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The Commoner.
15
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FEBRUARY 14, 1U3
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The Old Songs
Recently I published a tentative
program of an "Evening of Old
Songs," and asked for suggestions.
I remarked that when my ship came
in I intended organizing a double
quartette and touring the country for
the purpose of giving concerts in
which only the old-time songs would
bo sung. Well, the suggestions are
coming in, all right. And most of
them call my attention to the fact
that I did not include "Listen to the
Mockingbird." Don't seo how I
missed it, for that used to bo my
particular portion of the program
when a concert was given in my
home town. As a musician I always
have been a failure. The only in
strument I ever could play on was
a jewsharp, but before my natural
teeth and I agreed to disagree I
could insert a couple of my fingers
in my mouth and make a mocking
bird sit up and take notice. Carrie
Hill used to play "Listen to the
Mockingbird" on the piano, and I
stood by her side and performed the
bird act.
From the reception that has been
accorded my old-time concert sug
gestion I believe it would be a
mighty successful tour from a-financial
standpoint. Already I have in
vitations from a dozen cities, and ap
plications from a lot of men who,
while admitting that they may not
be first-class singers, insist that
they'd just love to join voices with
others in singing the old songs.
You'll know my musical education
has been neglected when I tell you
that the other night I attended a
"campfire" of old soldiers and re
veled in hearing them singing a lot
of old songs. Their singing wouldn't
have passed muster in musical
circles, but it made a hit with me.
They put more into the "Battle
Hymn of the Republic" than I ever
before heard, and while "Beans,
Beans, Beans" is not a classical
lyric it certainly did sound good the
way those old fellows sang it with
their memories going back to the old
days. When they sang "Tenting on
the Old Camp Ground" their voices,
cracked and wavering, gave us all
glimpses of those dark days and told
of the comradeship that grew and
strengthened during the long years
of war. They sang the "Vacant
Chair," and the old bugle calls, and
wound up with "America" in a way
worthy of men who had done so
much to make the America of today.
began work as a common laborer,
joining the force of a big city con
tractor. He worked on the concrete
board among Italians and Greeks
and Hungarians. ' Inside of live
years lie had learned the contracting
business, two or three languages and
saved more money than ho had
earned during the time. Then he en
gaged in contracting a few years and
made inoro money than he could haul
in a hay wagon. Then he went up
country a few miles and bought a
dilapidated, worn-out and abandoned
farm. According to the story he has
been on that farm about a year and
a half. In that time, with the aid
of a hired hand, admittedly lazy and
of little service, ho has reshingled
and resided the house, remodeled it
inside, rebuilt the barn, put up a
mile or two of fence, pruned, sprayed
land cultivated an orchard of 400 or
500 trees, set out a mile or two of
small fruits, laid out a three-acre
garden with geometrical precision
and planted it to a dozen different
kinds of vegetables that sell at a
premium in the big city near by, or
ganized a "Pioneer" club and
aroused a wonderful interest in his
new ideas, and engaged the services
of a corps of lecturers on agricul
tural topics. In his spare moments
he painted the house and barn,
whitewashed the trees, fences and
outhouses, re-organized the village
library, aroused the churcheB to a
fight against existing evils, raised a
fund of a thousand dollars to be
given as prizes for the best kept
lawns and gardens, and done various
other little chores like those men
tioned. The more I read of his story
the more I wonder what on earth he
does to put in the long hours in
which he has no work to perform.
It just beats all how much a man
can accomplish in the line of farm
ing, gardening, orcharding, etc, etc.
with a pen and a few reams of
paper.
For fear that my ship may be a
long time making its appearance in
the offing, I am considering the or
ganization of a stock company to put
my concert company on the road. I
am willing to let the stockholders
designate all the officers, especially
the treasurer, but I shall insist upon
being allowed to select the program,
and when the whole thing is ready
to spring on a waiting public it will
be difficult to prevent me from stand
ing off in the wings and joining in on
the chorus.
Renmrkablo Industry
I am reading the story of the most
remarkable man that probably has
lived since time and space began. It
is running in a weekly magazine with
a boasted circulation of 2,000,000,
and is really worth reading. It is
about a man who was a bookkeeper
or something like that until he was
forty years old then lost his job.
He couldn't get another one, so he
Cabinet Impossibilities
For Secretary of the Interior
Uncle Joe Cannon.
For Secretary of State John D.
Archbold.
For Secretary of War General
Leonard Wood.
For Attorney General Joseph
Sibley.
For Secretary of the Treasury
Frederick D. Eldridge.
For Secretary of Commerce and
Labor Boies Penrose.
For Postmaster General Any ex
press company magnate.
Two Letters
Mollne, Ills., Jan, 16. May the
day soon arrive when your ship
comes in and you will be enabled to
take that tour of the country. And
when you start, order the run to be
made direct to Mollne, and grant me
the privilege to be one of your num
ber to direct people's thoughts to
higher and nobler things through
songs and the singing of the old-time
kind. If I can not bo one of the
company, "for the love o' Mike"
come and let me hear the old songs
once again. Keep going with your
good cheer, and may joy, peace and
happiness bo yours. C. S. T.
Hastings, Mich., Jan. 19. I read
with pleasure your contribution in
The Commoner of Jan. 17, headed,
"An Evening of Old Songs." I'd
like to be the advance agent of your
company when it is organized. Fail
ing this, however, my second choice
is a front seat when you come to
this town. I am not very old, but
your littlo reminiscences carried mo
back to when tho lines mentioned
wore more popular than now back
to tho days when I went to the
"Doyle" school with Deo and Hector
and Mary and Etta; back to the
parties when we sang the songs of
yesterday and played tho games now
nearly forgotten; when good natured
Henry Jollands playmnster and sen
tenced Hattio to walk the cedar
swamp with Hector to redeem her
forfeit. We readers of the "Whothor
Common or Not" department always
get a message from our yesterdays,
and each one is a raro treat. Irrev
erence for tho dreams of youth, and
also for the days of youth, have
robbed us of much that goes to make
up real life. Your story makes one
think of going back for a while. Will
Carleton expresses it well:
"Let's go a vlsitin' back to Griggs
by's Station;
Back whore th' latchstring is
hangin' from th door;
Where everyone about th' placo is
dear as a relation;
Back where wo once were so
happy an' so poor."
Our Michigan poet wrote of the
common people and could feel and
live with them. You have paid a
most creditable tribute to this most
excellent character, who though he
attained honor and such wide reputa
tion, was content to live and die Just
"Will Carleton." "Over the Hills to
tho Poorhouso" will live as long as
the language in which this paragraph
is written. F. R. II.
Brain Leaks
"Precedent" has stood in the way
of a lot of justice.
The man whQ. reaches his, ideals
puts them pretty low to start with.
Either a lot of laws should be re
pealed or somo judges should be re
called. There's a heap of difference be
tween being light-hearted and light
headed. Honestly now, did you ever read
"Paradise Lost," or all of Shakes
peare's plays?
Our idea of a1 lonesome man is one
who has nothing but dollars with
which to associate.
Our hands applaud the operatic
and tho classical, but our feet keep
timo to tho old tunes.
Tho biggest job a man has to
tackle is tho one ho must do today
when it should have been done
yesterday.
Of course the world owes you a
living, young man; but you've got
to be a good hustler if ever you col
lect the debt.
WOE EVERLASTING
It Ib again a' land of mourning.
From the housetops goes forth the
wail of anguish and the light of the
sun is obscured by tho raven banners
of ruin. Congress has commenced
consideration of the tariff and every
man, woman and child who has
profited by tho Payne-Aldrich exorbi
tancies is searching the soul for new
sounds with which to voice pain and
despair.
Every one of them, from the littlo
fellow who makes two bottles of per
fumery a day up to the great trusts
who operate in millions, is convinced
that the world will come to an end
if his special brand of privilege is
taken away.
For the last twenty years the
people of the United States have pro
tested against tariff laws that pro
moted extortion and protected It. On
the 7th. day of last November this
protest was practically unanimous.
Can the present clamor of the in
terested few efface tho memory of
that protest? Denver News.
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MIAMI, FLORIDA
UNCLE SAM IS DEST EMPLOYER j
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booklet D-I0I6.
Earl Hopkins,
Vathing on, D. C.
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