The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-03-23
REVIVAL OF THE OLD.

made by the leaders Of society to es-
tablisk the colorless and scentless
! flower of unpronoupcahle names in
leadership in the floral world. BY de-
cree of the 400" these unattractive
flowers were to serve as substitutes
for the bleeding hearts" the honey
suckle, the daisy. the pansy, the sweet
violet and the various other things
of beauty and joy forever in the flow
-bed-fowers whose names even
child may pronounce and whose beau
ty even the unlettered may appre-
ciate
But somehow or other the old fav-
orites of the floral kingdom retain
their standing and, somehow or other,
men are not drawn-even by the de-
free of society-to the worship of
flowers that take but do not give.
Somehow or other the ordinary man
is even yet attracted by form. and
beauty, and fragrance which one may
enjoy and understand without first
obtaining a diploma from college
of botany.
This would, indeed, be merry
world, my masters" if the men and
the women of today resolutely turned
their back upon some of the new
things" in life and took up some of the
things that lived and flourished in the
times of the fathers and mothers. 1t
would be we'll for the world if we
could have a revival of the old" all
along the line.
Let us search the attics where our
old books have been stored and pro-
duce for the benefit of the children
better and more entertaining tales
than have ever been written by the
boosted novelists of the present day.
There is no occasion for one to go
into ecstacy over such books as "To
Have and to Hold" or "Alice of Old
Vincennes," while the stories Of j.
Fenimore Cooper, much more realis-
tic, much more probable, much more
interesting, remain hidden in our at
tics covered with the dust of years
and unperused by the people of to-
day. Edward Eggleston's "Hoosier
Schoolmaster" is a better story than
William Dean Howells ever wrote.
Louise NJ. Alcott's Little Men and
Little Women" have never yet been
matched as interesting and entertain
ing reading for the young and old.
The boys Of today who search for the
light and lively fiction know little OF
nothing Of Colonel Thomas Went
worth Higginson the great Massachu-
sets writer of boys stories, or of Ho-
ratio Alger-men who wrote tales at
once interesting and instructive
Books and books, and books are
written today, and yet they are not
nearly so satisfactory as some Of the
few volumes published in the long
ago.
We are all too apt to worship at
some new shrine and all to apt to
forget the merit OF the old in our an
xiety to pay undue tribute to the new
We go into ecstacy over some of the
new day songs, yet we forget that
many very interesting thing that
have been presented by the bard of
the past
ben Bolt" one of the sweetest of
all the verses ever penned by man,
would be practically unknown today !
but for the fact that it was set to !
music and that it figured in a recent !
novel. It's high character as a !
touching piece of poetry is not fully
appreciated by the men of today.
Abraham Lincoln, perhaps, could not !!
make rhyme, but there was poetry
as well as music in his soul, and he
knew what genuine poetry was when
he selected "Oh, Why should the /
Spirit of Mortal Be Proud?" as his !
favorite poem. The member of the lit |
erary society who would subscribe
to the statement that "Oh, Why
Should the Spirit of Mortal Be
Found?" is entitled to high rank in |
literature would be Immediately writ |
ten down as undeserving of a place /
in polite sociery, but Abraham Lin /
coins favorite poem will bear re- ,
reading. where some of the product /
ions of the present day would be cast
aside after a mere glance
1t would be well, too if the dispo-
sition toward "a revival of the old"
could take firm hold upon our church
chOirs. Sunday after Sunday great
congregations composed of men and
women anxiously seeking not for pro-
found things but for those things that
strike responsive chord in the hui
man heart, assemble throughout this
great country to listen to airs they !.
cannot appreciate, straining their