Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-16

lKubi." which recounts the frightful ad-
venture Of an athletic priest with a group
tof trunk-less goblin heads. But others are
beautiful, tender tales Of deep love and de-
kotion, as touched by the strange influences
tof the unseen world. Frequent references
ito the transformation of human beings into
frees, and vice versa. throw light upon the
passionate devotion of the Japanese for the
trees and their blossoms. Mr. Hearn tells
these stories simply with many foot notes
Explanatory of the difficulty of obtaining
precision in the TRANSACTIONS and the utter
hmpossibity at times of conveying an ade-
lquate conception of the true Japanese
Esprit The subtety of the far east is in
ievery page, and resstless fascination Is
lby weird stories of ghosts, COLLINS, spirits
land good and evil geniuses. None other
than one who has lived among the Japa-
lnese and entered fully into their lives and
their methods of thought could so skillfully
land artistically have reproduced such
fstrange conceptions.
THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN ART;
. Edited by John C. Van Dyke.-THE HIS
! TORY OF AMERICAN MUSIC. By Louis
| G. Elson. author Of 'Our National Music &c.
| Illustrated. New York: The Macmillan Com
pany. Washington: Brentano's.
This is the second number of the monu-
mental series on American art, which the
Macmillan house has undertaken to produce
lunder the edtorship of Mr.. Van Dyke. the
First number being dorado Taft's history of
sculpture. published last season. The pres
Ient item fully sustains the standard of COM
,p!eteness and excellence set by the first and
attests to the exceptional value of the whole
work. Mr.. Elson has accumulated a vast
amount of material, both biographical and
crtical. and has presented 1t in a most
.oleasing and instructive form. He follows
both the chronological and the topical meth
ln.ia tiru n until thA Da-
ligious Beginnings OF American Music" fol-
tons" Instrumental Music and American
Orchestras." Musical Societies and Insti-
buttons" Opera in America" the Folk
Music of America" National and Pa
triotic Music and then carrying on his
record geographically. grouping the musi-
clans according TO their specialties
He chooses the early religious music of
New England the true beginning of the
art in America rather than the music of the
Indians the songs of the cavalier col
onists of Virginia. who brought with them
but did not Americanize the ballads of the
old country. The religious songs of the
Puritans and the Pilgrims. the other
hand, more surely reflected the new en-
Yironment while the music of the Indians
gradually passed with the race. leaving
TO trace of influence upon the score. Large
1y because of these facts the progress of the
art was comparatively slow for several gen.
eratons. The tendency of the Puritans and
the Pilgrims was distinctly away from ex-
pansiveness In musical expression and their
conservatism exerted a potent influence for
the crampng Of the ART for many years
II was not until the Latin people of New
Orleans developed the grand opera to a
high point during the early part of the
nineteenth century that Boston. for decades
the seat Of American musical associations
nd inf civ u,id n
more beautiful fields than those that had
previously been occuDied in. the north
When once the catholic spirit of modern
music began to spread the development OF
the art in America was rapid and the
product ;oday. under the stimulating asso-
citation OF many eminent Furope,n masters
of music. is truly remarkable In view of the
brevity of the period OF advance and the
narrowing conditions ahich existed at the
outset.
Mr.. Elson writes sympathetcally of all
who have contributed to the record enter
leg into the lives of the composers and
Interpreters of American music with full
appreciation of the handcaps and limita-
lions under which they worked and indi-
eating In many instances that the lack of a
truly national musical spirit and standard
has prevented the art from reaching full
expression. One of the most interesting
chapters OF the work - that devoted to the
fclk-songs Of the country, and in this chap
ter there is no story more touching than
that OF stephen Collins Foster. composer
OF some of the songs that have lived longest
and are today. despite the great flood of
so-called popular music of latter days. still
cherished dearly by the people Among
these are .'Oh. Susaunah,' "Old Uncle
Ned !" odd FOLDS at Home" which MIR.
E!son does not hesitate to call the chief
American folk-song. and many others of the
cme category. which live today in the
American heart. Foster was in some re-
spects the Poe of American music. SO far as
his Bohemiansm was concerned. and died
under tragic circumstances in 1864 at the
age OF thirty-three.
This is hut an example OF the personal
touch which appears throughout the work.
winch. dealing as Ii must with many living
composers and performers. is necessarily
largely subject to technical criticism. but at
70 Tine displays the sign of prejudice not
t-accable 10 the desire to be true to the
hi3Eest standards.
Tho final chapter on Qualities and De-
fects of American Music Is suggestive.
Mr. Elson secs sign OF hope I'm the great
number OF musical Institutions and the large