Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-01-19
Ubiquitous IJkulele
Is responsible For
Philadelphia Peev,I,e

Staid and placid Philadelphia is
getting 'peeyed" at the Ubiquitous
Ukulele. judging by the following in
the Public Ledger:
"Oh, Aloha. Oh! look what you've
gone and done! America is ukulele
mad everybody Is either buying. play
ing or learning to twiddle the like,
and so widespread has become the
Hawaiian malady that a man called
the Fifty-fifth and Pine streets sta
ton house last night and asked Capt.
Tempest: In the name of Heaven,
declare an open season for the ukulele
fiend'
Since the lackadaisieaI melodies
we're brought here from the Hawaiian
Islands the theaters have been throng-
ed with people who have watched
with repressed emotion the gyrations
Of dusky Hawaiian maids, dressed in
matched harem skirts, with serpen-
tine bodies and quiyering hands, CO.
ing through the primitive dances
COPIED out in New York studio. And
with them 3 the native Hawaiian,
dressed In Palm Beach clothing, with
a yellow papier mache lea, or neck.
lace. who slanted soulful eyes to the
gallery, brought forth lachrymose and
doleful tunes on the helpless uke. -
And the ukulele, being small and
cute and apparently easy to play, Is
the present American fad (up to the
time OF going to pressl Made OF
pheasant quality Of cigar lockwood, the
instruments retail from $l.59 to. $25.
Having four strings and a quaAi-ro-
mantle appearance, II has been adopt.
ed by the youth of the nation as q
fit companion for swagger sticks and
frat pinsts The IKE is being made In
vast quantities BY carpenters, box fac.
tories and contractors, and the ukulele
forests of the Northwest are becom,
ing rapidly depleted. Modesty for.
bids US to reveal the soul Of the little
uke to an unsympathetic public. Il
The glory Of Amati, Stradivarius,
Bergonzi, has been eclipsed. The
masterpieces of Cremona are dwarfed
to the status Of the Babylonian tim.
brel. Poor old Jacobus Stainer, the
Tyrolean luther, who was chained to
his bench, might have been the uku.
lele King and Paganini could have out.
mewed all the cats in Genoa had he
found ukulele In his Christmas
stocking. Orpheus, who lost his be.
loved Eurydice in the ascent from
Pluto's endorsement, would have
softened the old Letch's heart with
the plaintiye whine Of the uke. Yes,
that Caprice Yielnois of KreisIer's is |
fine. but, says. Marie, have you heard |
he latest wfokyswacky WOO.
And the ukuleie fiend! He fain
would dress In white trousers and
squat at the feet of his beloved With
loose sport shirt, open at the neck.
and yellow necklace, he performs.
The throat must be bare, so that he |
may sing the sorrowful strain like
that OF the wangdoodle mourning its |
young. He rises early to tweak his
he retires late, having wept |
on 1t in secret He carries 1t about |
In q pouch, as the kangaroo does its |
There Is only one instru-
ment more simple. and that is the |
wimpf. composed OF q single string |
stretched across an oyster shell, which |
IS plucked with dill pickle.
And as the secondhand man moves
cut the family piano and trips in |
lightly with q new, shining ukulele,
Ike Tarisio Of old, he notes down the |
name ard address, and, going to a
phone, says to his doctor friend, I'll /
have another nut for you soon.