The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Experiences of a Bandmaster
    
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.

Title: The Experiences of a Bandmaster

Author: John Philip Sousa

Release date: April 1, 2001 [eBook #2589]
                Most recently updated: January 2, 2009

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Faith Matievich, and David Widger


*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EXPERIENCES OF A BANDMASTER ***




Produced by Faith Matievich





THE EXPERIENCES OF A BANDMASTER

By John Philip Sousa


During eighteen years spent in playing music for the masses, twelve
years in the service of the United States and six in that of the general
public, many curious and interesting incidents have come under my
observation.

While conductor of the Marine Band, which plays at all the state
functions given by the President at the Executive Mansion, I saw much
of the social life of the White House and was brought into more or less
direct contact with all the executives under whom I had the honor of
successively serving--Presidents Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland and
Harrison.

They were all very appreciative of music, and in this respect were quite
unlike General Grant, of whom it is said that he knew only two tunes,
one of which was "Yankee Doodle" and the other wasn't!




The President's Embarrassing Demand.

I think I may say that more than one President, relieved from the
onerous duties of a great reception, has found rest by sitting quietly
in the corner of a convenient room and listening to the music.

Once, on the occasion of a state dinner, President Arthur came to the
door of the main lobby of the White House, where the Marine Band was
always stationed, and beckoning me to his side asked me to play the
"Cachuca." When I explained that we did not have the music with us but
would be glad to include it in the next programme, the President looked
surprised and remarked:

"Why, Sousa, I thought you could play anything. I'm sure you can; now
give us the 'Cachuca.'"

This placed me in a predicament, as I did not wish the President to
believe that the band was not at all times able to respond to his
wishes. Fortunately, one of the bandmen remembered the melody and played
it over softly to me on his cornet in a corner. I hastily wrote out
several parts for the leading instruments, and told the rest of the band
to vamp in the key of E flat. Then we played the "Cachuca" to the entire
satisfaction of Mr. Arthur, who came again to the door and said: "There,
I knew you could play it."

The ladies of the White House were always interested in the music, and
frequently suggested selections for the programmes, Mrs. Hayes being
particularly fond of American ballads. During the brief Garfield
administration there were no state receptions or dinners given by the
President, and the band did not play at the White House, except for a
few of Mrs. Garfield's receptions immediately after the inauguration.
While Mrs. McElroy was mistress of the Executive Mansion for her
brother, President Arthur, the lighter music was much in favor, as there
were always many young people at the Mansion.

Miss Rose Elizabeth Cleveland was much interested in music, and evinced
a partiality for Arthur Sullivan's melodies. Mrs. Harrison's favorite
music was Nevin's "Good Night, Beloved" and the Sousa marches. The
soundness of Mrs. Cleveland's musical taste was shown by her liking for
the "Tannhauser" overture and other music of that character.

The Marine Band played all the music for President Cleveland's wedding,
which took place in the Blue Room of the White House. The distance from
the room up-stairs to the exact spot where the ceremony was to take
place was carefully measured by Colonel Lamont and myself, in order
that the music might be timed to the precise number of steps the wedding
party would have to take; and the climax of the Mendelssohn "Wedding
March" was played by the band just as the bride and groom reached the
clergyman.




President Cleveland's Veto.

A few days before the ceremony I submitted my musical programme to
Colonel Lamont for the President's approval, and among the numbers was a
quartet called "The Student of Love," from one of my operas. Even in
the anticipation of his happiness Mr. Cleveland was keenly alive to
the opportunities for humorous remarks which this title might afford to
irreverent newspaper men; and he said to his secretary: "Tell Sousa
he can play that quartet, but he had better omit the name of it."
Accordingly, "The Student of Love" was conspicuous by its absence.

When North Carolina celebrated its centenary, the Marine Band was
ordered to Fayetteville to participate in the ceremonies. The little
Southern town was much interested in the advent of the "President's
Band," and the prevailing opinion was that "Dixie" would be tabooed
music with us. Before the exercises a local committee waited upon me and
intimated that "Dixie" was a popular melody in that vicinity.

"Of course," said the spokesman, "we don't want you to play anything
you don't want to, but please remember, sir, that we are very fond of
'Dixie' here."

Bowing gravely, I thanked the committee for their interest in my
programme, but left them completely in the dark as to whether I intended
to play the loved song of the South or not.

"Dixie," by the President's Band.

The ceremonies opened with a patriotic address by Governor Fowle,
lauding the glories of the American flag and naturally the only
appropriate music to such a sentiment was "The Star-Spangled Banner,"
which the crowd patriotically cheered.

The tone of the succeeding oration was equally fervid, but the speaker
enlarged upon the glories of the Commonwealth whose one hundredth
anniversary was being celebrated. The orator sat down, there was a
momentary pause, and then as I raised my baton the strains of "Dixie"
fell upon the delighted ears of the thousands round the platform.

The unexpected had happened, and such a shout as went up from that
throng I have never heard equaled. Hats were tossed in the air,
gray-bearded men embraced, and for a few minutes a jubilant pandemonium
reigned supreme. During the rest of our stay in Fayetteville
the repertoire of the Marine Band was on this order: "Yankee
Doodle,"--"Dixie;" "Star-Spangled Banner,"--"Dixie;" "Red, White and
Blue,"--"Dixie."

In all my experience the acme of patriotic fervor was reached during
a reunion of the Loyal Legion at Philadelphia some years ago. The
exercises were held in the Academy of Music, and the band occupied
the orchestra pit in front of the stage, which was crowded with
distinguished veterans.

I had strung together for the occasion a number of war-songs,
bugle-calls and patriotic airs, and when the band played them the
martial spirit began to stir the people. As we broke into "Marching
Through Georgia," a distinguished-looking old soldier stepped to the
foot-lights and began to sing the familiar words of the famous song in
a loud, clear voice. The entire audience joined in, and as the swelling
volume of melody rolled through the house, the enthusiasm waxed more
intense.

Verse after verse was sung, interrupted with frantic cheers, until it
seemed that the very ecstasy of enthusiasm had been reached. It was
only when physically exhausted that the audience calmed down and the
exercises proceeded.




A Chorus of Ten Thousand.

During the World's Fair at Chicago my present band was giving nightly
concerts in the Court of Honor surrounding the lagoon. On one beautiful
night in June fully ten thousand people were gathered round the
bandstand while we were playing a medley of popular songs.

Director Tomlins, of the World's Fair Choral Associations, was on the
stand, and exclaiming, "Keep that up, Sousa!" he turned to the crowd and
motioned the people to join him in singing. With the background of the
stately buildings of the White City, this mighty chorus, led by the
band, sang the songs of the people-"Home, Sweet Home," "Suwanee River,"
"Annie Laurie," "My Old Kentucky Home," etc., and never did the familiar
melodies sound so grandly beautiful.

The influence of music to quiet disorder and to allay fear is quite as
potent as its power to excite and to stir enthusiasm. A case in point
happened at the St. Louis Exposition, where my band was giving a series
of concerts. There was an enormous audience in the music hall when, in
the middle of the programme, every electric light suddenly went out,
leaving the house in complete darkness.

A succession of sharp cries from women, the hasty shuffling of feet, and
the nervous tension manifest in every one, gave proof that a panic was
probably imminent. I called softly to the band, "Yankee Doodle!" and the
men quickly responded by playing the good old tune from memory in the
darkness, quickly following it with "Dixie" on my orders. The audience
began to quiet down, and some scattering applause gave assurance that
the excitement was abating.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" still further restored confidence, and when
we played "Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be?" and "Wait Till The Clouds
Roll By," every one was laughing and making the best of the gloom. In
a short time the gas was turned on, and the concert proceeded with
adequate lighting.


In the desire to do especial honor to a certain foreign representative
during the World's Fair, I had a particular piece of music in which
he was interested arranged for my band, and agreed to play it at a
specified concert. The music was given to a member of the band with
instructions to copy the parts and deliver them at the band-stand.

The foreign gentleman was present at the concert with a large party of
friends, whom he had invited to hear this particular piece of music.
When the librarian asked the musician for the parts, he could not find
them, and a search high and low for the missing music was without
avail. Much to my chagrin, it was necessary to omit the number and send
explanations and regrets to the dignitary whom it was designed to honor.

At the end of the concert, when the men were packing to go home, the
player found the missing band parts stuck in the bell of his instrument,
where he had placed them for safe-keeping.


In a little Michigan town my band was booked for an afternoon concert,
and on our arrival the local manager assured us that we should have a
good house, although there was no advance sale. He explained this by
saying that the townspeople did not like to buy their tickets until the
last minute.

The theatre was on the second floor of the town hall, the ground floor
being given over to the fire department, the especial pride of the
community. Twenty minutes before the concert a large crowd had gathered
round the box-office to buy tickets when the fire-alarm sounded, and the
entire population promptly deserted the muse of music and escorted the
engine and hose-cart to the scene of action, leaving the band absolutely
without an audience.




A Tuneful Locomotive.

Once when we were playing during warm weather in a theatre situated near
a railroad, the windows were left open for ventilation. The band
was rendering a Wagner selection, and at the climax was playing with
increasing force. The last note to be played was a unison B flat, and
as I gave the sign to the musicians to play as strong as possible the
volume of sound that followed fairly astonished me. I had never heard
fifty men play with such force before and could not account for it, but
the explanation soon became manifest. As the band ceased playing,
the same note continued in the blast of a passing locomotive that had
opportunely chimed in with us in unison.


The Marine Band was once doing escort duty on Pennsylvania Avenue in
Washington to a body of citizen soldiery returning from camp. It was
at night and the parade was preceded by a wagon-load of fireworks which
were to be discharged at appropriate intervals along the line of march.

By some accident or design the entire load of pyrotechnics was
simultaneously ignited, and the street immediately filled with a perfect
fusillade of rockets and Roman candles.

A stampede followed and the parade faded away. I stood my ground
until my eye-glasses were knocked off, and then I groped my way to the
sidewalk. When the confusion had subsided, all that could be discovered
of my band was the drum-major in front and the bass-drummer in the rear
rank. Their comrades had fled, but these men were good soldiers, and
having received no orders to disperse had stood their ground manfully.




A Tale of the White House

One more story of the White House. At the time of the unveiling of the
statue of Admiral Farragut in Washington, it was suddenly proposed
to have a reception at the Executive Mansion in honor of the many
distinguished visitors. The informal invitations were issued while I was
participating in the parade that was part of the ceremonies.

At seven o-clock in the evening, when I was at home, tired out after
the long march, word came to me to report at the Marine Barracks. I
went there and was ordered to take the band to the White House at eight
o'clock p.m.

The bandmen did not live in barracks, and it was practically impossible
to get them together at that time of night, as they were scattered all
over the city.

"Well, those are my instructions and those are your orders," said the
commanding officer.

So we sent the band-messengers out to the men's lodgings, and they found
just one musician at home, and he was the bass-drummer.

At eight o'clock, arrayed in all the gorgeousness of my scarlet and gold
uniform, I sat in front of the band platform in the White House lobby,
and the bass-drummer stationed himself back in the semi-obscurity of his
corner. There was a dazzling array of music-stands and empty chairs, but
no musicians! The President evidently saw the humorous side of it, and
when I explained the situation he said it could not be helped. All the
evening we sat there and listened to humorous remarks from the guests.
We had "reported for duty," though, and the drummer and I stayed till
the reception was over.







*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EXPERIENCES OF A BANDMASTER ***


    

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may
do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
license, especially commercial redistribution.


START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™
electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when
you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work
on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the
phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

    This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
    other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
    whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
    of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
    at www.gutenberg.org. If you
    are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws
    of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
  
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format
other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain
Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
provided that:

    • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
        the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method
        you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
        to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has
        agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
        within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
        legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
        payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
        Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
        Literary Archive Foundation.”
    
    • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
        you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
        does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™
        License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
        copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
        all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™
        works.
    
    • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
        any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
        electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
        receipt of the work.
    
    • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
        distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
    

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right
of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website
and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread
public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state
visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.