State

How The State Song Was Born You probably know Ilia! Judge Gaston wrote the words but are you acquainted with flic* facts in connection with bow tlie music for the song was selected? THE other day we happened to be in Godfrey Cheshire's office in Raleigh and. while waiting for him to get through with a telephone conversation, happened to see a book about which we had heard a lot but never had seen: "Nonnulla," written by his father. Bishop Joseph Blount Cheshire, and published by the University Press. Chapel Hill, in 1930. It contains a number of interest¬ ing "memories, stories and tradi¬ tions. more or less authentic." and is fine reading for all North Carolinians. There is one chapter which tells about the origin of our state song. ‘Carolina.’’ It brings out some in¬ formation that was new to us and may also be new to you. Anyway, we re reproducing it herewith and hope you will enjoy it. Incidentally, the University Press, when we asked for permission to run the story, told us that the book has been out of print for some time, so don t write them and try to get a copy. By JOSEPH BLOUNT CHESHIRE In the years 1834 and 1835 my father was studying Law in the office of Mr. Thomas P. Devereux, in Raleigh. He boarded in the family of Mrs. Eliza Taylor, widow of James F. Taylor, Attorney General of North Carolina in 1825. Mrs. Taylor's daughters on one occasion attended a musical enter¬ tainment given by a traveling company of Swiss Bell-Ringers. They were much taken with a tune which they heard, and returning home Miss Lou Taylor played the tune by ear on the piano. It was a very pleasing air. and she so often ployed it that all the family soon became quite familiar with the melody; and my father, who was very fond of music and had natu¬ rally a good voice, came to like it as well as the young ladies. Judge William Gaston. Mrs. Taylor’s uncle by marriage, was an inmate of the family during the months of his residence in Raleigh, as one of the judges of the Supreme Court. He occupied a small house in the corner of Mrs. Taylor’s front yard. Mrs. Taylor said to him one day. as her daughter was playing the melody which she had caught from the Swiss Bell-Ringers. "Uncle Gaston, you ought to write some words for Lou’s tune." A few days after this, when Judge Gaston came in from his office to dinner, he produced a sheet of MS and said, "Lou, here are the words for your song." The paper contained the words of the song now so familiar all over the State: "Carolina, the Good Old North State." Miss Lou Taylor went to the piano, and her two sisters. Miss Annie and Miss Julia, and my father, joined in singing the words from Judge Gaston's MS. The song, we must suppose, gained some local popularity and became familiar to many persons in Raleigh. But its general circu¬ lation throughout the State is associated with one of the greatest political campaigns which ever stirred the popular heart of the United States. The Harrison-Tylor Campaign In 1840 the Whig candidates for president and vice president were William H. Harrison, the hero of the great victory over the Indians at 'i ippecanoe. and John Tyler. That campaign was long remem¬ bered for the great popular enthu¬ siasm developed in support of these candidates, and was spoken of as. "The Tippecanoe and Tyler too" campaign; also as the "Log Cabin and Hard Cider" campaign, as it was supposed to represent the interests of the poorer and plainer people of the country, who lived in rude houses and drank hard cider instead of more expensive liquors. In their great popular processions and gatherings a small log cabin, with a barrel of cider standing by it and a coonskin nailed against the wall — the whole mounted upon a wagon and hauled about the country, was a favorite emblem of the Harrison and Tyler supporters. A great mass meeting of the party was held at Raleigh during this campaign, with people and speakers in attendance from dis¬ tant sections of the State. The place of the meeting was "Ravenscroft Grove." now known as St. Mary's Grove. The school for which the property had been bought and the buildings erected had been closed, and it was a year and a half later that young Mr. Smedes came to establish St. Mary’s School. The large grove with its spreading oaks made a convenient and suitable place for such an assemblage. Help From Mrs. Lucas Mrs. Mary Jourde Lucas, many years afterwards my parishioner in St. Peter's Church. Charlotte, then resided in Raleigh, and was the organist at Christ Church. She was a well instructed musician, and she wrote out the music and harmonized the tune which Miss Lou Taylor had caught by car. It was thought that this patriotic song, composed by one of the State’s foremost citizens, would be appropriate for the gathering in the School Grove. Mrs. Lucas therefore trained a choir of fifty young ladies to sing this song. At the time of the great mass meeting they had places on the platform erected for the speakers, presiding officers, and distinguished guests; and at an appropriate time in the proceedings they sang "Carolina. The Good Old North State." ac¬ companying their voices with the instrumental music of their guitars. This was calculated, in the high- wrought condition of sentiment on the occasion, to make a great im¬ pression on the popular mind; and thus the song went forth to all parts of the State and became, by the spontaneous action of the people, the State song of North Carolina. An interesting and striking inci¬ dent of this meeting is remembered in connection with the speech of Mr. Nathaniel Boyden of Salis¬ bury, afterwards a judge of our Supreme Court. He was an able man. eloquent and dramatic, per¬ haps I might say somewhat histrionic, in his delivery. At the close of an eloquent and animated passage, he invoked the Spirit of America and apostrophised the ( Continued on page 18 1 THE STATE. August 14. 1948 5