The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1882-10-18

The old idea was that : piano WAS
bought and brought to the house with
much bruising of its beautiful legs and
much muffled profanity on the part OF
the draymen. to be played on. What
superlative nonsense! What stale and
preposterous, suggestioni What relic
Of barbaric ignorance! A piano TO be
played on! Go to.
Thank the stars the days Of such stu
pidity are over. and the true. sole and
generally understood. A piano il put
into . house for these simple pur-
poses and none other. Its top is de-
signed as place for . photograph al
bum. a brilliant lamp-mat and vase of
flowers Its rack is intended IS rest
for an open book-an open book COW
cred with pictures of farm. and fences.
upon which are perched innumerable
black birds. Its stool is placed there
for the nervous young nan in company
to sit on and whirl. and writhe and
wriggle- Its richly carved legs are
sprawled out for near-sighted and awk-
ward people to run against, and upon
being solicitously asked by the hostess
if they are hurt, to reply. with the hot
tears of anguish gushing into their
eyes: '.Not in the least; only justgrazed
it,
Such are the legitimate uses of an
able bodied and wSl-limbed piano in
its various parts and proportions. As q
whole the piano serves two other and
nobler purposes. Tho one Is it imparts
character, stateliness and an air OF
affiuence to a household establishment.
| The proud-spirited host points to the
! - nd 70 On "
to his assembled guests: ''You behold
| that majestic instrument. 1t is grand.
square and upright. Is 1t not symbolic
| OF its owner-is he not grand. square
and uprightr' VI course nobody can
| play on it-not one of his quartet of
daughters 1t is to be remembered
| that it was not put there to play on. and
| who would ask its owner to put it to per-
verse use?
| But after all the real mission OF q
piano in the house is .his-a place for q
Young lady to sit and idly turn the
! leaves of blackbird book, and a some
! thing for q young gentleman to hang
| over and now and then breathe softly
! in the young lady's ear to let her know
! that he Is growing weak. but he still
lives. It is an affecting sight to observe
! a young man hang over piano. Few
young men know how to hang over q
piano in good form. Ono must not
bend too low. as il he were looking for a
lost sleeve button or q nickel. nor yet
be too rigid and inAexib'e, like wood
/ en- soldier ON q weather vape. A oom-
promise of these attitudes with q little OBJ
lique leaning toward the stool and its
occupant is about the correct thing in
piano hanging.
T. Now and then by way of novelty an
attempt is made on grand social Occa-
sion to actually play the piano. A dis
NAL young man leads an exhaustive
young lady to the piano. An awful
silence pervades the drawing room
The somber young man slowly lifls the
lid. as If he was about to view the re-
mains of the last relative he had on
earth. The young lady wildly runs hel
fingers over the keys-there is sob. q
wall, moderation of violent grief, 8
cry of comfortless despair and al ID
over. The young lady sinks upoa tAa
nearest sofa The young man lowers
the lid. tc-ns away his head and is seer
no more.
Verify, the day of superstition and
mistaken ideas is over, and piano play
ing has passed away with the many fol
lies and foibles of our purblind and un
cultured ancestry.-NeU London Tex
oruns.