Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-18

toire considerably antedates that selec-
ton.
The monkey is a little old and little
fat and his dance is inclined to be la
borlouS. But he collects the money as
Well as ever. and he is amusing as
when he first donned the uniform of the
British regular army.
The days grow warmer and the old
man grows FESTIVE. Finally on a fine
warm day you will meet him. bare
headed, striding out in the country.
land and Virginia. where he is well
known and liked. His monkey crouches
close to him as he walks. and its hairy
fists lovingly grip his coat lapels.
Together the two wander from town
to town, always sure of a welcome and
constantly meeting friends of years
gone by. The children dance and the
countrymen whistle the tunes he plays
From town to town he goes until the
hotter months set in. Then he returns
home
Again in the fall he repeats this per-
Torrance, and again he is greeted as
he has been SO many times before.
Twenty years ago he would play for
country dances. but the introduction
OF the graphophone has prevented him
from anneXlnS money in this fashion.
The recent improvement in the street
pianos of Washington. and. in fact. in
all cities, is largely responsible for the
decadence Of the monkey. They have
drum attachments. some of them, and
they initiate. or are supposed to imi-
tate. a military band in action Others
nave wabbly tremolo effect that
causes the uninitiated to believe that
they are cold. These are the popular
'mandOlinaS.''
And this brings up another peculiar
point of psychological interest and worthy
or treatise by some philosopher. The
organ grinder is the typical symbol of the
vanity of man. Every organ grinder is
Of the opinion that his instrument. played
as he plays 1t. is SO superior to his fell
%f,ox h. A1e-
would dare and be received with acclaim.
This accounts for the fact that no matter
how many times an organ grinder is or
dered away he will return. and also for
the fact that if eleven organ srinders are
refused money at a house the twelfth Will
appear. smiling and confident that his
music will charm where others failed.
1t is a popular habit among the mas
tiers of canned music to name their ma
chimes. An Italians street piano is an
Englishman's pipe or an Irishmdn's wit:
it will carry him anywhere. Thus on the
dark and rainy nights when Antonio is
returning from his hard days toll he will
lovingly talk to Maria Carissa' or In
fante NilsolZa' and gain comfort from
them during his long. dark walk. Where
the habit came Of naming their lnstru-
mentS after women is not known. IT is
supposed that the idea was the result of
the Italians natural love of names. There
is more romance in the average Italian
than in n love-struck youth of nineteen.
The children of the streets. whether they
be the children of the rich or the children
Of the poor. are universally fond OF the
italian music master. Their little eyes
brighten they hear his rumbling ma
chine turn the corner and they wait with
wide-eyed expectancy for his first tune.
AS il always is with the children. the laws
of caste are not strictly drawn. The chill
dren only know that the sound OF the
street piano is cheerful and agreea BILE.
They have not yet yearned for heavy
opera and the silk cloaks. So they clap
with glee when the organ grinder appears