The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-14
nEooentrIoItIes of FIdd!e.n

"ECCenIftCIIfCS or d FiduiSs
 (Presto Vivoce1
 When talking about the eecentricities of genius and the cranky notions of people, you should become better acquainted with the crank of all cranlls, a fiddle. Like human being it gets cross and out of sorts One day when one Is sure his fiddle will sound fine, it positively refuses to emit pleasant tone; then on the other hand, when everything seems to go wrong, and you say, Well. l know there is no use playing today, the weather is damp and very bad on f1ddles," this in- animate cousin of the human anatomy will be at its best the immediate result being that you are put into the finest of spirits.
 Fiddle Versus Woman.
 (Andante con Affezone)
 The resemblance fiddle bears to the fair sex is striking in great many ways. First, I might say in sweetness; like a woman though she has many beaux to woo her. still she loves only one. There is only one who can awaken the tender emotions of heart strings. The same IS true of the fiddle, or violin, as it is en- dearingly called by it's worshippers; though to call violinist a fiddler, or to tell him he possesses a fiddle, is as had as Haunting a red flag at a bull fight. The bow Is the violin's sweetheart, and 1t is only to the masters bow that the violin will surrender the perfect melo- dy of love. Next, the matter of dress, varnish and good strings are to the fiddle what silk dresses and pretty ruching are to a young lady, with this exception; a violin will not get sulky if you scratch it's varnish or break it's strings, like the young lady who. should you tear her dress immediately becomes ruffled and declares you are the rudest person i'm agnable. do not wish to be placed on 4l,f NtTafC af al W n mankind, for how uninteresting this dull world would be without their society Nor do l mean to say a fiddle is as good with a broken string. Noi A thousand times no! But this is most certainly true that the violin only gives the softest answers, no matter how rough be the blows or careless the caresses. It lives for the beautiful in life and bears the hard ships without a murmur only trying to give the world it's sunshine. There dwells in that body of wood a soul filled with divine love, and standing ever ready to pour out upon some sorrowing hearts the balm of everlasting peace.
 "The Fiddle's' Relations"
 econ Morbidezza.'D
 All hddles are rela ted, whether it is the virtuosos 'Strad,' on which only the most classical works are performed and whose existence is guarded as though it were some living, breathing thing, or the '"Take-me -home-for $2.50" variety, which we poor misguided mortals think is gen ulne just because once upon time some lucky wretch found a prize in store garnished by the well known three-balls. Kings and paupers' violins alike have sous and the shop violin should not be handled roughly because 1t was not for tunate enough to have been made by Amati or Stradivarius Here again may my remarks be misconstrued I do not Fa.- f,,st hot hn ohn nf today is as good as the "Strad." Never! That would be absurd. Still treat the cheap fiddle kindly, first, for the above stated reason, and, second, because It's cousin, though a very distant cousin, of the "Strad." Be considerate; it's sick fiddle, and has never from birth had a strong constitution. The advice I have attempted to give was prompted by the school of experience. Possessing some Christmas money upon one occasion, and having determined to study the violin, procured one from a pawn shop for the price of $250 I started to study, and everything went on smoothly until some kind friend loaned me a better and older instrument This same kind friend leav ing town, took the fiddle with him, and was obliged to return to my first love. It must have been puppy love- I had for this fiddle, for it didn't sound decent ly even. Vainly I struggled on until the
 
 ing when In the midst of the intricate technical difficulties of a Kayser etude. Gntricate I mean, for a beginner), my budding artistic temperament got the best of me, and I smashed the fiddle into pieces. Ah then came remorse. I sought my teacher and very shamefully related the result of my temper. This Is the rebuke I received: You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You are no better than a murderer" I ventured the re- mark: "It was only a cheap old thing anyhow" The reply was: That makes no difference, it had a soul just like any of these good fiddles you see all around the house, and you have hurt one of the fiddle family" I thought that was all. But no. I had something worse coming to me. Written over the very phrase in Kayser where my violin came to grief are these ominous words: "Here is where I broke my fiddle" Every time my gaze rests on the object of my vengeance, which now adorns the top of my book case. or if I happen to look in that book I am forcibly reminded of two things. First that all fddles are kin, and, second, the artistic temperament is very dan gerous thing when not used in its proper place. There is one more thought in this connection, and 1t is, If Old Man Stradi- varus, bless his heart, made all the fiddes he is credited with making he must have been the living embodiment of perpetual motion" And, oh, my! what an enormous candle bill he must have had to pay.
 A Fiddle Hospital.
 (Allegretto Affizione)
 We speak of the horrors of a hospital for human beings, but it does not stand comparison with a fiddle hospital. Here are the sick fiddles from all over the - --=