The attributions of the first two quotations are unknown. 'I am waiting' is by Birch, but this songwriter not been traced, nor has the following, 'True love, unlike the flowers', been identified.
'In realms of endless day' was a cliché of religious and sentimental verse, appearing in numerous hymns. 'The home of bliss,' 'the golden land,' 'the great eternity,' 'the golden shore,' and 'the better land,' are other clichés that Samuel lists here. .
'On the grass of the cliff, at the edge of the steep, … By the graves in the grass, I am waiting for thee!' is from 'The Garden of Sleep' by Norfolk poet, Clement Scott (1841–1904), who originated the name 'Poppy-land' for the Cromer area of Norfolk; he was also a playwright, lyricist, translator and travel writer, and an influential English theatre critic for the Daily Telegraph and other journals, where he opposed the new drama of Ibsen and Shaw. The identity of the fashionable singer has not yet been traced.
'He's in the Asylum Now,' was a song and recitation by Sam Derere, containing the lines 'Is marriage a failure? /Once inquired a married man'. See also no. 'Is marriage a failure?' (12th January 1889) and 'Samuel on Some Queer Queries from "Cracked” Correspondents' (9th March 1889), and Samuel on Marriages' (21st June 1890).
Other works cited include
- 'His Funeral's To-morrow': a song of 1888, by B. W. Hitchcock.
- 'We drew his Club Money this Morning': a song by Tom Carolan, performed by J. P. Rowley.
- 'Across the Bridge': words by F. Bowyer, music by George Le Brunn (1863-1905).
- 'The Postman's Story': song of 1890, written and composed by Charles Osborne.
- 'Where is my Boy to-night?': song by American Baptist pastor, Robert Lowry (1826-99).
- 'Life's Story': not traced.
The sheet music in the 4th illustration are copies of
- Felicia Hemans, 'The Better Land' (music by Frederic H. Cowen)
- Charles Coborn, 'Two Lovely Black Eyes'
- T. Carolan, 'We drew his Club Money this Morning'
- The fourth has not been identified.
Last modified 7 April 2022