The Bozeman courier., 1921-02-09
FOLKS AND THINGS

Good pictures and good music are common
nowadays. The development of the printers art
has brought cultural period in pictures as the!
invention of the phonograph has carried good
music into millions of homes. Replicas Of r cat J
paintings hang on the walls over cheap wall paper
and little disk of vulcanized rubber scraped by
a needle brings the most wonderful artists in
voice and Instrumentation and the triumphS of
celebrated composers to almost every family if
it chooses to listen.
1t was not always thus, Geraldine and Per-
cival In those days when they named boy babies
and male foals John and Jerry and christened
girls Gertrude and Jane instead of Geraldine and
Mae things were different Those marvels of op-
portunity were not. The children of that day
missed it. The opportunity didn't exist. There
were Carusos and marvellous musicians then and
galleries hung full of mighty masterpieces but
we read of them and wondered. We were denied
sight and hearing of those wonderful things.
In those days, had you been born forty years
sooner than you were, the village fiddler would
have seemed to you a veritable Ole Bull. He was
; Ole Bull and Pagnni of his neighborhood. And
t2 young lady soloist who came with the Inherent
music master who was striving to organize a
singing school" at "$1 per student for II les
sons" down at the school house would have Shone
like CALI Curci, Farrar or Schumann-Heink.
At the school exhibition" that orchestra of two
fiddles and guitar would have represented to you
what Thomas orchestra was to be to your chill
dren and grandchildren. Maybe you'd. have
"taken music lessons" yourself and have been
able to play hymn tunes at Sunday school in
emergency and had an Estes Parlor Organ" at
home in the parlor whereon you daringly played
undevotional dance tunes and about which the
young folks gathered now and then to sing There
is a Happy Land" and "Shall We Gather at the
River" But that would have been about all for
you.
Pictures Certainly we had pictures. There on
the wall hung Abraham Lincons First Home in
Illinois" flanked by that work of art where the
child with the specs announces 'NOw Pm Grand
pa" and by those ''Kittens at Play Sometimes
they were relieved by those two pictures of the
kids the cart the dog in the traces and the fleeing
rabbit There should have been a picture of
grandfather, stern of mein with his hair combed
straight back from his forehead and bible open
on his knee. Most old folks had their pictures
taken with bibles. 1t gave class to the picture
even though that may have been their closest
! acquaintance with holy writ. Then of course
there were the chromos of that day. My child if
you have never seen one of those chromoS of that
ancient time curb your curiosity. Seek not to
peer into the darkened past Just be thankful
that you have been spared so far and let it go
at that.
Dyes, please do not forget the "whatnot" and
the collection of sea shells. Not the center table
in the paror with the bible, CDR. Chase's Receipt
! Book" and Every Man His Own Horse Doctor
! neatly arranged there. Sit on the horse hail
covered sofa and slide while attempting to balance
plate on one knee at one of the old time kissing
parties which after all had some advantages over
the 'cheek to cheek and the "shimmie' of tn,
period.
Aehu fugaces! Wonder whether with all oul
e later advantages we are better people now thar
!, then? What's your idea?