The Saint Paul globe., 1903-08-30
VOICES OF THE NIGHT.
Sounds Heard in the City in Summer,
When Windows Are Open.

"Now are they heard again, minus a
few old ones, perhaps, but with as
many new ones added said Mr.. Coz
zleton; "the myriad voices of the sum-
mer night, that come to US at this sea-
son in the city, when all the windows
are open and people live more or less
out of doors.
1--WE hear now once more the talking
of the people sitting on the steps across
the way, and the voices Of the folk
sitting at their open windows, and the
sound of the children playing in the
street.
"Once more we hear the yearning
notes Of the ambitious violin player
whose aspirations SO far exceed his
art, and the biff, biff, bang Of many
pianos, and the soaring and the deep
descending notes Of many singers.
"And you hear the soft strumming OF
the gentle guitar, and the notes of the
more metallic mandolin. And OCCASION
ally you hear some maternal voice
calling:
/" Willie. you'll have to come In, now
"All familiar sounds and not un-
friendly, to those long accustomed to
their annual recurrence.
"Of those that aresmtssing one is the
sound Of the melancholy flute can
remember well when 40 neighborhood
summer night symphony would have
seemed complete without flute COM
ing in now and thenS-but as matter of
fact I haven't heard no flute among
these summer nightn sounds for years.
think the flute must have gone out or
fashion; If we are not 4eSs sentimental
than, we were we are less pensive, and
the flute was peculiarly a pensive IN
strument, one eommenly played In
solitude. ;s5s
"New, the fiddle is sympa thetic, and
1T way be sentimental still, in all Its
wailings, it has more. or less yigor, and
we are likely to play the fiddle. not
alone, but with somebody, as with some
kind person struggling faithfully to ac-
company us on the piano, dropping
whole bars and galleping wildly to keep
up with us when We slip a cog, or lin
gering with dazed bewilderment over
the keys as we maunder, rapt, on the
strings Yes, We still hear on summer
nights the chromatic yearning of the
fiddle, but no longer now the flute.
"Nor do we hear in these days the
notes of the once in every season ia
miliar key bugle; and the singularly
sharp and frightful fiat, the alter
nately violently explosive and choking
effects produced by the amateur on
that noble ms strument are sounds that
l miss greatly. But haven't heard a
key bugle in my neighborhood for
years.
"And the same is true of that ripely
mellow instrument the French horn. /
don't know when have heard an am
ateur playing on French horn. The
French horn seems to have gone, with
the key bugle, to join the melancholy
flute. A strange company.
"But If we miss these, we have now
new sounds to take their places, the
chug, chug, chug, of the hustling auto
scurrying through the block. and we
hear now the music of the automatic
piano players-of many Of them and
the sounds of many monographs is
peculiarly modern. i, so
IF some of the old voices have gone,
new ones have come, and so the grand
volume is not decreased; 1t is greater
now, If anything, than eVer-the chorus
Of the myriad voices nf the summer
night to be heard at Fthis season in
the city, when all ltthe windows are
open."-New York SUM-: