The age-herald., 1898-01-02

study than National Folk Song. The mu-
 sic and poetry of the people would suffice,
 it seems to me, to almost reconstruct his-
 tory, were other records obliterated.
 Folk-song may be defined as those which
 spring up among the common people-the
 invention of the people themselves. and
 heard in the fields. the meadows. the for
 ests of the country. in cottages and gar
 dens Of the villages.
 Really. the question. What is a popular song?" depends upon her, What is people?" How does -.1onal being man. ifest itself in stns -.I song7 Ii is physi- ologists and ? ophers to answer this question.
 Every nation that has not yet been alien
 ated from its own self has its own peculiar national sentiment and its own order of thinking. its individuality, based upon pe- culiararities of mind and body, which clear ly distinguish it from other nations. The sentiment of a nation, shaped and defined by the nations external conditions, is what we call the national spirit. If a song is to be a popular one. it must reflect the na- tional spirit. Sometimes a folk-song is not produced by any one man entirely, but a beautiful strain invented by one might be repeated by another, who would add to 1t. And so they were passed on and handed down from generation to generation. Of course, only strains which pleased many were able to live in this way, and so all folk-songs, of whatever nation have for their prime characteristics, spontaneous beauty. If we look for a moment at the subject of folk-songs, we will find they are love, nature and domestic scenes of every day life. Song, the wedding, farmers life, various occupations and trades of men, war, beer and wine, satir events historical and mythical. Most of the songs, however, naturally spring from love-for love is the noblest and mightiest of human passions. All phases of lovers life are sung in the folk-song from the first unknown longings of young heart to the wedding or down to the grave.
 Wherever a nation has been enslaved we sometimes find another class of songs, gen eraiiy marsh and bitter in their tone, the outcome of their serfdom.
 Among the Bohemians we find but few war-songs, for they were not war-like people. Their lays gentle, they exhibit tenderness and their passions are sub dued. But among their near neighbors, the Poles, we find the songs fiery, full of wild passion ana energy. Among these latter we also find touching appeals to God, the l Holy Virgin, etc., because they were always good Catholics, and a spirit of religion per- vades their music They are passionate race and their blood is hot and fast. They have fittingly been called the French of | the Slavonic race" On the contrary, the | light-hearted Bohemians had revolted against papal authority as early as the fifteenth century, and they were disposed to treat religion rather lightly, as their fippant allusions in their songs indicate. Now, think in this nasty manner I have made you see what mean by saying the folk-song reflects the national spirit. I have before said we Americans had no folk-song. The American nation is an amalgamation of various peoples. Let us hope we will retain and preserve the best trait of character of each of its compo- nent parts. We Americans are not really a musical and artistic people. We are fond of music and spend large sums of money in operatio entertainments. But that is
 not enough We must produce.
 The peoples song-an outgrowth from the