The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-10
ROllo and Rag Time.


We don't know whether indianapolis
or Syracuse or Alamo, Ind, is the Capital
OF American Literature. There Is no
such uncertainty as to the Capital OF
American Thought. That is Chicago.
There is more meditation to the square
inch on more subjects in Chicago than
anywhere else; more fruitful discussion,
a wider area of mind and speech. In
school and out, there are more kinds OF
teaching in Chicago than can be found
elsewhere. The town is a perpetual
Academy in perpetual session. 1t is
much OF our duty and most Of our pleas
ure to diifuse and popularize the proceed
ings of this vastest Of learned societies.
To-day we are at the meeting Of the
West End Mothers Council. Miss MAY
LOUISE BUTLER is speaking on The
Proper Reading for Children In Chi
cago, a. in this town and in most other
places the most earnest and authorize
tive professors OF child-lore and mother
lore are either maids or men. They are
able to reach a disinterested and disat-
tached view impossible to mothers.
Spectators see more Of the game than
the players do. :.
Miss BUTLER took a philosophical
view Of rag time which she regards
as a mild catching disease. just like
measles, mumps and whoopng cough.
She advised mothers to wink at It q little
Bit since everybody is bound to have
more or less OF it. Still, it is not wholly
a children's disease. Is there a dinner
tonight Of the Chicago Board Of Trade,
of the Yale graduates Of the Northwest,
of butchers, bakers and candlestick
makers? Rag time will be the soul
of that dinner. There Is some secret
mystic power in rag time In rag
time there is union. Rag time
makes the solemn caper humanizes the
prig and puts bowels into the Philistine.
Without it what II man? Rag time
il the full measure and calendar of the
musical and poetical accomplishment
of the majority. 1t Is the lyric height
of the crowd. 1t il vain to try and shut
your ears against 1t. From tho time
YOU begin to talk, till your hour Of
aphasia or mumbling toothlessness, rag
time and that other popular poetry,
slang, will be no small part Of the uncon-
scious utterance Of everybody not too
good for human natures daily food.
Miss BUTLER was wisely tolerant OF
slang and advised the mothers not TO
worry II their children were little bit
'slangy.' Indeed, real human children
have an admirable faculty of absorbing
slang. You can't keep EN- from it.
Build a wall around EN-. Shut EN- up
in a tower. BY what process Of telep-
athy. from what mental telephones do
they pick up tho forbidden words'
Slang is part OF the inevitable education
Of youth and ordeal Of parents.
So far we follow Mas BUTLER with
approvai. Now CONES q parting Of the
ways:
DC, the ehildrea in,eressed In hynnoiogy;
her, 10 no study more Interesting. The live. Of
Lrvuss saa wnsLss are snoslieni reAdlns and
ssnno, fail 20 Interest any boy. let them study
cu.sLks AMI war; and their hymns LvraSn
and ws-LIr Oil be OF particular inlsTes 10 ths
.
| kand boys Use 10 Fesa sbosi
Herr We ar. forced 10 choose between
hymns and q younger but wonderful
form 81 music. Prof OSCAR LOWELL
TnIo0s has taught w 10 dsspl.e hymns.
Eiih.r . reporter or q tyTs.et,sr u "a.
! rAiosgo Trtsss. from which Ne Gull
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