The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-07-05

on the lips and in tho mStloTioJ Of the
people, just as the folklore stories and
superaIisions Of all European peoples
have been kept alive for centuries in tho
came way.
Tho breaking out OF the Ctusade'
gave a wonderful impetus 70 song IN
Germany, as Il did also to IL in all the
Christian nations that participated IN
that movement for the rescue Of the
Holy Sepulehre; novementthe like Of
which was never seen before and IN all
probability mover will be again; one
that tired the imaginAtions and zeal Of
mon, women and children, IS no other
event Of history ever did. In tho time
o! the Crusaders there rose the Trouba'
dours in France and the Minnesincets
in Germany. They sang OF the CrusadoS
and the Crusaders-of the kings and
| prirces and noble knights who went to
Palestine to rcscne the tomb Of Christ
and the holy city OF Jerusalem from Tie
inidel followers OF Mohaped., They
sang also OF the many royal and noble
and lovely women who were the
wives, mothora, sistor and sweet.
hearts, Of these romantic warriors, aud
who had accompanied them 70 tho
point Of embarEAtion on the Adriatlc
sea, and had made them silken banners
OF tho Cross, and had united their
blessings with those OF tho bishops and
abbots on their sacred mission, and
then had remained behind TO recruit
vet other warriors for tho sacred cause,
and to give the world immortal OK
| amples Of zeal, and OF constancy aud
devotion to tho absent ones. These
wero the times Of the Minnesingcrs OF
Germany, Of tho Troubadours in France,
tho Troyntori in Italy the bards ana
harpers in tho British Isles, aud inc
singers Of all nations in tho eleventh
| and twelfth centuries. 1t was 4 won
deriul era in tho history Of tho world,
and TO it We may trace tho first great
growth and spread OF song accompanied
by rude instrumental music.
After tho era OF tho Minncsingors in
Germany came that Of the more adj
yaucod and cultured McisteEsingcTs.
You have all heard oil tho Richard Whg-
uer's Meistorsingcr OF Nuremberg. 1t
was there the humble yet the great
Meistevsinger OF the period lives. There
ia perhaps not n more interesting chap
Ter in the whole history Of song in Cor
nnuv than that ono which records the
rise OF the MeistersingerS Ihey APP
pcared on the scene just as llGht was
breaking everywhere on tho European
mind. aud Just Us tho influence oil the
middle class in Germany was beginning
TO assert itself against the heretofore
ACCENTED idea that the little feudGllstlc
potentites Of that misgoverned land
wero oll.shoots Of divinity. and had q
divine right TO the life aud services and
earning. Of the people. And just hore
| may rcmark that tho singing societies
Of Germany have generally, aud in
modern times especially, been under
moro or less suspicion as tho ad'
vance guard OF liberal idcas. l pre-
sumo thoro arc people here present
who nre moro or less familiar
with tho history OF tho Liedcrtatcl Sing.
ing Societies Of tho troublesome days oil
1913, aud can remember how their as:
pirations for German unity, rs Dreathcn
forth, rather than Expressed, in their
songs, wero read between the lines and
regarded with great aversion by tho
potty rulers OF tho then potty statos OF
tho empire. The history Of tho singing
societies OF that disturbed period in
modern Germany il an important chap
ter in her general history. Tho Mester-
singers oil the Fourteenth century
playGd their part in awakening asplra-
lions In tho German mind for higher
life. for more consideration as human
beings, and tho modern societies have
to some extent continued this mission.
'Iet me write the songs Of nation and
care not who makes their laws. SAID
a noted writer, and certainly the singing
societies OF Germany have played part
in educating the people oil that country
to moro rational ideas as to the true
nature OF government.
There arc three features OF German
life that are apt 10 impress themselves
on soiourner in that country. The
first il that it is land of peaceful yet
hard aud uuremitting toll; tho next Is
that it IL q military land, and as such
largely given over to what is called mil.
itarism, and tho third is that it 10 land
OF music, OF song, Of flowers and OF dane
ing. This IL, from tho standpoint OF m
American observer, a rather strange
combination. live could sec these feat
ures ono ut a time, instead Of in daily
combination, we would say that they arc
at variance with zach other almost to the
point OF radical inconsistency. How. for
instance, can agriculture, commerce and
manufactures flourish undor tho uplitt-
cd iron hand Of constantly impending
war, with all its ruthless consCriptions
OF tho young manhood Of tho land, and
all it's grinding exaCtions upon middle
liio and old age? And yet tho two do
flourish together in Germany. But
stranger still, perhaps. to some people,
Is tho third feature OF their lives, viz:
the existence, and not only tho exist.
cnce, but tho universal prevalence OF
music aud song and flowers and dancing,
hand in hand. Us it were, with oil this
militarsm aud all this toll.
Americans are very apt TO associate
music aud sopg and flowers and dane.
ing with elominancy. We think OF tie
so.called Latin nations, such as Italy,
Spain, Portugal and Mexico, and tho
whole brood or Spanish American
states, and OF their lovo OF music and
song and dancing, and wo say that they
are elIeminate and decadont. Now,
whatever may be true of those coun-
tries, thero arc no decadent accompani-
monts TO music aud song aud other
recroations and amu5cments in Ger.
many. For tho present at least sho eau
rest on hor record in tho Franco.GUrmRn
war as au abundant rcfutHtion OF that
idea. Sho can further rest quite securely
on her economic condition as an ample
guarantee against decAdanco in the fu-
Iurc. There is too much toll in tho
fields aud in tho shops, and too much
rugged discipline i'll tho camps to per