Evening star., 1900-08-18

t-i-ade Of organ grinders got ogether when
they were threatened by the ordinance and
made up quite a sizIb!e fund for tine
upholi!ng of their case }. and the hideous
barrel organ nuisance in this town is just
IA had il was before the wise and be-
Ilev"l-nt resolution for its abatement was
introduced.
II would be difficult to overportray the
street musician nuisance in New York.
Th- barrel organists descend upon the up
town residence districts along toward dusk,
when folk who are compelled to remain at
home during the hot months sit painting on
1F.ir front steps for a stray breath or so OF
cir. Not uncommonly five or six OF these
changing. uerv--racking machines are going
2 full speed on the same block at one and
the SdTn1 time The Impudence OF these
crank twiSrers. and of the hags who do the
collecting for them. has Of late years be-
come intnlerable-
\ fdyurite scheme of the barrel organist
j. 10 plant his machine directly in front Of
n house in which a musicale of some sort
or another is in progress in the front par
Tor. and then to begin grinding out the
most temPeStu0uS- ear-spittng tunes on
his reel The young woman who is sing
ing Because l Love You for the delecta-
t.ou Of more or less delighted circle in
the Pdriur * Immediately compelled TO give
# up. owing to the fendish effect OF the
barrel organ in Combination with the piano
arCompa niment and her own dUlcet tones,
aud the young men who are sitting around
the parlor. awaiting Their cue 10 bSstOW Vo-
CifarGuS applause upon the young woman,
TUSh out in sets OF fourS, press large guam
titles pf silver bdckSneesh upon the Mach
tavellisn barrel Organist begging him not
10 stand upon tne order Of his going. and
the licensed rvprcbate and his hag depart
IN search uf other abOdes wherefrom civil
lied music Is proceeding from the front
windows
The alderman VINO introduced the reso-
luton providing for the hanishment Of the
street musicians of all sorts. at least to
the districts where their barbarous noises
II tod .IysE.1 rIn rr.N
Ilause of the great body OF New York
folks. well the Outspoken approval of
scores Of others who did not hesitate to
put themselves in print. over their own
names the subject. These latter took
ii very proper view in the matter.
The average street musician" wrote one
Of them. is an itinerant insult to the great
body Of people whose ear drums are mac
Grated by the devilish sounds he produces.
The Italian barrel Organist's cool. imperti-
rent assumption that he is rendering 'mu-
sic fitted To the appreciation Of Americans,
most Of whom are possessed OF pretty we'll
cultivated ears for genuine music is Ike a
slap In the face The outrageous nerve of d
diHky German band of four pieces that
calmly pulls up In front of a respectable
American domtctle and begins to commit
assault in the first degree upon The Star
Spangl.d Banner Is almost grotesque. II
the municipal legislators decline to rid the
town Of this vermin the whole peo-
pie should combine to drive them out
by rigidly declining to give any OF
them a single penny. It's not the
pennies one minds much, but it's the i'm.
position and the cutting assumption OF
these people that We are really giving them
money for value received: that We don'i
know any better than to imagine that the
vie noises they produce really attain the
dignity of music
Tn residents Of several populous squares
in Harlem that have been particularly af-
ficrcd by the barrel Organists this summer
have banded together and signed theil
s.Tr0.s5 g4f5a. H.
musicians copper cent under any circum.
stances whatsoever. with effective results
II ts probable that this scheme will spread
In the meantime. there are occasiona
humorous aspects to the situation. Their,
Is perhaps not single barrel organ in New
York that has not for the star tune of 1t.
repertoire that unspeakably maudlin, beerl
ballad The Blue and the Grayr' Thi.
fact has caused Paul Dresser, the Falstaff
ian soniSwriter who threw s"The Blue ant
the Gray together. TO hate this particuIa
product of his brain with deadly inten
stty- 1t is even said that when, abou
three months ago. all the barrel organist
ir New York seemed to get hold OF '.Th
Blue and the Gray at one and the sam
time the effect upon Dresser was so ter
rfble that he quickly evaporated from hi
sJa"dard weight of 800. that couple o
months later the torture had thrust hin
into the 800. or feather-weight, division. J
body OF Dresser's theatrical and musica
friends, knowing about the adpose som
writer's aversion to THE Blue and tn
Gray, hired about two dozen barrel or
ganists a couple of weeks ago to take u
their stations, four at time. in front O
the windows OF the chambers occupied l.
Dresser In hotel just off Broadway an
10 play The Blue and the Gray" to tn
exclusion of all other compositions what 81
ever. until further notice. Four of tn
bunch OF Sicilians would play the tune 4
different keys In front of Dresser's room
for an hour OF so. and then they would b
relieved by another four who would tax
On THE Blue and the Gray where theI