The Edison Files: Byron Harlan

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

While tenor Byron Harlan enjoyed an extremely successful solo career with over 50 top ten recordings from 1899 through 1919, he became hugely famous as one half of the “Half-ton duo” with baritone Arthur Collins.

As a solo artist, Harlan specialized in sentimental ballads including the #1 hits ‘Tell Me, Pretty Maiden’ (1901), ‘Hello Central, Give Me Heaven’ (1901), ‘The Mansion of Aching Hearts’ (1902), ‘Blue Bell’ (1904), ‘All Aboard for Dreamland’ (1904), ‘Where the Morning Glories Twine Around the Door’ (1905), ‘Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie’ (1906), ‘The Good Old U.S.A’ (1906), ‘My Gal Sal’ (1907), ‘School Days (When We Were a Couple of Kids)’ (1907), ‘Nobody’s Little Girl’ (1907) and ‘Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!’ (1910).

In contrast to Harlan’s sentimental ballad style, the Collins-Harlan duo’s emphasis was on ragtime and minstrel humor. Cited as the most popular comedy team in the early 1900’s, Collins-Harlan had #1 hits with ‘Down Where the Wurzburger Flows’ (1902), ‘Hurrah For Baffin’s Bay’ (1903), ‘Camp Meetin’ Time’ (1906), ‘The Right Church, But the Wrong Pew’ (1909), ‘Under the Yum Yum Tree’ (1911), ‘Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey’ (1911), ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’ (1911), ‘When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam’’ (1913), ‘I Love the Ladies’ (1914), ‘The Aba Dada Honeymoon’ (1914), ‘Oh How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wachi Woo (That’s Love in Honolulu)’ (1916) and ‘Dark Town Strutters Hall’ (1918).

Byron G. Harlan died on September 11, 1936.


To listen to recordings by Byron Harlan, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Arthur Collins

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Baritone Arthur Collins, the leading mintrel-style dialect comedy singer of the early 1900’s was born on February 7, 1864 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His solo hits, led by the famous ‘Preacher and the Bear’ were plentiful with over 40 top ten hits, however he achieved his greatest success in his partnership with tenor Byron Harlan. He was also a member of the Peerless Quartet from 1909 until 1918. In the December 1942 issue of Hobbies magazine, Journalist Jim Walsh attributed Collins’ popularity to these qualities: "There probably has never been a sweeter, more naturally musical baritone voice than his....Then, too, Arthur Collins managed invariably to get into the wax the impression of a warm, lovable personality. The unctuous sound of his chuckles in dialect work is unfailingly charming." His solo hits include the #1 recordings of ‘Kiss Me, Honey, Do’ (1899), ‘When You Ain’t Got No More Money, Well, You Needn’t Come Around’ (1899), ‘I Guess I’ll Have to Telegraph My Baby’ (1899), ‘Hello Ma Baby’ (1899), ‘I’d Leave My Happy Home For You’ (1899), ‘Mandy Lee’ (1900), ‘Ma Tiger Lily’ (1900), ‘Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home’ (1902), ‘Under the Bamboo Tree’ (1902), ‘Good-Bye, Eliza Jane’ (1903), ‘Any Rags’ (1903) and ‘The Preacher and the Bear’ (1905).

With Harlan’the team nicknamed ‘the Half-ton duo’ because of both their portly stature… Collins collected #1 hits with ‘Down Where the Wurzburger Flows’ (1902), ‘Hurrah For Baffin’s Bay’ (1903), ‘Camp Meetin’ Time’ (1906), ‘The Right Church, But the Wrong Pew’ (1909), ‘Under the Yum Yum Tree’ (1911), ‘Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey’ (1911), ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’ (1911), ‘When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam’’ (1913), ‘I Love the Ladies’ (1914), ‘The Aba Dada Honeymoon’ (1914), ‘Oh How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wachi Woo (That’s Love in Honolulu)’ (1916) and ‘Dark Town Strutters Hall’ (1918).

Collins and Harlan recorded the first song to refer to "jazz": "That Funny Jas Band from Dixieland," copyrighted on November 8, 1916, recorded on January 12, 1917, and issued on Victor 18235.

On October 20, 1921, Collins was seriously injured during an Edison Tone Test demonstration. Collins exited the stage in the dark so the audience could guess whether the singing heard came from the singer himself or an Edison Diamond Disc machine, and he fell through a trap-door accidentally left open.

After a recovery period, he made a solo recording for Gennett—"I Ain't Got Enough For To Pass Around" (4866), issued in June 1922—and more recordings with Harlan for Edison, but heart ailments coupled with lingering effects from the fall prompted him to retire to Florida in 1926.

Arthur Collins died on August 3, 1933.

To listen to recordings by Arthur Collins, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Fred Van Eps

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Fred Van Eps (December 30, 1878 – November 22, 1960) was a noted bnjoist and banjo maker. The "Van Eps Recording Banjo" was a well-known model until 1930. Van Eps was born in Somerville, New Jersey and moved with his family to Plainfield, New Jersey in 1892. he learned to play the banjo and studied the phonograph cylinder recordings of Vess Ossman. In 1897, Van Eps was hired by Thomas Edison's National Phonograph Company in West Orange, New Jersey, working as a regular in studio engagements. Van Eps cylinder recordings, often remakes of Ossman tunes, sold well for Edison. Early ragtime banjo recordings by Van Eps included "A Bunch of Rags" (1900) and "A Ragtime Episode" (1902).He also recorded for a number of other companies, including Columbia (from 1904) and Victor (from 1910). His group the Van Eps Trio recorded steadily from 1912 to 1922. He also led other groups such as the Van Eps Quartet, the Van Eps Specialty Four, and the Van Eps Banjo Orchestra. In 1914, the latter group was one of the first to record for the American branch of the French Pathe Freres Company. In 1921, Orlando Kellum, inventor of the Photokinema sound-on-disc sound file system, filmed the Van Eps Trio in The Famous Van Eps Trio in a Bit of Jazz. With Henry Burr, he formed a company that manufactured and sold the Van Eps Recording Banjo, modeled on the one he used in recordings and concerts. The banjo remained on the market until about 1930, when widespread use of electric recording removed the need for the loud volume produced by the Van Eps model. By the 1930s the banjo had fallen out of favor in popular music, and Van Eps switched to guitar, playing as a studio musician with Benny Goodman, Ray Noble, Red Norvo and others. In the 1950s he attempted a comeback with a number of banjo recordings, before his death in Burbank, California at the age of 81. Van Eps also worked in vaudeville. He was the father of jazz guitarist George Van Eps.

To listen to recordings made by Fred Van Eps, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Thomas Chalmers

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Thomas Chalmers was born on October 20, 1884 in NewYork City, the son of Thomas Hardie and Sophia Amanda (De Bann) Chalmers. In 1909, he went to Florence to study singing with Vincenzo Lombardi and made his operatic debut in May 1911 in Fossombrone as Marcello in La boheme. His first appearance in the United States was as Jack Rance in The Girl of the Golden West with Henry Wilson Savage's English Grand Opera Company. Chalmers toured the United States with the company from 1911 to 12. He then sang as the leading baritone with the Boston National Opera Company and the Century Opera Company before making his Metropolitan Opera debut on November 17, 1917 as Valentin in Faust. He went on to appear regularly at the Met until 1922 and sang in the world premiere of Shanewis, the US premiere of Marouf, and the first Met performances of La forza del destino and Crispino e la Comare. His recordings were all made for Edison and covered a wide range of repertoire from folk songs to opera; he recorded both on cylinder and the Edison Disc Record formats. Following a throat operation, Chalmers withdrew from opera and became a stage and film actor. His many stage roles included several Broadway premieres such as Landolfo in Pirandello's The Living Mask (Henry IV), 1924; Doctor Schindler in Schnitzler's The Call of Life (Der Ruf des Lebens), 1925; Captain Adam Brant in O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra, 1931; Ben Loman in Miller's Death of a Salesman, 1949; and Richard Bravo in Maxwell Anderson's The Bad Seed, 1954. One of Chalmers's earliest film roles was The Minister in the 1923 silent film Puritan Passions, based on Percy MacKaye's play The Scarecrow, which was in turn based on Feathertop, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. His last film role was The Judge in Martin Ritt's The Outrage, released in 1964. Chalmers also produced and directed several short comedy films. His voice can be heard as the narrator in two documentary films by Pare Lorentz, The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) and The River (1938), both with scores by Virgil Thomson. In the 1950s and 60s, Chalmers appeared on television as an actor in several drama anthology series including Westinghouse Studio One, CBS Television Workshop, Kraft Television Theatre, The DuPont Show of the Month and Play of the Week. He also appeared in single episodes of The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen, The Defenders, Mister Peepers, and several other weekly series. Thomas Hardie Chalmers died on June 11, 1966 at the Laurelton Nursing Home in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was survived by his wife and his daughter, Vilma Hayes.

To listen to recordings made by Thomas Chalmers, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Maggie Teyte

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Dame Maggie Teyte was born on April 17, 1888, in Wolfverhampton, England. In March 1906, she made her debut in a series of Mozart concerts conducted by Reynaldo Hahn and in 1907 became a member of the Paris Opéra-Comique. After a few small parts, she was cast as Mélisande. To prepare for Pelléas et Mélisande, Teyte was sent to study with Debussy himself. In 1910, she conquered London audiences with her portrayals of Cherubino in Marriage of Figaro, Blonde in Abduction from the Seraglio, and Mélisande. Despite her early successes, Teyte had a difficult time finding a place for herself in the main opera houses of the world. She developed a following in Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia, and sang in America through the end of World War I, but did not appear in New York. She married in 1921 and went into a period of semi-retirement. Upon the disruption of her marriage in the early 1930s, Teyte faced difficulties of resuming her career after an absence of nearly a decade. An Australian tour was a financial fiasco. Twice she attempted an American comeback but it seemed that the public had forgotten her. Teyte’s career was revived in 1936 by a set of recordings she made for EMI of Debussy songs accompanied by Alfred Cortot. Though the outbreak of the Second World War interrupted the progress of her “second career,” her recordings established her reputation in England and the United States as the leading French art singer of her time. In 1948, she made her first New York appearances: a Town Hall recital, followed by a series of performances of Pelléas at the City Center Opera. Teyte continued performing in opera until 1951 and on the concert stage until her retirement in 1955, at age 67. In 1958 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She died in London on May 26, 1976.

To listen to recordings by Maggie Teyte and other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Chester Gaylord

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Chester Gaylord was a vocalist and among the most active of recording artists in the United States during the late 1920s through the early 1930s. Born on February 24, 1899, he was known as The Whispering Serenader on radio and on his records. He began his career as a singer and announcer for radio station WTAG in Worcester, Massachusetts in the early 1920s. Chester Gaylord's first recordings (in 1920) were saxophone solos for Thomas Edison, whom he had personally met. In 1923, he signed with Columbia records and made a number of vocal records for them. His popularity spread rapidly leading Brunswick Records (the second largest record company in the United States in the 1920s) to offer him an exclusive contract. He became one of the labels most prolific vocalists during the late 1920s. After the Warner Brothers bought out the Brunswick Record company in April 1930 a reorganization occurred and Chester Gaylord's contact was one of numerous artists whose contract was not renewed. Chester Gaylord continued to be popular on radio throughout the early 1930s until the introduction of swing music, in 1935, a type of music that was unsuitable to his style of singing. From 1929 to 1931, he was a featured vocalist on NBC radio on the Top Notchers Coca Cola Radio Program with Leonard Joy and his All String Orchestra. Gaylord moved to WBZ in Boston in the late 40s. He retired in the mid-1960s. During his retirement years he lived in Sterling, Massachusetts. He regularly played 1920s and 1930s songs on piano at The Old Timer, and Irish Pub in neighboring Clinton, Mass. According to Gaylord's obituary, he was still performing right up until a few weeks before his death on July 1, 1984.

To listen to Chester Gaylord and other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Waikiki Hawaiian Orchestra

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Steel guitar virtuoso Frank Ferera, called Palakiko Ferreira on early Edison recordings, was born on June 12, 1885 in Honolulu. Ferera was featured on the cover of the December 1916 issue of Edison Phonograph Monthly, and an article states, "Frank Ferera has the distinction of being the one who first introduced the Hawaiian style of playing the guitar into the United States. It was in 1900 that he brought the first ukelele [sic] here and commenced to charm vaudeville audiences. For quite a while he had the field to himself" His first wife was named Eva Perkins, but they divorced. He married Helen Greenus, who played ukulele as well as guitar. The two performed widely in vaudeville as Helen Louise and Frank Ferera. When Hawaiian records became incredibly popular in 1916 and 1917, Louise and Ferera recorded prolifically, benefitting from the sudden craze for Hawaiian records but also providing fuel for the craze with their many records featuring charming, always polished but never flashy performances. Ferera was a crossover artist from the beginning. In fact, the debut record of Louise and Ferera featured a Stephen Foster song. The duo often recorded songs that had originated in Hawaii but other times recorded songs of other genre. Louise and Ferera made their recording debut in New York City for Columbia in late July 1915. The four songs recorded were "My Old Kentucky Home," "Medley of Hawaiian Waltzes," "Honolulu Rag," and "Kaiwa Waltz." For Edison, Frank Ferera made his recording debut as a solo artist in September 1915 with "Ua Like No Alike and "Medley of Hawaiian Hulas." In 1917 Louise and Ferera made recordings for virtually every company, including Victor, Columbia, Edison and others. Their Edison recording debut was "Medley of Hawaiian Airs--No. 1," issued on Blue Amberol 2917 in July 1916. Ferera managed the Waikiki Hawaiian Orchestra, which often recorded for Edison, but neither Edison literature nor labels credit Ferera for leading the orchestra. Louise and Ferera did not record as often in 1918 as they had in 1917, perhaps partly due to touring engagements, perhaps also due to the demand for war songs far exceeding that for any other type of music. Frank Ferera recorded for most companies in the 1920's. One Edison recording made in May 1924 and issued on Diamond Disc 51361 in August (then issued as Blue Amberol 4898 in September) helped popularize "hillbilly" music: Frank Ferera accompanied Vernon Dalhart as he sang and played harmonica on "The Wreck On The Southern Old 97." Ferera died on June 26, 1951.

To listen to the Waikiki Hawaiian Orchestra, or recordings by Frank Ferera, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Charles Hart

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.


Charles Hart was born on South Halsted Street in Chicago to parents who had emigrated from Germany. His father, Henry, a civil engineer, was an alcoholic and he deserted his family when Charles was four. The tenor took his father's name when he began singing professionally, calling himself Charles Henry Hart, which is why some labels give his name as Charles H. Hart. His mother provided for the family by working as a cook in upper class homes. The young Charles sang in choirs and later attended the Chicago Musical College, where he performed in amateur productions in 1902. Not especially successful in his early years, he sometimes earned small amounts by singing illustrated songs in nickelodeons. By 1912 or 1913 he enjoyed moderate success on the stage, playing a supporting role in the popular The Spring Maiden. Hart had his first recording session with a major company on April 23, 1917, when he cut two songs for Victor: "Thou Shalt Not Steal (a Heart Away)" and "It's Time for Every Boy to be a Soldier." He sometimes recorded under the pseudonym, Henry Jordan. Hart was an original member of Victor's popular Shannon Four, which began recording in mid 1917 and consisted of Hart, Harvey Hindermyer, Elliott Shaw, and Wilfred Glenn. He was also a member of the Crescent Trio, which usually consisted of Hart, Shaw, and Lewis James, who was a Hart's duet partner at many sessions, and until late 1923 Elliott Shaw was another.

Hart began recording for Edison in 1917 as a member of the Shannon Four, later called the Lyric Male Quartet. The first Edison record to list the name Hart was a duet with Arthur Middleton, who is given the pseudonym Edward Allen. "Life's Railway to Heaven," sung by Hart and Allen, was issued in April 1918. The first Edison recording featuring Hart as a solo artist was Mollie Darling, issued in March 1919. As an Edison artist, he recorded several duets with Elizabeth Spencer. Hart was married to soprano Esther Nelson. They were members of Edison's Metropolitan Quartet, which also included (at different times) Amy Ellerman, Vernon Archibald, Marie De Kyzer, and Donald Chalmers. The Harts had three children--all girls. In late 1923 Hart left the Shannon Quartet because he had begun training his voice for opera. Hart had several Columbia sessions in 1925. He then studied operatic singing in Germany and made records for Electrola, the German branch of His Master's Voice. When he returned to the United States, he made his first electrical recordings. His first Columbia session after he returned from Europe was on September 22, 1926, when he added a vocal refrain to a Radiolites session. His final Edison record was issued in August 1928. It featured hymns by organist-composer Sir John Stainer: "King Ever Glorious" and "My Hope Is In The Everlasting." In 1929 he returned to Germany to sing in small opera houses, which ended his American recording career. He returned to the U.S. in October 1934 and sang often on stage in opera and musical comedy. Later, his singing career essentially over, Hart worked as a dramatic actor. In his later years, Hart lived in an actors' home in New Jersey. 

L to R: Charles Hart, Elliot Shaw, Lewis James.

To listen to recordings by Charles Hart and other early recording artists check out the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Billy Murray

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

William Thomas Murray, Billy Murray, was born in Philadelphia on May 25, 1877. His parents had migrated to the US from County Kerry, Ireland as young adults and in 1883 the family relocated to Denver, Colorado. Murray joined the Harry Leaviitt’s High Rollers troupe as an actor in 1893 and spent the next ten years honing his skills as an MC and song and dance man for a succession of minstrel shows and vaudeville troupes. In 1897, Murray traveled to San Francisco with aims at securing a job as a phonograph artist for Edison cylinders. He began recording songs for Edison in a variety of styles including sentimental ballads, religious standards and other popular styles. In 1889, he joined the Al G. Field Minstrels as a blackface singer and eccentric dancer traveling to the East Coast. Arriving in New York, Murray and songwriter Paul Dresser began plugging songs to phonograph companies. He quickly distinguished himself as a versatile interpreter of many genres. Journalist Jim Walsh would later write in the Hobbies magazine that ‘Billy Murray’s records were the only ones so clear you could catch every word on first hearing. This was partly because there was a certain ‘ping’ to his voice that cut sharp into the wax and he was smart enough to nasalize certain syllables to make important words and phrases stand out.’ Murray secured solo recording deals with Edison and Victor Records and from 1903 to the mid 1920’s released a string of recordings that hit #1 on the charts including Bedelia, Navajo, Meet Me In St. Louis Louis, Alexander, Come Take a Trip in My Air-Ship, Yankee Doodle Boy, Give My Regards to Broadway, In My Merry Oldsmobile and Everybody Works But Father, The Grand Old Rag, Harrigan, Under Any Old Flag At All, Carrie (Carrie Marry Harry), I Love a Piano, Pretty Baby, and That Old Gang of Mine.

To avoid a saturation of solo recordings, Murray was teamed with other best selling artists including Bob Roberts and Len Spencer. His most success pairing, however, was with the premier female singer of the day, Ada Jones. He also collaborated with vocal groups including Haydn Quartet, the American Quartet, Peerless Quartet, the Heidelberg Quintet, and the Eight Famous Victor Artists. With his collaborators, Murray had #1 hits with Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1908), By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1910), Let’s Take an Old Fashioned Walk (1907), Wouldn’t You Like to Have Me For A Sweetheart and When We are M-A-Double-R-I-E-D (1908), Shine on Harvest Moon (1909), Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee (1912), You’re the Flower of My Heart, Sweet Adeline (1904), Let Me Call You Sweetheart (1911), I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be A Soldier (1915), My Bird of Paradise and The Lights of My Home Town (1916), I Don’t Know Where I’m Going But I’m On My Way (1918), Because (1900), In the Good Old Summer Time (1903), Toyland (1904), Blue Bell (1904), Dearie (1905), How’d You Like to Spoon With Me (1906), Sun bonnet Sue (1908), Put On Your Old Gray Bonnet (1909), Casey Jones (1910), Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon (1910), Oh You Beautiful Doll (1911), Moonlight Bay (1912), Everybody Two Step (1912), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1914), It’s a Long, Long Way To Tipperary (1914), Chinatown, My Chinatown (1915), Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh! (1917), Over There (1917), Goodbye Broadway, Hello France (1917) and Waiting for the Robert E. Lee (1912).

By the 1920’s, Murray was still successful despite the changing style and sound in American popular music. He continued recording for the major record labels of the time as a solo artist and in new duet pairings with Ed Smalle and Aileen Stanley and Walter Scanlan. In the 1930’s, Jim Walsh noted “He sang old-time popular songs for the movies in such productions as the ‘Bouncing Ball’ comedies. He even imitated animals for the talking and became well known as a radio actor, playing character parts in the Parket Family series and other popular shows. Murray continued recording into the 1940’s with his last recording, the comic dialogue ‘Casey and Cohen in the Army’ being released in 1943.

Murry was a devoted baseball fan and he is said to have played with the New York Highlanders (Yankees) in exhibition games. He also supposedly sometimes called in sick to recording sessions in order to go to the ballpark.

With the onset of heart trouble, Murray retired in 1944. He died on August 7, 1954.

To listen to great recordings by Billy Murray and other early recording artists visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

A Psalm of Life

Tell me not, in mournful numbers

Life is but an empty dream

For the soul is dead that slumbers

And things are not what they seem

Life is real! Life is earnest

And the grave is not its goal

Dust thou art, to dust returnest

Was not spoken of the soul

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow

Is our destined end or way

But to act, that each tomorrow

Find us farther than today

Art is long, and time is fleeting

And our hearts, though stout and brave

Still, like muffled drums, are beating

Funeral marches to the grave

In the world’s broad field of battle

In the bivouac of life

Be not like dumb, driven cattle

Be a hero in the strife

Trust no future, howe’er pleasant

Let the dead past bury its dead

Act, act in the living Present

Heart within, and God o’erhead

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time

Footprints, that perhaps another

Sailing o’er life’s solemn main

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother

Seeing, shall take heart again

Let us, then, be up and doing

With a heart for any fate

Still achieving, still pursuing

Learn to labor and to wait

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1838

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

Why do bad things happen to good people? I have asked myself that question many times, and following yesterday's senseless and tragic murder in Jamestown, Ky., I see many people asking that same question.

I believe that God allows us to suffer so that we will draw closer to him. Why else would God, who is so loving, let us go through things that cause us pain? It is hard to understand why bad things happen to good people, and why good things happen to bad people, why the righteous get what the wicked deserve, and why the wicked get what the righteous deserve.

In Ecclesiastes chapter 8, King Solomon, a very wise man, spoke of these ironies in life. He knew one thing for sure when he said: "Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:" (Eccles. 8:12)

According to the words of King Solomon, God does not tell us everything about why we go through certain things. He is sovereign and has worked ALL things out in His own way.

We live in a fallen world

Because of what happened in the garden of Eden, we live in a fallen world filled with evil and sin.

So it's not God, but rather mankind that created this problem. God has a much bigger picture than we could ever imagine. So there is no way we can know God's purposes in all instances. There are times when bad things happen to good people, and we will not be able to understand why.

We don't know what God knows. We don't know what is in people's hearts. We don't don't what their future holds. We don't know God's plans. We don't know God's mind and possibly His need to call some people to Himself NOW, and in other cases, discipline them, or help them grow through suffering, or to motivate people to do what needs to be done to accomplish His purpose.

God is righteous and loving and just. His purpose WILL be accomplished

Down through history, many Christians have been martyred, sometimes horribly tortured. But, in almost every story, it is revealed how that person's death served God's purpose. With each martyr, God's kingdom grew and spread. God's purpose CAN be accomplished through bad things that happen to good people.

We are filled with grief when we lose someone we love. We are heartbroken and overcome with sorrow when we see innocent people killed by evil. "It's not right!" we say. "It's not fair!" But, we have to believe that everything is done or allowed by God, and is a part of His plan and purpose.


                                                                       Life is fragile


For some, there will be no tomorrow. When God gives you the opportunity to know Him better, don't turn away. It may be your last chance for salvation.

For Christians, this life we have now is our worst life. Our best life will begin when this life ends. Our time on earth is brief and we can't expect to enjoy the promises of Heaven while here on earth. We should never expect more than this life can deliver. Our time on earth is unimportant compared with our time in heaven. If you are not a christian, this life you have now is your best life. The worst is yet to come - an eternity in hell.

Friend, don't let the latter be where you spend eternity.

Now is the time. Today is the day of salvation!

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:35-40