The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-07-18

muir because he goes to sing to others?
Nay, did he not even tell us that if he
tarried he might lose the songs which
he should gather upon other mountains?
Surely that were pityl" Thus they
comforted themselves. And when by
their own fresides each found upon his
scroll the song which most had touched
him in the other days. he fell weeping
to his knees and thanked the good God
who had given the singer this message
entirely for himself.
In the NOR ming the village stirred
with new life. The men went to the
field, carrying their scrolls with them
and as they rested from their work
they set about learning their song 1t
was truly like meadow of unf1edged
larks learning to pipe. At home the
women, as they busted themselves with
household tasks or piled their needles,
sang cheerily as they spelled ont each
new phrase. So through the day they
worked, laughing gleefully at each
others mistakes and false notes. AT
night they gathered together for mo-
ment to think of the singer who had
gone from them, but had left them each
his song, neither too high nor too low,
but just adapted to his voice and capa-
BILE of bringing out all its sweetest
tones 'sThe good singer" they said,
'.how well he knew us lll''
So the days were spent in practice.
If by chance anyone grew weary and
his hope failed, or if, cast down for the
moment, he feared that the singer
might not, after all, return, he would
reassure himself, saying: ''How grand
will the whole chorus sound' Some
times, too, one became spiritless and
discouraged over his task, rebelling at
his discords. Then would another say
to him: 'sShall then the singer when
he comes be disappointed in thee9
What if, lacking thy one part, the
whole opera should waltz Thus they
cheered each other.
As the seasons waned, however, and
the singer came not, the little doubts
began to grow stronger, the little dis
couragements were less easily recovered
from, and even (among the more indo-
lent of the villagers) could be heard
murmhrs. "Of what use, " they grum-
bled lis this trill here and that note
there2 never can sing it In that way;
no one win know IL leave it out" An
other was holder still Il viii not
trouble myself with that phrase" he
would say: I will write it over to suit
myself Still others, more self-wiIled
than the rest, cried out: "0h the stupid
songl it was good enough for last year,
but have quite overgrown it. / am
sick of its old drone. will make an
other like it, but more varied and bet
ter suited to my voice, which of late
has grown so much stronger" And
there were one or two who found their
songs so small in comparison with 9TH
ers that they were quite angry and gave
up their parts altogether.
In vain did the wiser heads in the vii
lage demonstrate, for soon, indeed,
most of the villagers had followed the
lead of their holder neighbors and
altered their songs to suit themselves.
So it came about that only few re-
tanned the simple, sweet melodies
winch the singer had left them. OF the
rest, some had put In new notes and left
out old ones, some had changed the key
of their song to another which they
thought more suitable to their voice,
and some had so varied and simplihed
the ir songs that the original theme
could scarcely be discerned. Most, in
deed, were, In this way and in that,
quite different from the songs left them
1,xV \ ely f,-41a he 4ox
who thus changed their scrolls found
out their mistake too late, and tried to
erase the alterations they had made.
But here and there they had forgotten
q note in the original melody, which,
try as they might, they could not re-
store.
The villagers were In this condition
when, one morning. as, according to
their CUSTOM they looked up to the lit
tie empty cottage on the cliff, they
found, to their great surprise, that it
was again occupied. They had waited
so long that at first they could not
credit their own eyes; but as they
looked they saw the yellow smoke curl
up from the chimney, and they could
no longer doubt that at last the singer
had returned to them. With mingled
feelings they awaited his summons to
the study, some with joy Of hope full
filed, Others with sense of their own
insufficiency and shortcomings and
some with a heavy weight of shame.
And, truly, many Jagged behind when
the little procession wound up the
mountain to the cliff. None, however,
was so covered with dismay and con-
fusion, or so stepped in ingratitude,
that he stayed behind altogether.
Even the most willful of them all
cared too much for the singer for that.
So, Notwithstanding, half lingering, the
villagers went to greet HIM.
When all were gathered together in
the study they knew so well, and saw
him standing as they had so often seen
him, erect in the freight, watching
them with the old luminous, tender
eyes, now smiling, now sad, they fell at
his feet with cry, and, holding up
their worn and blotted scrolls, they
sobbed out their joy and their sorrow,
their struggle and their failure, like
children from their tasks at school
The singer heard them with gentle
smile He passed among them touch
ing now one and now another who
seemed most In need of comfort. BY
and by a hush fell upon them all
MY people," he began slowly, ~
have not lacked tidings of you in the
distant villages where have dwelt.
have heard how 1t has Jared with the
songs which left you, and how you
have forgotten the melodies which
taught you. You have spoilt their
beauty and their sweetness, and you
have perverted their meaning by addi-
lions and renderings OF your own. But
because you have not forgotten me, the
singer, have come TO you that / may
teach you again the songs which sang
to you. Faulty indeed now would be
the opera II l should join all these
blotted scrolls into ono, for the har-
monies are grown discordant You
must learn them over again. But that
you may not-fail another time, wish
you to understand the full meaning of
each song that / gave you. and how
necessary each Is to the harmony Of the
whole. Then. with renewed hope and |
earnestness. you may set to work once
more. /, therefore, knowing how you
had failed. have brought with me, from |
other villages which have better learned |
the tasks which set them, choir Of |
singing men who win sing your opera
for you, and show you how each song |
goes, and it's place In the whole.
He opened an inner door. There, in
the full glow Of zpany candles stood =