The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1855-07-21
SE.IE., IONS
NNGLIST1 SONGS.

abundance OF exercise in their vocation IN
adapting to music the expression of moral
sentiment, or in making the satire of manners
more agreeable, mere popular, and more per
manently useful, by the union o. poetry and
music. Some Of the most beautiful SONGS in
the English language hcloneto to his class, &
there has been no song writer worthy of the
name who has not occasionally orsakcn the
amatory, convivial, or patriotic departments
of his art-lonS erroncouslv considered hv
false critics To he the only Legitimate spheres
of song-to praise virtue, to co,lemn vice
to hold folly up to rdiculc, and to depict the
good or i'll manners of society. The SONGS
oi this description are exceedingly numer-
Gus, and are OF every I.rrrc of merit and
demcrIt, ranging from the hroadcst comedy
to the seriousness OF :he sermon, and even
of the hymn. The vanity Of human life: =
the instability of greatness: tn. charms of
friendship: the pleasures Of temperance: the
blessings of a contcntcd mind the consola-
tIons o: old age, and a thousand similar top
los. are true sources of inspiration for the
Wrist: while subjects of more public inter
est-thc growth or decay OF national virtue
and the condition, hope. aspirations, and fear.
of the people in general. or of large and in,-
portant sections of them, afford in like man
ncr abundant opportunities for the moral or
Satrlral song writer Poets. As Mr. Emer-
son finely and truly says. ">houid he law-ci
ers; that Is, the boldr>t ivric inspiration
should not chide or insult. ku, should com
mcncc and lead the civil code and tie .,av' :
work"
1t was in reference 10 this class of songs
that Fletcher. of Saltoun. uttered the famous
dIctum not hlS own-on the Importance of
SonCwrilnH. In his account of a conycr-
Satlon concerning the right regulation Of
Governments for the common GOOD Of man.
kind, he complains that 1.-THE poorer sort Of
both SEXES are daily tempted to al manner
OF wlckedncss by the infamous ballads SUM-
III every corner of the streets. Ikrcw" he
adds, "a very wise man that believed if man
were permitted to make all the ballads, he
need not care who should make the laws of
a nation. And we find that most of the an
cicnt legislature thought they could not we'll
reform the manners of any city without the
help of lyric, and sometimes of dramatic
poet The extension of education and the
tFInmpi's OF the printing press have rendered
the !ahorS oi the moral and sati,ical Sonr-
wrItcrot less value than in the time of the
ancient legislators, or than in those times.
comparatively recent, when Fletcher of Sal
fo"n wrote; but even in our day. false cr-
ror may he rroppcd up bv song, and great
truth advanced bv the same AGENCY. So that
the dIctum still retains portion of its orci-
nal value
The moral and sati,ica SONGS are her, IN
''"!cu together Tor IT satire be not moral i,
IS an abuse g: and the lessons of moralit,
have often better chance Of hcinr ctlcctiy,
It sharpened by iudcious satire. There ar,
vast Numbers of political songs and ballad.
OF tins class, which have been produced from
the days of the civil wars to our own. whicl
would alone fill MANY intcrac,;rn voIup..
valuable for the light they woul,! throw upor
the contemporary history of the period a
which they were issued. OF for their descrp
ton OF costume or of manners.
Some of the best and most permanent,
pleasing of the ancient compositions of thi
class are here selected, together with a few
OF the modern songs, which have bccom
popular.
!" ben Dai~ic~ Pied.