Remember the Organ Player!

At the opening of this generation, there landed on the American shore, in the district of "Buffalo," a man of medium build who appeared to be in the fifth decade of his life.

Dominick had left Italy, his birthplace, after growing weary of the struggle to earn his own bread and his family's; so he set his face toward America, promising himself an easily won fortune to carry home, on his return, to his wife and children.

We said he alighted in "Buffalo"; there he bought himself a new, gleaming organ, and began to make his way, step by step, into the hearts of the people of "Buffalo."

As soon as the bitter, biting cold broke, Dominick would come down into the streets, heralding to the children the clear skies and the sunshine, as the robin heralds the return of the warm spring...

And with his coming down into the street, and the rising of his lovely, familiar tunes, the children would plead with their mothers for a few coins to carry down to the street and press into the hand of the strange Italian man, in return for listening to his plaintive, delightful melodies!...

And one troop of children would draw other troops after it from the neighboring streets, all hastening to the strange man, feeling a strong current of affection that bound them to him day by day; their attachment to him grew with time, and they, in their tender years, did not comprehend the depth of this love...

Dominick's songs rose at the crossroads and around the corners, bringing smiles and delight to many lips that would never have known the dewy smile but for these simple songs and this simple playing, coming to them in the forenoons and the evenings, so that hearts yearned and hearts danced...

The youngsters of "Buffalo" never measured the depth of their love for this humble, friendly man until they heard the radio announce that he had been struck by a car and taken to the hospital. Their hearts leapt with fright, and they hastened to gather donations, to cover the hospital costs and to secure Dominick's comfort; but this noble sentiment could not save the father of the organ from death, and his passing was announced to them within hours... And the donations so generously gathered went to pay the costs of the burial.

A search was made for Dominick's possessions, and here is what they were:

The organ, a gold watch, 40 dollars in cash, and 400 dollars in the savings bank! Such was Dominick's fortune, which he had dreamed would one day carry him back to his homeland — to his wife and children!

How swiftly tongues passed these tidings along! They were brief in the extreme, yet eloquent and profound in the extreme... And the youngsters and children could not be reconciled to the end of Dominick, the man who had returned their love with love and their devotion with devotion...

The government of Buffalo did not fail in its duty to Dominick, the wretched man who died cheaply and died destitute; it wished to prove before all that the city grieved most deeply at his loss — and behold, it has taken possession of the old organ that sang to the children for long years, won their hearts, and refreshed their souls...

The organ was placed in the country's historical museum, in a spacious glass corner overlooking the road; the children gaze at it on their comings and goings, remembering the organ, and its owner whom they loved — the man with whose silence this organ fell silent, its eternal silence.