowy repute, 
 detested alike by the poor black whom he drove and the master 
 with whom he bargained, hearing of the threat, presented him- 
 self one day and made an oft'er for "Rev." Fred, which was 
 ])romptly accepted. 
 
Author of "Darling Xclly iiray." 17 
 
 Consternation reigned among the cabins when the driver 
 came to claim his pnrchase. Fred was overpowered and chained. 
 Into the midst of the throng rushed the poor wife, and with 
 pitiful tone's pleaded not to be separated from her husband. 
 The driver laughed at her. Fred was dragged away and his wife, 
 shrieking wildly, was carried back half dead to her broken home. 
 To the cabin sleep came not that night. At frequent intervals 
 a plaintive moan was heard and then piercing shrieks that sent 
 the tremor of despair through the darkness, penetrated the stately 
 mansion and broke the slumbers of luxury and pride. 
 
 As a son of the late master heard the cries, he muttered. 
 "Slavery is an accursed institution." 
 
 Day brought small comfort to the weeping wife. Nights 
 came and went, but rest and dreamless sleep returned no more. 
 For a time the stricken soul was buoyed up with the hope that 
 Fred would find some one to write. No message came. In 
 spite of kind attentions of mistress and friends — for she was 
 a favorite with all — her sturdy frame succumbed beneath the 
 weight of woe, the luster faded from her eye and" after a few 
 months of agony she sank into the grave. This picture was 
 a reality. Witnesses of the tragedy still live. 
 
 Darling Nelly Gray was a protest against a wrong that was 
 terribly real. The characters were not ideal ; they were typical 
 of the better slave element on the "old Kentucky shore." The 
 song rendered a distinct service in the great movement that cul- 
 minated in the emancipation proclamation and gave the Republic 
 "under God, a new birth of freedom." 
 
 While it almost immediately became a great favorite in the 
 North and was echoed back from lands beyond the Sea, it brought 
 neither fame nor fortune to the composer. In no work does 
 the author so completely bury himself as in the lay that gains 
 a measure of universality. The statesman and the warrior each 
 goes down to posterity conspicuously associated with his immortal 
 work. The world accepts the melody that nurtures the noblest 
 sentiments of the human heart with scarce a thought of him who 
 first with magic touch struck the chord of the soul's sweet 
 liarmonies. 
 
18 Bciijaiiiiii Riisscl Haiiby, 
 
 Whence came the killabies of childhood? Who first called 
 forth the familiar strains of the flute and the violin? What was 
 the origin of the repertoire of the s«ible knight of the banjo? 
 What soldier soul launched the battle hymn ? What saintly spirit 
 framed the simple words and music that on the lips of rural 
 choir and cathedral chorus raise the mortal into the visible pre- 
 sence of the Infinite? The throngs that are moved, uplifted and 
 inspired know not, reck not. The singer is lost in his song. 
 
 Darling Xclly Gray was copyrighted and issued by one of 
 the largest nuisical publishing houses in America. The author 
 purchased his first printed copy from a dealer in Columbus, 
 Ohio. He wrote to the publisher and asked why he had not 
 been notified of the acceptance of the manuscript. The reply was 
 to the effect that the address had been lost. One dozen copies 
 of the song were sent to the composer and this was the only com- 
 pensation that he ever received. The credit of authorship, how- 
 ever, was not taken froiu him, and this the publisher seemed 
 to consider ample reward. In reply to a request for the usual 
 royalty, Hanby received the following: 
 
 "Dear Sir: ^'om• favor received. Xclly Gray is sung on both sicics 
 of the Atlantic. We have made the money and you the fame — that bal- 
 ances the account." 
 
 The song had a phenomenal sale. It was published in many 
 forms and the tune arranged for band music. The publisher 
 must have made a small fortime out of it ; Hanby had the obscure 
 notice accorded to the song writer, — and what to a man of his 
 taste and sensibility must have been far greater — the satisfac- 
 tion of knowing that he had reached the popular heart and con- 
 science in the support of a worthv cause. This consolation was 
 left to him to transmit to his for all time. 
 
 Of the many songs that were written to advance the anti- 
 slavery cause. Darling XcJIy Gray alone retains a measure of its 
 old time popularity. The melody and words survive because of 
 their intrinsic beauty. And if the words of the poet are true, 
 the song shall live on. for 
 
 ".•\ thing of beauty is a joy forever." 
 
Author of "Darling Xclly Gray." 19 
 
 LITTLE TILLIE'S GRAVE. 
 
 x-\fter honorable graduation at Otterljein, in 1858, Hanby 
 traveled in Pennsylvania; X'irginia and ^^laryland as agent for 
 the institution. He married ]\Iiss Kate Winter, a cultured young 
 lady whom he met in college and who as a member of the first 
 graduating class had completed her course one year in advance 
 of her husband. 
 
 In i860 he published Little Tillies Grave, a composition 
 that was well received.^ It did not rise to the level of Darling 
 N'ellv Gray, though intended to be somewhat similar to it in 
 character. Following are the verses as they originally appeared : 
 
 'Tis midnight gliding on her deep, dark wings, 
 
 And the wind o'er my gentle Tillie sighs. 
 And my poor heart trembles like the banjo strings 
 
 Ihat I'm thrumming near the hillock where she lies. 
 
 Weep, zephyrs, weep in the midnight deep, 
 Where the cypress and the vine sadly wave ; 
 
 I have taken down my banjo for I could not sleep. 
 And I'm singing by my little Tillie's grave. 
 
 When they tore my Jennie from her sweet, sweet child. 
 And her heart was withering with mine, 
 
 In my arms I bore thee to this island wild. 
 Lest the fate of thy mother should be thine. 
 
 How sweet have the seasons glided by since then. 
 
 How happy each moment of the year. 
 Save a sigh that the lov'd one might come back again 
 
 \\'e have known not a sorrow nor a tear. 
 
 But the swamp fever lighted on thy dark brown cheek, 
 And I knew death was knocking at the door ; 
 
 'A correspondent to a Hamilton, O., paper says: "The Rev. Hanby 
 subsequently wrote and set to music a 'catchy' song along the same lines 
 of his first production, entitled Little Tillie's Grave. This he dedicated 
 to an old-time friend, Jacob A. Zellar. of O.xford, Butler County, O. 
 Little Tillie's Grave was received with great favor, and had an immense 
 sale." 
 
20 Bciijamni Riisscl Haiihy, 
 
 How my full soul trembled with its bursting grief 
 When I saw that my Tillie was no more. 
 
 Now the wildcat is wailing and the night-hawk screams 
 And the copperhead is hissing in the shade ; 
 
 They shall come not hither to disturb thy dreams, 
 For I'll watch where th}* sleeping dust is laid. 
 
 Sleep, Tillie, sleep, in the midnight deep. 
 Where the cypress and the vine sadly wave; 
 
 Let my fingers keep thrumming and my fond heart weep 
 Till I die by my little Tillie's grave. 
 
Author of "Darling Nelly Cray." 21 
 
 OLE SHADY. 
 
 Hanby again entered upon the work of teaching. He was 
 chosen principal at the academy at Sevenmile, Butler County, O., 
 a position that he held for two years. While traveling in the 
 South he had opportunity to study more fully the char'acter of the 
 colored people. Darling Nelly Gray and Little Tillie's Grave 
 represented their serious, sentimental characteristics. He now 
 portrayed their exuberant jollity in the familiar dialect song, 
 Ole Shady. There is humor and pathos in the liberated soul 
 bent on breaking for "ole Uncle Aby," "an' the wife an' baby in 
 Lower Canady."' 
 
 Oh ! yah ! yah ! darkies laugh wid me, 
 
 For de white folks say Ole Shady's free, ; 
 
 So don't you see dat de jubilee 
 
 Is a coming, coming, 
 
 Hail mighty Day? 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 Den away, away, for I can't wait any longer. 
 
 Hooray, hooray, I'm going home. 
 Den away, away, for I can't wait any longer. 
 
 Hooray, hooraj-, I'm going home. 
 
 Oh, ^lass' got scared and so did his lady, 
 I Dis chile breaks for Ole Uncle Aby, 
 "Open de gates, out here's Ole Shady 
 A coming, coming." 
 Hail mighty day. 
 
 Good-bye, :\Iass' Jeff., good-bye Mis'r Stephens, 
 'Sense dis niggah for takin' his leavins'. 
 'Spect pretty soon you'll hear Uncle Abram's 
 
 A coming, coming, 
 
 Hail mighty day. 
 
 Good-bye hard work wid never any pay, 
 
 Ise a gwine up North where the good folks say 
 
 Dat white wheat bread and a dollar a day 
 
 Are coming, coming, 
 
 Hail mighty day. 
 
22 Benjamin Riisscl Hanhy, 
 
 Oh, I've got a wife, and I've got a baby. 
 Living up yonder in Lower Canady, 
 Won't dey laugh when dey see Ole Shady 
 
 A coming, coming. 
 
 Hail mighty day. 
 
 The title in full of this song as originally published in 1861, 
 was Ole Shady, the Song of the Contraband. It antedated 
 the emancipation proclamation and anticipated the freedom of the 
 slave, "de jubilee," and "white wheat bread an' a dollar a day." 
 It was introduced by the Lombards and soon attained great 
 popularity with the negro minstrel troupes. 
 
 That it was a great favorite in the northern armies is 
 attested by the reminiscences of many who wore the blue. The 
 soldier's appreciation finds generous expression in an article^ 
 b>' General Sherman, published in the North American Reviezv. 
 In describing an incident connected with the siege of Vicksburg, 
 he says : 
 
 "A great many negroes, slaves, had escaped within the Union lines. 
 Some were employed as servants by the officers, who paid them regular 
 wages, some were employed by the quartermaster, and the larger number 
 went North, free, in the Government chartered steamboats. 
 
 "Among the first class named was a fine, hearty 'darkey.' known as 
 'Old Shady,' who was employed by General AlcPherson as steward and 
 cook at his headquarters in Mrs. Edward's house, in Vicksburg. Hun- 
 dreds still living, among whom I may safely name General W. E. Strong, 
 of Chicago, General Hickenlooper. of Cincinnati, Mrs. Genferal Grant, 
 Fred Grant, IMrs. Sherman and myself, well remember 'Old Shady.' After 
 supper he used to assemble his chorus of 'darkies' and sing for our pleas- 
 ure the songs of the period, among them one personal to himself, and, as 
 I then understood, composed by himself. It was then entitled the Day of 
 Jubilee, but is now recorded as simply Old Shady; and I do believe that 
 since the Prophet Jeremiah bade the Jews 'to sing with gladness for 
 Jacob and shout among the chief of the nations,' because of their deliver- 
 ance from the house of bondage, that no truer or purer thought ever 
 ascended from the lips of man than did at Vicksburg in the summer of 
 1863, when 'Old Shady' sang for us in a voice of pure melody his own 
 song of deliverance from the bonds of slavery. 
 
 "After the war I met 'Old Shady' on a steamboat on the upper Mis- 
 sissippi, when he sang for us on the hurricane deck that good old song, 
 which brought tears to the eyes of the passengers; and more recently I 
 heard of him far up in Dakota, near 'Lower Canadv,' toward which he 
 
 '"Old Shady, with a Moral," October, 1888. 
 
Author of ''Darling Xclly Gray." 23 
 
 f,eemed to lean as the coigne of safety, where his wife and baby had sought 
 and obtained refuge. I believe him now to be dead, but living or dead, he 
 has the love and respect of the old army of the Tennessee which gave him 
 freedom. 'Good-bye, Mass' Jeff., good-bye Alis'r Stephens,' was a beautiful 
 expression of the faithful family servant who yearned for freedom and a 
 'dollar a day.' " 
 
 After paying a glowing tribute to the colored people in the 
 article quoted. General Sherman adds : 
 
 "What more beautiful sentiment than that of my acquaintance, "Old 
 Shady' : 'Good-bye, Mass' Jeff., good-bye, Mis'r Stephens. 'Sense dis nig- 
 gah for takin' his leavins' — polite and gentle to the end. Burns never said 
 anything better." 
 
 Old Shady seems to have derived his name from the song. 
 He was not the author of either the words or the music, as 
 •General Sherman learned and freely admitted soon after the 
 publication o£ his article. When Mrs. Hanby read it, she wrote 
 to the General, sending him a copy of the song which was duly 
 ■credited by the publisher to her husband. She received promptly 
 the following courteous reply : 
 
 "Mrs. Kate Hanby : Dear Madam — I have received yours, with 
 enclosure, and note the exception you take regarding an article from my 
 pen in the October (1888) number of the N. A. Revieiv. Shortly after the 
 publication of that article I received a long letter from the subject of your 
 husband's song. 'Old Shady,' then living. I believe, at Grand Forks, Dak., 
 in which he disowned the authorship of the song but claimed the distinc- 
 tion of the title. Should I ever have occasion to refer to the subject in 
 a future article, I shall certainly correct the misstatement. The expres- 
 sion, 'Good-bye, Mass' Jeff'. ; good-bye, Mis'r Stephens,' was surely most 
 appropriate for a run-away slave, and led me to the conclusion that such a 
 one was the author, but you are perfectly right in claiming it for your 
 husband. With best wishes to you and yours, I am, 
 
 "Very truly yours," 
 
 "W. T. Sherman," 
 
 The real name of "Old Shady," as he was called, was D. 
 Blakely Durant. After the war he worked on the upper Missis- 
 sippi. The letter to Mrs. Hanby explains that he was not dead 
 in 1888. as the General had supposed. He moved to Grand 
 Forks, Dakota, where he acquired a comfortable home and where 
 ■one of his children afterwards was a student in the North Dakota 
 State University. He died in 1895. 
 
2\ Benjamin Russel Hanby, 
 
 NOW DEN! NOW DEN! 
 
 Darling Xclly Gray aroused sympathy for the slave ; Ole 
 Shady portrayed his practical ideal of home and freedom, and 
 inspired him to seek both in the North ; another song entitled 
 A^ozc den! Nozv dcii!,^ for years after the war heard in many a 
 cabin of the South, and still a favorite in some sections, held 
 up to the vision of the freedman an ideal of joyful labor and Its 
 sure reward in the land of corn and cotton, which in the ciawn 
 of the new era of liberty was to be to him indeed the "Land ob 
 Canaan." A recent writer,- as he glides down the Chesapeake 
 and cruises along the shore where verdant and fruitful undula- 
 tions of valley and hill put him into a reminiscent and poetic 
 mood, recalls other days when the freedman, in tlie first joy 
 of his release, poured forth his soul in these words, and listens 
 with delight, for the colored laborers on deck are still singing: 
 
 De darkies say dis many a day, 
 
 We's far from the land ob Canaan. 
 Oh, whar shall we go from de white-faced foe, 
 
 Oil! whar shall we find our Canaan? 
 
 Now den ! Now den ! into dc cotton, darkies. 
 
 Plow in de cane till ye reach the bery bottom, darkies. 
 
 Ho! we go for de rice swamp low, 
 
 Hurrah for de land ob Canaan. 
 
 ' On the second page of this song occurs the following note : "The 
 object of Ole Sh.-vdy was to encourage the contrabands to escape from 
 their masters to the Union lines, and was suggested by the correspondence 
 between General Butler and the authorities at Washington, with regard to 
 the status of escaped slaves. The song in a very short time became known 
 all over the South as the "Contraband Song,' and was sung by the slaves 
 everywhere, though very few at the North had as yet heard it. In like 
 manner it is hoped that this song, while furnishing amusement to the 
 social circle, maj- subserve the further and more important purpose of 
 mducing the freedmen to return to their homes and labor." 
 
 ■ In "By the Waters of Chesapeake." Tlic Century Magazine, Decem- 
 ber. 1893. 
 
Author of "Darling Nelly Cray." 25 
 
 Oh happy da\' de darkies saj-. 
 
 For at last we've found our Canaan. 
 Old Jordan's flood rolled red with blood, 
 
 But we march'd right ol)cr into Canaan. 
 
 No driver's horn calls de slave at morn. 
 
 Jordan swamp'd him crossing into Canaan. 
 But at break ob day we're away, we're away, 
 
 For to till the fertile fields ob Canaan. 
 
 Come, ye runaways back, dat underground track 
 Couldn't neber, neber lead you into Canaan. 
 
 Here your fathers sleep, here your loved one.=^ weep ; 
 O come home to de happy Ijfnd ob Canaan 
 
 (To be sung after chorus to last stanza.) 
 
 Oh ! Canaan, sweet Canaan, 
 We's been hunting for the land ob Canaan. 
 Canaan is now our happy home. 
 Hurrah for, de land ob Canaan. 
 
26 Bciijainin Ritsscl Hanhy, 
 
 THE NAMELESS HEROINE. 
 
 This song was written in honor of the young lady who aided 
 fleeing Union prisoners to escape from the South.^ One of 
 these afterward related the incident upon which it was based sub- 
 stantially as follows : 
 
 "She led us for seven miles. Then, while we remained in the wood, 
 she rode forward over the long bridge which spanned the Nolechucky 
 River, to see if there were any guards upon it ; went to the first Union 
 house beyond, to learn whether the roads were picketted; came back, and 
 told us the coast was clear. Then she. rode by toward her home. Had it 
 been safe to cheer, we should certainly have given three times three for 
 the nameless heroine, who did us such vital kindness. 'Benisons upon her 
 dear head forever !' " 
 
 As will be noticed, the words and measure are modeled after 
 Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade : 
 
 Out oi the jaws of death. 
 Out of the mouth of hell, 
 
 Weary and hungry, and fainting and sore, 
 Fiends on the track of them. 
 Fiends at the back of them. 
 
 Fiends all around but an angel liefore. 
 
 Fiends all around, but an angel before. 
 Blessings be thine, loyal maid, evermore ! 
 
 Out by the mountain path, 
 
 Down through the darksome glen. 
 
 Heedless of foes, nor at danger dismayed. 
 Sharing their doubtful fate. 
 Daring the tyrant's hate. 
 
 Heart of a lion, though form of a maid. 
 
 ^ In January. 18t^j. The "nameless heroine" was Miss Melvina 
 Stevens 
 
Author of "Darling Xelly Gray." 27 
 
 Hail to the angel who goes on before, 
 Blessing's be thine, loyal maid, evermore ! 
 
 "Nameless," for foes may hear, 
 
 But by our love for thee. 
 Soon our bright sabers shall blush with their gore. 
 
 Then shall our banner free, 
 
 Wave, maiden, over thee : 
 Then, noble girl, thou'lt be nameless no more. 
 
 Then we shall hail thee from mountain to shore. 
 Bless thy brave heart, loyal maid, evermore ! 
 
 It was quite natural that he should manifest an appreciative 
 interest in the best hterature of the day. He was much im- 
 pressed with Holland's "Bitter Sweet." A congratulatory letter 
 to the author called forth the following response : 
 
 "Springfield, Mass., September 3, 1860. 
 
 "B. R. Hanbv, Dear Sir: If my book has done you and yours any 
 measure of good, I am glad, for I should not like to be indebted to you for 
 the whole of the deep satisfaction your letter has given me. I thank you 
 for your thoughtfulness, and I thank you for spending so much time in 
 its demonstraiion. Such letters pay better than money. I was glad when 
 Mr. Scribner paid me a generous copyright, but I didn't cry ; and, next to 
 laughing, I think crying is the most satisfactory exercise of a man's lungs. 
 May God bless you and your wife, and all whom you hold dear. 
 
 "Yours truly, 
 
 "J. G. Holland." 
 
28 Benjamin Riisscl Hanhy, 
 
 THE MINISTRY. 
 
 Endowed with a deeply religious nature, which was developed 
 and confirmed hy home environment and education, Hanby had 
 looked forward to the time wdien he should enter upon the real- 
 ization of his life's work in the ministry. His eldest sister, still 
 a zealous worker in the church, bears loving testimony to his 
 conversion, his disinterested service in bringing others to the 
 Master and the fidelity with which he res])()nded to the call 
 to preach the Gospel of Christ. 
 
 "The foremost business of his life, from conversion to the 
 end." says she, "was the salvation of souls. . . . One day 
 in church he rose and with pallid face, which none who saw it 
 can ever forget, calmly said, 'Brethren, (lod is preparing me 
 either for the charnel house ' or for greater service to Him." 
 After that all knew without further words that dod had set his 
 seal upon him." lie had heard the call, and only awaited the 
 op])ortunity to enter fully upon the great work of man's re- 
 demption. At the close of his second year at the head of the 
 academy, he realized his fondly cherished hope and donned the 
 clerical robes. 
 
 He entered upon his labors in the village of Lewisburg, O. 
 Voung. scholarly and eloquent; kind, genial and optimistic; direct, 
 ingenuous and sincere : blest with a refined and intelligent face 
 and a iK)etic soul that found expression in song, it is needless 
 to say that he became the idol of the little fiock that gathered and 
 grew around the pulpit under the spell of his personalitv and 
 power. 
 
 As a minister, according to the testimonx- of an old time 
 friend and compam'on, he had many excellent qualities. He was 
 enthusiastic without being pedantic, full of emotion but calm and 
 earnest. He never read his sermons, nor did he permit himself 
 to write them. It must not be presumed, however, that he 
 entered the pulpit without thorough prei)aration. The theme 
 of his text was thoroughly thought out. and even the sentences, 
 as he once remarked to this friend, were carefully formed before 
 delivery, ^\■hile at college he often served as critic in his liter- 
 ary society, where the ability, just discriminatiiMi and kindly spirit 
 evident in the discharge of the delicate duties of that post made 
 
Author of "Darling Xclly Cray." 29 
 
 him a general favorite. His analytic and well worded report 
 at the conclusion of the evening's exercises, was awaited with 
 pleasure alike by performers and audience. He thought out his 
 sermons with critical exactitude, after weighing with great care 
 svnonvmous expressions to determine which most nearly expressed 
 his idea. If from a doctrinal point these sermons were not pro- 
 found, thev were never dogmatical, always natural, sweet in 
 spirit, messages from the Master. 
 
 His chief interest was in the young people of his congregation 
 and the community. He mingled freely with them socially, and 
 entered with zest into their innocent recreations and amusements. 
 The sleigh rides of winter — usually taken in a large sled — 
 the outing in quest of the first wild flowers of spring, and the 
 harvest home picnic with all its simple but delightful and ele- 
 vating attractions were dear to the young clerical friend of the 
 children. He taught them drawing and music, and delivered 
 special sermons and lectures for them. No wonder that they 
 were aftectionately fond of him and referred to him with fervor 
 as "our preacher." 
 
 It followed, as a matter of course, that his church was the 
 center of attraction to the young and that many should find their 
 way to the Christian life under his inspiration and guidance. 
 Of that number, one relates how after she and many others had 
 united with the church, the good minister planned a pleasant 
 surprise. He and the parents quietly contributed to a fund with 
 which there was purchased for each new member a neat and 
 substantially bound copy of the Bible, with the name of the 
 recipient stamped on the back in gold. In many families these 
 precious gifts are still fondly treasured in loving memory of 
 the long ago and the dear teacher who was a beneficent part of 
 it all. 
 
 His love of children, of course, antedated his entrance into 
 the ministry. Mrs. Hanb\-. speaking of this characteristic, re- 
 cently said: 
 
 "If 'to be a good story teller is to be a king among children,' ht cer- 
 tainly deserved the title. His ideal life was the child life. He loved it for 
 its unconscious sweetness. All the children who knew him were his 
 friends, and would hasten to greet him when they met him on the street. 
 
80 Bciijauun Russcl Hanby, 
 
 Nothing was too ditificult if it was for the little ones. He would go miles 
 to entertain them. While he was with the John Church Company, the 
 Friends of Richmond, Ind., collected into a school several hundred of the 
 poorest children of the city. Although no singers themselves, they fully 
 realized the sweetening and refining influence of music, and invited Mr. 
 Hanby to come and sing for them whenever he could. He was glad of 
 the opportunity, and frequently gave up other things for the sake of pleas- 
 ing those poor little children. He taught them many little songs, and 
 ijinong others was Chich-a-dcc-dce, which they particularly liked. By and 
 by those good Friends rented the largest hall in the city and gave these 
 children and their friends a banquet. It was in the evening, and the hall 
 was beautifully lighted and decorated. ]\Ir. Hanby was invited to sing. I 
 accompanied him to the hall, and never shall I forget the greeting given him 
 by the children. Their faces lighted up, they clapped their little hands and 
 exclaimed: 'Oh, here comes Chick-a-dee-dee !' He sang to them, told them 
 stories, and was a child with them all evening." 
 
 His advent was a distinct stimulus to the aesthetic develop- 
 ment of the little village. The local schoolmaster found him 
 companionable and helpful. There was a new interest in public 
 entertainments, in which of cottrse music was given a prominent 
 place. Pianos and organs began to appear in the homes of the 
 well-to-do, and much was added to the sum of happiness in 
 the community. 
 
 To a careful observer it is scarcely necessary to say, however, 
 that Rev. Benjamin Hanby was treading dangerous ground. The 
 church of the middle west forty years ago was not the church 
 of to-day. The austere element of the Puritan spirit was then 
 still dominant. This was not in any measure, be it said, due 
 to the peculiar doctrines of the United Brethren Church. For 
 its dav it was progressive, even liberal. It early took advanced 
 ground against the institution of slavery, and within comparatively 
 broad limits it gave conscience free range. 
 
 The barrier that loomed up in Hanby 's way was not so 
 much the spirit of his church as it was the spirit of the times. 
 There was among the religious folk of almost every community 
 a somewhat clearly defined opinion as to the minister's place 
 and proper attitude toward the people. They had little faith 
 in the conversion of those who joined church "because they 
 liked the preacher." An impression prevailed that the minister 
 should hold himself somewhat aloof from his people ; as a pious 
 
Author of "Darling Xclly Gray." SI 
 
 soul once expressed it, they should feel, when they approached 
 him, that they were "in the presence of a superior being." Public 
 entertainments, vvith attendant features that even remotely sug- 
 gested the stage, were objects of suspicion and alarm. And as 
 for music — well, there were many among the devout and right- 
 eous who thoroughly believed that it was one of the insinuating 
 devices of Satan himself. These good people would naturally 
 assvmie the interrogatory attitude toward the innovations of 
 Rev. Hanby. That his affable manner and the genial sunshine of 
 his smile melted away much of this incipient opposition there 
 can be no doubt ; it perhaps would be too much to expect that it 
 should wholly silence criticism. 
 
 The leaders of the conservative element, however, had mis- 
 givings of a more serious character. They noticed that the 
 vicarious atonement and the resurrection had been somewhat 
 slighted and that the doctrine of eternal punishment had been 
 wholly eliminated from his sermons. Worse than all, the report 
 gained currency that he had privately declared that he did not 
 believe in the last of these. Matters moved quietly but promptly 
 to a crisis. There was no dramatic scene. No outward struggle 
 marked his progress at the parting of the ways. Without a 
 word of complaint or a plea to shake the faith of any mortal, 
 with a heart full of tenderness and love and hope, without an 
 intimation of the new light that was leading to the broader way, 
 he left the pulpit and soon afterward severed his connection with 
 the conference.^ 
 
 That the change of his views did not shake the foundations 
 of his religious faith is attested by his subsequent life and the 
 large ninnber of sacred songs he composed and published after 
 he left the ministry. He did not formally sever his connection 
 with the church, to which he was bound by many happy asso- 
 ciations. His experience, like that of Emerson, seems to have 
 prepared him for larger service in a sphere for which he was 
 peculiarly fitted. • - 
 
 ' In the proceedings of the conference of 1866 occurs the following 
 minute : 
 
 "On motion, the credentials of B. R. Hanhy were received back by 
 the conference at his request, and his connection with the conference 
 severed." 
 
32 Benjamin Riisscl Hanby, 
 
 MUSICAL CO-MPOSER. 
 
 He entered at once the employ of the John Church Music 
 Company of Cincinnati, O., and remained with the firm about 
 two years. He continued to compose occasionally, but the de- 
 mands of the business in which he was employed did not leave 
 him nmch leisure for other work. 
 
 He was a temperance advocate and wrote some songs dedi- 
 cated to the cause, among which were Revelers' Clionts and 
 Crcra'ding Awfully. He contril:)uted to Ohio political literature 
 at least one effusion, with the refrain 
 
 Oh, Governor Brough, 
 It's terrible tough. 
 
 He was next transferred to the well known nuisic house of 
 Root & Cady, of Chicago, 111. He regarded this change as in 
 every way most fortunate. Here at last he seemed to have found 
 the work for which he was especially equipped. He wias empliDyed 
 to write Sunday and day school songs. This brought ' him ^gain 
 into contact with children. The echo of his soul might have 
 found expression in the words of Dickinson : 
 
 Oh, there's nothing on earth half so holy 
 As the innocent heart of a child. 
 
 Of his work here, ]\Irs. Hanby says : 
 
 "He loved to write children's songs because he loved children. 
 Teaching them, singing with them, and writing songs for them, was, I 
 think, his real work. He was happier in it than in anything else that he 
 ever did. His relations with George F. Root were of the most plea.sant 
 character. Mr. Root regarded him almost as a son, and their intercourse 
 was that of very dear friends rather than that of employer and employed." 
 
 The two edited Our Song Birds, in which a number of 
 Mr. Hanby's songs appear. These were days of joyful labor. 
 He composed over sixty tunes and wrote the words for about 
 half of them. At the same time he was preparing for publication- 
 a work in which he developed his system of teaching music. It 
 included most of his sonsjs and numerous selections from other 
 
Author of "Darling Xclly Gray." 33 
 
 -composers. He was enthusiastic over the Ixjok and confidently 
 expected it to yield him an ample return for his labor. The 
 manuscript was almost ready for the printer when business called 
 him to St. Paul in the sunimer of 1866. He took the work 
 with him in order that he might employ the leisure hours of 
 travel in putting on the finishing touches. Soon after reaching 
 his destination, he was taken seriously ill and returned home at 
 once. He checked and shipped the trunk containing his manu- 
 script, but it never reached its destination. All eiTorts to locate 
 it were unavailing. No trace of it was ever found. 
 
 He reached his home with a hectic flush on his cheek. His 
 lungs were seriously aitected. But hope, so native to his buoyant 
 nature and characteristic of hi.s malady, bore him on, his former 
 self in everything luit waning strength. Though confined to 
 his home most of the time, mind and pen were still active. Our 
 Song Birds claimed his especial interest. Following are the 
 words of a few of his contributions : 
 
 !.• oi* 
 
 u • 
 
34 Be II jam ill Riissel Haiiby. 
 
 DEVOTIONAL SONGS. 
 
 THE HOLY HOUR.' 
 
 How sweet the holy hour. 
 
 When at the throne of grace : 
 The friends of Jesus bend the knee, 
 
 And angels fill the place. 
 
 Oh, haste, my willing feet. 
 To join the happy throng; 
 
 Confess thy sins, my trembling lips, 
 Or raise the grateful song. 
 
 The gentle Shepherd flies, 
 
 (Oh, wealth of love untold!) 
 To hear, and help, and heal and bless 
 
 The humblest of His fold. 
 
 * 
 
 Oh, Shepherd, Savior, King, 
 Come, make this heart Thy throne ; 
 Drive out Thy foes. Thou Mighty One, 
 And make me all Thine own. 
 
 GONDOLA.' 
 
 We come in childhood's joyfulness. 
 
 We come as children, free ! 
 We offer up, O God ! our hearts. 
 
 In trusting love to Thee'. 
 Well may we bend in solemn -joy. 
 
 At Thy bright courts above. 
 Well may the grateful child rejoice. 
 
 In such a Father's love. 
 
 We come not as the mighty come : 
 
 Not as the proud we l)ow. 
 But as the pure in heart should bend. 
 
 Seek we Thine altars now. 
 "Forbid them not," the Savior said ; 
 
 But let them come to Ale ; 
 Oh. Savior dear, we hear Thy call. 
 
 We come, we come, to Thee. 
 
 ^ Copyrighted 18!t4 by The John Church Company. Used by per- 
 mission. 
 
Author of "Darling Xclly Gray." 35 
 
 To Thee, Thou Lord of life and light, 
 
 Amid the angel throng, 
 We- bend the knee, we lift the heart, 
 
 And swell the holy song. 
 How blest the children of the Lord, 
 
 Who wait around His throne, 
 How sweet to tread the path that leads 
 
 To yonder heavenly home. 
 
 COME FROM THE HILL-TOP.' 
 
 Come from the hill-top, the vale, and the glen; 
 Lights no\v the Sabbath the landscape again ; 
 Little feet patter like rain o'er the sod, 
 On in the path to the temple of God. 
 
 On to the temple, on to the temple. 
 On to the temple, on to the temple. 
 Little feet patter like rain o'er the sod, 
 On in the path to the temple of God. 
 
 Who to the fields or the forests would stray. 
 Seeking their pleasure at work or at play.'' 
 Who, when that banner of love is unfurl'd, 
 Turn to the bubble-like joys of the world? 
 
 We from the service of Sin would depart. 
 Heeding Thy mandate of "Give me Thine heart ; 
 Suffer the children to "come unto me." 
 Savior, behold at Thy feet here are we. 
 
 Thus when our Sabbaths on earth are no more, 
 We shall be with Thee, and love and adore ; 
 Singing in heaven, that bright world of bliss, 
 Songs that we learned on the Sabbaths of this. 
 
 NOW TO THE LORD.' 
 
 Now to the Lord on high, 
 
 Ye saints your voices raise. 
 Let little children throng His court. 
 
 And sing the Savior's praise. 
 
 * Copyrighted 1804 by The John Church Company. Used by per- 
 mission. 
 
36 Benjamin Rnsscl Hanby, 
 
 Here on this holy da\', 
 
 Ye multitudes, repair, 
 And pour your swelling souls in song. 
 
 Or lift the humble prayer. 
 
 Rejoicing, or in grief. 
 
 Come, sit and hear His Word : 
 And thro' your smiles, or thro' your tears, 
 
 Look up and see your Lord. 
 
 His ear is quick to hear. 
 
 His hand is open wide ; 
 Each trusting soul shall surely find 
 
 His ev'ry want supplied. 
 
Author of "Darling Xclly Gray." '67 
 
 OCCASIONAL SONGS. 
 ROBIN SONG' 
 
 We are coming, sang the robins, 
 
 For the woods and groves are gay ; 
 Will you give us kindly greeting. 
 
 Little Jessie, little May? 
 We will join your matin carols. 
 
 We will chant your vesper lay, 
 While we wait your sweeter echoes. 
 
 Little Jessie, Little May. 
 
 We are coming, sang the robins, 
 For the woods and groves are gay ; 
 
 Will you give us kindly greeting. 
 Little Jessie, little May? 
 
 There's a tree beneath your window, 
 
 With a paradise of leaves. 
 We will build our robin homestead 
 
 In the branches 'neath the eaves : 
 There will be the sweetest chirping 
 
 In the garden by and by, 
 When our pleasant toil is ended. 
 
 And the nestlings learn to fly. 
 
 You will scatter crumlj?. it may be, 
 
 On your friendly window sill, 
 For each darling robin baby, 
 
 Has an empty, gaping bill. 
 We will give our farewell concert, 
 
 When the flowers pass away, 
 But will come again as they will, 
 
 Little Jessie, little May. 
 
 ^ Copyrighted 1894 by The John Church Company. Used by per- 
 mission. 
 
88 Benjamin Rnsscl Hanby, 
 
 EXCURSION SONG.' 
 
 Ho! ho! ho! 
 
 Out to the beautiful groves we go; 
 This is our holiday now, j'ou know. 
 Sweet shall our melodies float and flow. 
 
 Out on the balmy air : 
 Bear them, ye breezes that gently blow, 
 
 Scatter them everywhere. 
 
 Sing ! sing ! sing ! 
 
 Heaven shall smile at the praises we bring. 
 Forest and meadow with music ring. 
 Echo the cadences gracefully fling, 
 
 Out on the balmy air : 
 Bear them aloft on her silv'ry wing. 
 
 Scatter them everywhere. 
 
 Play ! play ! play ! 
 
 Run, oh. ye happy ones while ye may ; 
 Roam thro' the forests at will to-day, 
 Pouring your shouts and your laughter gay, 
 
 Out on the balmy air : 
 Sylvia beckons, oh, speed away. 
 
 Scatter them everywhere. 
 
 BOAT SONG.' 
 
 Row ! row ! row ! 
 
 Over the beautiful blue we go ! 
 
 Row ! row ! row !row ! 
 
 Over the waters we go. 
 
 Lightly every heart is bounding. 
 Gay the voice of song is sounding, 
 Sweet the light guitar resounding. 
 
 1 hus we gaily row. 
 
 Row ! row ! row ! 
 
 Over the beautiful blue we go ! 
 
 Row ! row ! row ! row ! 
 
 ->ver the waters we go. 
 Starry vaults above us beaming. 
 Starry depths below us seeming, 
 Silver wavelets 'round us gleaming. 
 
 Thus we gaily row. 
 
 'Copyrighted 1894 by The Job" Church Com Used by per- 
 
Author of "Darling Xclly Gray." 39 
 
 Row ! row ! row ! 
 
 Over the beautiful blue we go! 
 
 Row ! row ! row ! row ! 
 
 Over the waters we go. 
 
 ■ Heart to heart we'll sail together, 
 Hand in hand for aye and ever, 
 Naught shall change us, naught shall sever, 
 
 Thus we gaily row. 
 
 WEAVER JOHN.' 
 
 Down in that cottage lives Weaver John, 
 
 And a happy old John is he; 
 Maud is the name of his dear old dame, 
 
 And a blessed old dame is she. 
 
 Whickity, whackity, click and clack, 
 
 How the shuttles do glance and ring ! 
 Here they go, there they go, forth and back, 
 
 A staccato song they sing. 
 
 Close by his side is his gentle wife. 
 
 And she's twirling the flaxen thread; 
 Sweet to his ear is the low wheel's hum. 
 
 It was purchased when they were wed. 
 
 Pussy is frisking about the room. 
 
 With her kittens, one, two, three, four; 
 Towser is taking his wonted nap 
 
 On the settle behind the door. 
 
 Soft as the hum of the dame's low wheel, 
 
 Does the music of time roll on ; 
 Morning and noon of a useful life 
 
 Bring a peacefully setting sun. 
 
 Our Song Birds was a niusical periodical, each number 
 named after some bird whose picture appeared on the cover. The 
 last issue to which Hanby contributed was, by a touching coinci- 
 dence, called "The Dove." Among the selections from this num- 
 ber are Conn- from the Hill-top and IVcaz'er John, with the 
 beautifully suggestive closing stanzas : 
 
 ' Copyrighted 1894 by The John Church Company. Used by per- 
 mission. 
 
4'0 BciijiJiiiii Riissc! Haiiby. 
 
 Thus when our Sabba'.hs on eartli are no more, 
 V\'e shall be with Thee, and love and adore. 
 Singing in heaven, thai bright world of bliss. 
 Songs that we lean:ed en thj Sabbaths of this. 
 
 Soft as the hum of the dame's low wheel. 
 
 Does the music of time roll on. 
 Morning and noon of a useful life 
 
 Bring a peacefully setting sun. 
 
 His life had not reached the zenith of the allotted th.ree score 
 _\ears and ten when it swiftly hut silently declined, and the 
 twilight shadows hegan to gather. One day in ^Nlarch, Mr. Cady. 
 one of his employers, visited him and found him weak hut 
 cheerful and sanguine as of old. He said little ahout his con- 
 ■dition ; his conversation was all in the hopeful vein ; his mind 
 was full of plans for the future. His illness hy suhtle, painless 
 stages hore him through waning strength, while the evening star 
 to his raptured e\e was radiant with the promise of the years 
 stretching peacefully before. Behind were the snows of winter. 
 From the frozen streets and blackened air of the great city, he 
 turned in thought to the glories of reviving nature, as with 
 .enfeebled hand he had drawn them in his latest verse: 
 
 The morning is beaming, the morning is beaming: 
 
 Oh, hasten the sight to behold ! 
 Tile mountains are gleaming, the mountains are gleaming, 
 
 With lintings of purple and gold. 
 
 The brooklets are dashing, the brooklets are dashing 
 
 O'er pebbles of crimson and white : 
 Tlie rivers are flashing, the rivers are Hashing, 
 
 Their arrows of silvery light. 
 
 Gone were the wintry blasts. He looked forward with eager 
 anticipation to the coming of spring. While balmy south winds 
 were whispering of her approach, he fell asleep and woke not 
 witli the comino- dav.^ 
 
 '■ He died March 16, 18()7. 
 
.Author of "Darliiiij^ Xclly Gray " 
 
 41 
 
 BENJAMIN RUSSEL HANBV — PORTRAIT AND MONUMENT. 
 
42 Bcnjaiiiii! RitsscI Hanby. 
 
 "He was just beginning to make 'a name for himself in the 
 musical world," declares a writer, "when he was stricken down 
 in the prime of young manhood." 
 
 "He was educated for the ministry," says Mr. Root, in his 
 autobiography, "but was so strongly inclined to music that he 
 decided to try to make that his life's work. But he died almost 
 at the commencement of his career." 
 
 Backward to the old home in the college town were borne 
 the mortal remains of this dear interpreter of the melodies of 
 the human heart. On the campus, at the corners of the streets 
 and in the study room, there was the pall of sadness that only 
 the alma mater of that day could feel at the obsequies of such a 
 son. Professors, students and citizens moved in silent procession 
 to the little cemetery by the winding stream, and in the quiet 
 southwest corner, where sunshine and shadow weave changing 
 figures on the sward the whole year round, the bard was gently 
 laid to rest. 
 
 He yearned for the return of the season dear to poetic souls. 
 With warmth and fragrance and music, spring came to open 
 buds and spread the living green above his grave. 
 
 Nor poet, nor minstrel in all this middle west has found in 
 place more fitting his lowly mansion of dreamless repose. Among 
 the little mounds, the dark cedar and the arching elm stand 
 guard, while at the edge of the sharp declivity beyond the grave 
 and shading it from the declining sun, rises a sturdy oak, 
 that has stood through calm and storm while generations have 
 passed away. Not far distant and seen distinctly through the 
 intervening branches, the stream with circling sweep moves on- 
 ward as of old. Around is the music of nature, pleasantly 
 broken at intervals by the college bell as it calls the students 
 to the lessons of the day. 
 
 Fair Otterbein ! Blest are thy classic shades and hallowed 
 thy memories. From these walls high-minded sons have gone 
 forth to win laurels in the fields of honorable endeavor. Mini- 
 sters and educators and jurists have acquired more than local 
 fame, and one sweet singer found his way to the universal heart. 
 The great world, in its mad rush for gain, may care but little 
 who and what he was. But a better day will dawn — is dawning. 
 
Author of "Darling Nelly Gray." 43 
 
 When vulgar wealth yields to intellectual culture ; when to 
 isway thousands through the magic power of song to the support 
 of a righteous cause is as great as to move men by eloquent 
 appeal or to lead them forth to battle ; when to add to the world's 
 happiness is to be the world's benefactor ; when to touch and 
 refine the heart is to be a savior of mankind ; when greed shall 
 not outweigh the things of the spirit ; when self is less and love 
 is more, the fame of this son of song shall have a wider range, 
 and for his memory there shall be a resurrection in the land he 
 loved so well. 
 
-xorcHKY OF 
 
 CONGRESS 
 
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