Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-11-29

sion: .Well, there's
q good deal in music, and there's q
good deal that amt in it, and, any
way. there amt enough in it to- pay
for any church fuss. I've given good
deal of thought to this subject Of music,
as was Natural should when mothers
Idee was kept before my mind constant
~.
"what idee did have reference to?
swell, seeing you're a new conner and
haint heard much gossip yet, may as
we'll be fore-hauded with the neighbors
and tell We the real story, so you'll get it
first hand. You see it ,ods mothers
Idee, and then again it want. She didn't
invent the Idee; it was sort of foundlin'
and she adopted it. Now, when mother
adopts any thing she adopts it; 1t may
be stray dog, or a runt pig; starved
cat, or a bulldozed chicken; but If she
adopts it she does it for all she's worth.
And of all the cranky things she
mother would have adopted that
cross .eyed, shamblin', shiftless Mer-
xey from the Poor Farm. but mother
done it; and whether lbs ugliness in
them that makes 'em grateful for little
notice, or whether it's the influence Of her
lovin' nature, aims the one to say; but
it's a certain thing that if 'twould do any
good Merzy'd let mother tramp right over
her and never squeal a note. And "a for
the dumb critters! Well, you should see
the procession a-crossin' the barn yard;
the runt runnin' ahead coughin' and pick
in, M straws like any educa,ed pig; the
rooster on one side tiptoe'n' and struttin'
and winkin' his sassy eyes; and the dog
on the other side, his tail goin' like the
shakin' ague had q holt of it, while the
cat coined sneakin' along way behind.
Yes. sir, it's a sight! And il there's q
cow that ever kicked pail over that
mother can't handle, then it's a breed Pm
not acquainted with.
Mother lays it mostly to the ldee and
the softenin' influence it's had on her.
But YOU might as we'll lay the mock-bird's
voice to his soft feathers. For, between
you and me, Elder. ii there ever was any
thing that put a tang into voice that is
naturally sweet as the clover, why, the
Idee did it. For when mother finally set
mn the Idee it was like thu golden image
of Scripture: if you didn't bow down,
why. there was the fiery furnace ahead.
I ruess the apostle knew what he was
doin, when he wrote: The tongue is
Are, Aud of all the scorchin' things,
mothers words was the scorchin'est
If YOU didn't do the Idee Justice.
Not that mother was given to scoldln';
but she had knack of sayin' things that
was like the book the prophet swallowed:
they asted all right till you got 'em down
and then-you had an attack or water
brash that'd last all day.
ssBut the lice itself, you say.
81 was just gettin' to that
.sMotber,s Idee was, that the great and
chief thing needed to uplift the human
family was music. If you wanted to
make folks honest and virtuous and
pious. give 'em music. If they'd had her
At the head of them city charities she'd
have fed the poor folks soup and music
sneciaIly mslsic. If she'd been Presi-
dent she'd have put all the police at
playin, some musical instrument; she.o
have had calliope goin' constantly In
the penitentiary, and music boxes goin'
I'm the stores, with tunes to suit. In fact.
she carried the Idee that far at last that
she wanted me to fix a musical attach
ment to the windmill by the waterin'
trough. claimin' it would have q bene-
6ciaI effect on the young stock. But II
there was one tune more than another
which mother thought had particular pre-
yailin' power it was Home, sweet
Home
at don't want to be led off by my feel
inps to speak disrespectful OF any thing
mother ever took notion to. Don't You
think. Elder, that there's some that
aees and hears more in the sights and
sounds about 'em than others thafs
Insf common mortalt Why, I've seen
mother when there was that in her face
vbich made me think she was hearin' the
home music Of the world. and perhaps OF
other worlds too. Music always did have
: arrange effect on her, though she amt
no musician; never had the teachin' nor
the time for it. II only she could have
had the feelin' for music without the Idee!
You see, Elder, can't properly do JUS
lice to the Idee because never adopted
It: Pm only sort of stepfather to it so
30 speak. And, just between rs, Elder-no