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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1904)
STRS8T IB ft Jl RPHEt'S la not dead to the world, as any one. reading the old Greek myths, might easily be lieve. He walk the earth today, reincarnated at a street musician, charming the imagina tion! of the poor, and of little children of both high and low estate. True, he does not retain hla oldtlme dig nity, either of power or figure. He could not now enchant wild beasts by his music, or cause the rocks and Ireea of Olympus to move from their places and follow him. hut then, as every one knows, his famous lyre was placet among the stars by Zeus, at the Intercession of Apollo and the Muses. Nor la he as handsome as he waa when, the god like husband of Eurydtce, he sought to win hla wife from death by musical sorcery. He Is shabby, and dirty, and out at the elbow. His music Is the product, not of lofty Inspliatlon but of perforated paper running over a revolving cylinder, or of some other means equally commonplace. He works- for money nowa days; and not for love of his art, and he sends the larger part of the proceeds of his daily toll to hla kin across the sea. Once a favorite of the gods, he has become, througn time and changes of fortune, an ordinary Journeyman. But he Is no lees Orpheus because of this, as one cannot fall to realize who follows him through the poorer quarter of the city. Children Follow in His Wake. Tet here he appears, It must be confessed, most like that lineal descendant of his, the pled piper of Hamelln, who. whither ho went, led Innocent and wide eyed children after him. By a mere turn of a crank he can change a dingy city street into a festival. Where before there was silence and comparative solitude, there is suddenly a veritable children'! party. Games and duties are laid aside, quarrels are for gotten, errands are postponed, while groups of little children gather around him, listening eagerly to the muslo which he grinds out of his wonderful box, that has such beautiful pictures upon Its shiny side. If there Is no monkey to absorb attention by Its antics and grimaces, the little girls begin to dance together on the sidewalk. Imitating as well as they can the fancy steps that they have seen their older sisters take. Borne smaH boy In the crowd is Inspired to turn cartwheels in time to the music. That Oxford St. Orpheus, whom Wordsworth decrlbes, la a type also known, though less well, In American cities: " His station Is there; and he works on the crowd, He sways them with harmony merry and loud. He fills with his power all their hearts to the brim Was aught ever heard like his Addle and him,?" Has Played Many Historic Roles. Many are the historic rales which Calliope's son hat per formed since the days of tils supremacy In ancient Thrice, when he had the honor of singing In praise of the gods, and of partaking in the Eleuslnlan mysteries. Aa blind Homer ,he made the Trojan wars immortal; singing with the tongues of the rhapsodlsts he fired the soul of later Greece. In the guise of Tyrteeans he stirred up the Spartans to rise In wur against the Messenlans. In the character of drummer, or trumpeter, of the Roman legionaries, he shared In the mili tary honors of the Imperial city. The da'k ages overthrew musicians from the high estate to which earlier civilizations had exalted them. For centu ries, especially In Germany, they were held In general con tempt, together with actors, millers, night watchmen, and flax weavers. Then sprang up those- famous minstrels of southern Eu rope, the troubadours, whose name Is yet the synonym of ex presslve love and lilting melody. Hereafter the wandering musician waa to receive especial honor in France. Italy, and Spain, and also, in the course of time. In Austria, Hungary, and the Balkans. Since that day every country haa come to have its char acteristic music, an expression of the national life, and an aWrr " ' 'til lw street yrtjsici-s of bwtmy if j " T f WITH SKAKE CaAKTTElwpJDGVLERg . i - l t i it f i j I r f ill NCORIOT STREET JTUSJCWK WITH V It l-'lvV m mi jffi'z f fit t5MiMk 7 JTT KATJOKAD Latest i&uiM Li IbmlMi OKCAK" GXIKECR.. ITALY inheritance of Ita people, handed down from generation to generation In folk songs, and spread abroad by mcana or wandering musician. Orient Appreciates Its Street Musicians. Easlern countries appreciate these brlngers of melody more highly than do the west In Asia traveling musicians, singers, and Juggler play a religious and a military part. The blind Chinese singer are objects of veneration. In Egypt and India musicians are Indispensable to weddings. And when the sultan unfold the green banner of the prophet to call Mohammedan to holy war, drummers accompany the heralds who visit the varlou village and proclaim the ruler' will. A review of all the street musicians of the western world would make an Interesting spectacle. First would come Germany, with her band of singers, closely followed by a group of men playing upon all kind of musical Instruments. France would follow aftrr with her cornemuse players, bringing tune from the depths of the forests, where the wood cutters preserve unchanged the melodies of old France. Italy comes next with her Roman plfferarl, her hand organ, and her famous one man orchestra, who plays a drum with his elbows, cymbals with his foot, and a bagpipe or flute With his lips and hands, while his head shakes the bells of a Chinese chime. And, after Italy, Spain trip along with her guitar players, her tambourines and castanets. Ireland and Wale have harps, of the form and propor tions which have come to be recognised the world over as national. Scotland, too, haa her harp, and the famous bag pipe which Mary Queen of Scots Introduced into the coun try from France. Russia follows with her horns, and her bass singers, Toland with her pipe. And after them are the Hungarian gypsies, who are wont to gather on the railway stations of their native country and to greet incoming train with fiery melodies. Motley Array in England and America. England and America bring up the rear, boasting a motley array of musicians of all nations, and a veritable host of organ grinders, carrying or pushing Instruments of every possible make and size. And. last of all, tramp the Salva tion army men and laasies who In their performance on tam bourine, accordion, guitar, and cornet unite into one the relig ious, the military, the picturesque, and the musical preten sions of their great pagan prototype, Thraclan Orpheus. Not long ago the vocation of the street musician waa regarded aa a plea for alms. In England It became a kind of pension for old soldiers, who, incapacitated by their wounds for manual labor, were especially licensed by the police as street musicians. Now It is a pursuit recognized as legiti mate, and one wherein exist distinct difference In rank and condition. Formerly the street musician had no abiding place on earth. Now he haa his regular route, and his regular patrons. Though he may be exiled for a time from hi native land, he haa a home of his own In that quarter of the city where the people of hla race abide; and, by the prestige he haa among his neighbors, he may be said to dwell on the aunny aide of a miniature Olympus of his own. ' escoeseeo RELIC IN OLD JAPAN. s, i ' l - - f ... I " - ' LOAD DEPENDS ON ROAD. CAIRO BEER SELLER. UMBRELLA. PICTURESQUE SILVER MILL. mm. mimM'k,. -z;-nn, 'r rrli P! AilL. Ancient style of combat and weapon of the Japanese. HO IV MOSQUITOES GROW. ' The accompanying picture, mude from a world' fair exhibit Illustrating the im portance of good ronds and streets, show the comparative loads that can be drawn by one horse on different roadway. STRONG BOY. Beer, as wIl as sherbet and water, is ped dled in the streets of Cairo. It i dispensed from a sort of big siphon, The Inventor says this umbrella leaves the hands free. The dotted lines show how It may be shifted according to the direction of the rain. mi i. .. ll... M1 . 1. H.n.M A Pnnnnliinta Unvlnn Via a a - 1 lie niUPl L il I trnLj uc B 1 1 v 1 1 liliii ill uv wwi iu, uiai ui vxucv.juu-s -"- mantle history. Thrice abandoned aa worked out. It has made Jortunes for three aep- niavc vniici i , . ILLINOIS' GROWTH. CELEBRATING DEFEAT OF KING OF DEMONS. fw r-. ,.S- '.v-- 1 Vi'V j1, -1 J rfi 7, 1 1 - ' -- L Id: : Her are the different hape the mosquito ouume during the metamorphoal bom the egg to th fly. Although only eight year old this German boy weigh ninety pound and can lift 2UU pounds.- a kiiiiiTiiiiTiiiiTiiiiTiiiiliiiiTiiiiTiiiHiii ' A 'i!' IvJ" " """'" Diagram showing population of Illinois at eaCh ce"BU" ln nundred ' thousand The sketch show the annual demon dance of the natives of Tibet The play of which the dance Is part 1 ln five act. It depend on the following story: Langu Dharma, king of Tibet lived at Lhassa, and harassed the Uuddhtots In every possible way; and a certain monk, being dismissed from the monastery, vowed vengeance agaln.it the king. He procured a black pony and whitewashed It, and went ln search of the kinc He found the king in the market place reading a proclamation. Seizing the opportunity, the monk shot him dead from behind. Then he fled in the direction of a river, which he forded. HU whitewashed pony became black again, and, though the monk was pursue!, he was not recognized, as a man on a white pony was the object of the pursuit. Th Buddhists looked upon King Ianga Dharma a sent by the king of demons to annihilate them, and it Is to celebrate the victory over the king of demons that the dance Is held In the performance demons with hideous masks are Introduced. Then the supposed ashek of Langa Dharma are duly execrated. Next the god fight the demon and overcome them, and th play I thu brought to a close. In Bulgaria polite official are mounted on well kept horse. NERVOUS DEBILITY CURED BY WINCHESTER'S SPECIFIC PILL A $1.00 Box FREE. Cealalot a Mercury, Ires. CintfcsriJei, tr say la JariMi loimlieal wkslever. This Pill la purely vegetable, haa been tested nd prescribed by phyelclaiw for the put forty-four yrarn, and hue provrn to b the safivt and nit effective treatrtwfit known to mltcl science for rertorln 1AHT VITALITY In bouh arxna, no mat ter how ortdlnally cauxed. 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