The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-10-06
Some Vie4us.s -
y ~ and ReUte1uS.

Martin Luther may well be called the
father Of congregational singing, for he
lnaugurated the radical change In church
music which introduced and dedicated to
lis service many popular airs or course.
this innovation was dlsapproved Of and
strongly opposed by the elect. but the
great reformer on this. as on other cues.
lions. stood 1rm, replying that he did not
see why the devil should have all the good
music. One Of his collections OF hymns was
entitled soldiers, Sailors and Miners
Songs and Other Street Songs Altered to
the Service Of God"
In the International Monthly Mr.. Elson,
Boston's musical critic, writes most inter,
estingly Of the progress Of pagan music
and Its gradual development aud apnroprla.
ton by the Christian church. In reviewing
tue history of American music, Mr.. Elson
states well known fact-the sombre 10.
huence Of rurt0nlsm and the tenacious
prejudice against the organ. AS late as
1900 a wealthy parlshioner Of a Boston
church offered full reimbursement for per.
mission to throw It's organ into the har.
bor
Mr.. Elson discusses sacred music his.
torically and In the abstract. but does not
ellude to Its decadencc, upon which subject
q writer in the Church standard holds
most emphatic views. supporting Prof.
1 Trigg In his recent sweeping criticism OF
the literary quality of our sacred songs.
This gentleman Mr.. ] Anktcl, referring
TO the popular hymn, "Beulah Land" says;
The word Beulah is the feminine partl-
cIple If the Hebrew verb B-nyn-L and sig
nlhcs married. This hymn. therefore, ac.
tually reads thus;
20 Married Land. Sweet Married land!
Upon thy highest mount | stand,
And look away across the son,
Where mansions are prepared for met
~
There have been several criticisms Of
Dickens lately, npropos OF the continued de-
mand for new editions OF his books, which
have unequvocally pronounced him a fail;
ure ms a dlalecticiap. These writers have
insisted that as regards the vernacular Of
the streets and slams this painter Of Eng
fish low life is not authentic, and that
Sam Weller and the artful dodger and all
the rest OF that divertlng and insoucnnt
company, speak a language such as was
never heard on land or sea. The history OF
the dialect In vogue below our own stairs
should have suggested TO these critics
the wisdom Of reflection. Nothing is more
evanescent that the slang OF the day, II
changes with each generation, and Its local
characteristics are d!stincly different The
gamin Of today in New York would prob
ably require the services of an interpreter
In order to talk with Il representative Of
his class In the sixties. Dickens was a
student of human nature and newspaper
man by profession, which means that the
pavements of London wee his daily re-
f,Y, .tt s,rtNh ftea.T t.fs
pie who live in his pages was newt Die
under the circumstances.
/ In this connection the Graphic says. re-
gardlng cockney dialect; II have been in.
| formed by those who read 'PlckwIck' when
/ II came in shilling numbers. that every
one was astonshed at the accuracy With
which the cockney dialect Of those days
was reproduced and I myself can remcm.
Der old people in the days of my youth who
pcrpetually substituted the for the ".
and vice versa and used other Wellersms.
Language In big city is constantly chang
ing. and the slang Of the streets of YES
terday often becomes the polite converSa'
tion or next year.
Though no one knew the London Ian
guage Of his time better than Dlckeus he
never obtruded hts knowledge pedantlcally.
lie was an artist and he knew better than
to make his dialect SO realistic that the
majority Of his readers could not compre
bend IT, The writer's OF Scotch stories often
make this mistake; the late William Black
rover did. Even If you have not been
taught Scotch at school YOU can read his
works with the keencst delight. Probable
It IS this element among others which mike,
his novels so evcrlastingly popular
~
1t may be stated in response 70 an In
oulry that Rothschild Is not the oyigua
name Of the great banking house. ~
founder was Mayer Anselm Of Frankfort,
clever merchant and good chess PLAYER
So proficient was he in the latter Tsp g
that by It he laid the foundation Of hi
fortune, The elector of Hesse Castle hat
accumulated handsome sum in the Stat
treasury by hiring out his army to tn
king Of England. George III needed MOI
10 discipline his rccalcitrant and rebellion
colonlsts, and he bought the Hessans a
So much per head for that purpose. Whel
the guns OF Napoleon Numbered at tn
gates of Frankfort the clector felt natura
concern regarding the State treasure, 10
tho French emperor was never Of tw
minds as to the ownership Of the spoil
by the victor, and this the German land
grave well knew,
It happened that Mayer had becom
known to the prime minister Of Hess
through his skill as a chess player, as we
as his business ability, and In this es
trcmity he was suggested as an astut
and responsible guardian for the govern
ment funds The money was turned Owe
10 hIm and he stored It away In his ow
Y wine cellar. whore It remained safely cor
u cealed until Napolcons name was no longe
o terror 10 Europe. when 1t was returne
Z 10 the State treasury by its trustee Th
9 eloctor as a reward made Mayer the n
y credited financial agent Of the goyernmeT
s. and so laid the foundation of his fortune.
D. Finding himself a rich man Mayer Al
!. selm resolved to assume a name more
keeping with his prosperity and finances
y status The sign over the door OF b
d earliest and humblest place of businel
d had been a red shield, aud this be selectc
Or as his cognOmen.
~ The house Of Rothschlid has ever bee
. virtually a close corporation. It was 4
>. wish Of the heads Of Its respective branch'
a that this should be It's policy, and int
: marriages between their children were 1
ctlcated and encouraged. But loves your
dream tawes no note Of pounds, shlllinl