Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-15
Ehrntng Chat

1t is one of the interesting signs of
the times that when bands play 1ust
now they render more patriotic ain,
than anything else. The every other
night band practice concerts that are
heard along Market and other streets
are largely devoted to music of that
inspiring variety and the bands that
lead the parades fall back on old time
favorites with national slant or else
play some of the new patriotic marches
which have become so popular for the
music as we'll as the sentiment. A
striking illustration of this trend of
music was given few evenings GgQA
wren the band attached to the carni-
val which played up town during the
week gave its nightly concert in Mar
ket Square. This band was a good,
lively one as carnival bands go, and
attracted much attention by the
earnest manner in which its members
attended to business. But the interest
ing thing was that almost every air
| played on Saturday was patriotic one
! after another they were played and
| the crowd which gathered around
showed that II was in sympathy by
liberal applause. Even the German
| bands have taken a leaf out of the
book of the other bands and are play
| ing American airs. although they do
render 'Tipperary," too, and the street
| organs which are now exclusively
Italian enterprises fairly revel in
| American airs with "Tipperary" and
the Rocky Road to Dublin" thrown
in as compliment along the same lines
as the German contribution of the
British battle song. Some of the latest
patriotic airs bid fair to be as lasting
as some of those which gained vogue
in the eighties and nineties, being
much along the same lines. However,
there are still good many people who
IKE to hear every now and then the
stirring airs of my Own United
States" and that pulse-quickenIng
Battle Hymn of the Republic" This
country has some fine old patriotic airs
and America, / Love You" and other
new ones have taken rank with them
in popular estimation in Harrisburg,
| judging from the calls made upon the
| leaders of the bands and orchestras.
It's a wonder how traffic manages to
flow so evenly in Market, Third and
Fourth streets on Saturday nights, but
1t is more of wonder how motor
cycles escape disaster in navigating
amid the maze of automobiles, trucks.
teams and the ever-venturesome mail
wagon. Perhaps the motorcyclists are
like the messenger boys in bearing
charmed lives and get away with sit
uations which would horrify the aver
age man. Half dozen cycles puffed
into the jam at Third and Market
streets at one time Saturday night,
wriggled around cars and got out into
side streets without mishap. although
tho traffic officer probably had his own
troubles.
With the coming of the warmer
weather the number and kind of the
musical sounds from Market street
amusement places is increasing. Dur
ing the winter the city's musical en-
tertainment was more or less inter-
rupted by necessary closing of doors,
but now the doors are open and the
airs are waited for half a block. The
most enhancing operas are heard for
a minute or two only to be drowned
in the uproar from an ACCORDION
played by a pan who tries to snare
some of the nickels before they get
into the movies" and his efforts are
in turn lost in the crash OF oratorio
played by 'the only electrically driven
pipe organ in the city" This volume
of sound, often some majestic tone
from one of the famous works, gives
away before the Chewing gum, please
buy" of the man at the curb. Auto
mobile horns and traffic officers
whistles take away the melody of the>
"Star-Spangled Banner" further UP t1h
, street and probably as you turn away
you may get a line or two of some old
time favorite like "a Hot Time in the
Old Town" or She's My Annie" Mar
, ket street never wants for music on
Saturday night.
5 Just what are the mental processes
: of persons who take children under
five into the press of the shopping
streets on Saturday night it is hard to
: understand. but when they purchase
toy balloons and hope to get them
! home unscathed after tour of two or
three times up and down the Market
Z street stores they become hopeless.
Down around Fourth and Market four
balloons were counted bobbing in the
, crowds Of shoppers, their strings firmly
] clutched in childish hands which were
; being hauled along by firm grasps on
wrists. Children in crowd are always
objects of sympathy, but when to the
: youngsters discomfort there is added
the agony of fear that the precious
: balloon may be injured it is pathetic
and makes you want to go out end nail
, a jitney and send the kids home.
Harrisburg has forum, although it
is only on Saturday nights and when
politics is at the Grating point that YOU
would get TO know of it. The forum
/. is the Courthouse portico, the place
where preachers, discussers of politics
E and of social ills may hold forth with
out let or hindrance, actually under
police protection. The patent medi-
cine man may not intrude, and as for
z the man who writes visiting cards in
e flowing style or who sells the best
l suSpenders ever tried by King Edward,
they must keep to the side. The Court
house steps are forum as much so as
ever was any monument in Trafalgar
Square or any space in Place de la
Concorde. Saturday night is given up
now. by common consent to religious
matters. and the vigorous manner in
which the preachers of the sects of
our excellent "plain people exhort
: cause many to linger. Saturday night
there were two evangelists at the
G Courthouse. One came early in the
, evening, pleading with the people to
q turn to the churches on the morrow,
apparently not urging any special de-
nomination, but making broad plea
=, for better lives. union with church and
,, walking with Christ. Before he fin
= ished the bearded brother of the Brcth-
: rem came along with men and women
in distinctive garb and took up the
task of reasoning with the knot of
people who remained when the early
l speaker had offered his prayer and
= =