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STORIES OF
furnished me with materials for the song I sent you."
I give the above as I took it from an American paper. The truth is that Henry Russell was the friend, and Morris himself the man who had lived in the old cottage and had played under the tree as a child.
General G. P. Morris, who was the writer of many other lyrics, died in America in 1865. Speaking of Henry Russell I am reminded that he, like most singers who have risen to emi-nence, had his early struggles. That veteran song writer who composed the music to and sang the once universally popular song " Cheer, Boys, Cheer," only received three pounds for the copyright. He asked the publisher once how the song sold, and was told that nineteen presses could not keep pace with the demand. Afterwards, the publishers sent him ^10 to ease their consciences. How easy it must be to relieve some publishers' consciences! I was told some few years ago of a certain firm of publishers who secured the music and words of a song that was sung everywhere at the time, for which they gave in all £30, but which brought them in sufficient to buy them an establishment in the West End (they were in a very small way of business previously) and set
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