In 1847, “Oh, Susannah” was sung in public for the first time. Stephen Foster sold the rights to the song for a bottle of whiskey.

Stephen Foster, who became the first composer of distinctly American popular songs, got his start in the business in a most unusual way. The youngest of nine children, Foster taught himself to play and write music because his parents did not approve of his interest.

Foster’s big break in composing came when he was 18. At the time, Foster was a bookkeeper, working for his brother. He had written a song, “Oh Susannah,” that was performed for the first time in public. Legend has it that Foster sold the rights to the song for a bottle of whiskey. The song went on to become the most popular tune in the country, adopted as the theme song of the California Gold Rush. Now some say Foster received $100 for the song. Either way, Foster had sold himself short.

Esau, twin brother of Jacob, did something similar. You remember the story. Tired and hungry, Esau had returned from hunting looking for something to eat. For the price of a bowl of stew, Esau sold his birthright to his younger twin. Esau gave up his inheritance because he was “starving.”

At that moment, Esau was only concerned with satisfying his hunger. He lost sight of the “big picture” and sold something of great value for mere stew. Foster too might have felt pressured to do whatever he could to sell his first song.

Maybe we feel pressured to get good grades, so we cheat on the test. Or we feel pressured to be popular, so we do something we know is not right to fit in. We sell ourselves short because we have lost sight of what’s really important. Keep your focus on God and what pleases him. That way you will always come out ahead.

Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau. He traded his birthright as the oldest son for a single meal (Hebrews 12:16).

To Do

Find a recording of Stephen Foster’s songs. Listen to the songs that were popular back in the late 1800s.

Also on this day

1936—Boulder Dam (now called Hoover Dam) was dedicated by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1941—The groundbreaking ceremony for the Pentagon took place.

2001—Terrorists attacked the World Trade Centers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D. C..

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.