The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-08-05
Chat 4boat
People.

II seems TO me there Il a good deal
OF unnecessary ''catouse' being made
over the alleged lack OF true musical
sentiment In this community The
people OF former generations thought
there Was nothing more bcautifti than
Father. Dear Father, Come Home
20 Ale Now and Come Into the
Garden Msude. - Of the next pre-
vious decade there was 'rassels on
Her Boots and captain Jinks OF
the Horse Marines" and going farther
back there WAS TRAMP. Tramp
Tramp, and still farther on In the
misty past Is the echo of "Duda,
puds, Dal"
Contemporaneou with these songs
were hrought out the heavier operas
and the opera buffe creations which
held tile boards until Gilbert and
Sullivan launched upon the musical
sea ''E. NJ. s. Pinafore," which proved
the forerunner OF long series OF light
sometimes too light, cOmic--and
oftimes not too comic, operas which
have tickled the fancy of faded tired
out people who looked for and appre-
cisted something in the shape OF
light tonic 10 revive their fiagging
spirits after a hard days work in Of
fees and business marts.
And keeping apaoe with the com
posers OF light operas have been the
song writer's. Each has tested the
temper and sounded the desires Of
the public and has given the people
just what they have asked for and
what each knew would be the more
acceptable
True. there has been a superfuity
OF coon" songs, and these have been
so persistently footed, strummed and
hummed that when choir arises TO
sing an anthem one anticipates that
the step-and-f -fetch-it time will be In
troduced, and feels quite relieved when
the organist. by strenuous effort. holds
the vocallsts down to the score.
But just for moment imagine an
audience of today sitting contentedly
while an orchestra played, or a quar-
tet, or even "A soloist, rendered pro-
gram made up of mother songs.
It's impossible TO conceive such "A
thing, just as II IL absurd to expect
that the boy and girl readers Of today
would be content 10 peruse Sanford
and Merton" Robinson Crusoe,"
THE Swiss Family Robinson" or the
mental fabrics of Oliver Optic. They
want thrilling historical novels, not
the blood and thunder narratives OF
Capt Mayne Reed type, or those
OF the type of "Snarlepow. the Dog
Fiend,' or 'Saphet I'm Search of
Father" but those which deal with
the real heroes of the Colonial war
and of the struggles which followed
until the story of the Civil war was
written in the blood of the best sons
of this great and glorious nation.
Public sentiment Is changing, and
as | have before asserted, tbs no use
attempting to revive dead music.
The story OF Mr.. I-told-you-so and
Mr.. I-know-it-all are familiar but
here IL a new version:
While admirlng the fountain at Hay
ward park a man approached me
and inquired: See anything the mat
ter with that?'
Mo-" was the reply.
well. I told 'em about IL. I told
'em when they built the fountain that
the basin wasn't big enough See
how the wind blows the water out
side OF IL. told em to make IT
bigger But you know how IL Is.
Committees always know IL all. Now
about that schoolhouse at -"
But I came away. One account OF
Mr.. I-know-it-alls failings by. Mr.
I-told-you-so a day Is enough of les
son.