THE HESPERIAN
11
aloft by friends of the decoased. Tlio cofiln ..
itsolf, mado just a fow hours ago from n fov
pine boards, is painted black, thus sotting
off tho largo white cross or palm of victory
or scriptural text. Tho village youth is hand
ing the procession and chanting tho funeral
dirgo as well as tho more hopeful: Aufor
xtchn,jaufersteh'nwirst du" of Klopstock.
The yard around tho church is surrounded
by a strong wall, serving in olden days for
a defense against bodily enemies, just as be
ing laid away in tho shadow of tho church
defends against tho onomy of souls. Had
we been a little oarlior wo could have seen,
drawn up before the house of mourning, the
relatives and nearest friends; their sym
pathizing neighbors coming on in single file,
taking each by the hand as a token of re
gard to tho deceased. To be buried without
"Sang und Klang," without chant of school
youth or tolling of bell is a punishment akin
to tho old process of excommunication, only
visited upon suicides or apostates from the
Orthodox Church.
x-
There is scarcely a family in this region
that has not some member, father, son or
daughter hero in America. Within the last
two decades great numbers of those sturdy
Foresters have left their native pines and
have given their strength to the up-building
of the new "West. Over and over again the
youth of some twenty summers has concluded
that, after all, tho wide world could afford
to deal moro generously with him than his
native hills. Often and often tho roadsides
and tho mountain-passes have re-echoed
with tho semi-dialectical:
Muss i denn, muss i denn zum Staedtlo
hinaus
Staedtlo hinaus,
Und du, moi Schatz bleibst hior?
Woim i komm', wonn i komin' wonn i
wiedorum komm'
Wiederum komm',
Kohr' i oi, moi Schatz, boi dir.
Laueenoe Fosslee.
I JS2CEQUT1 VJS JEXOWPTS
ON THE 00UKTKSY OK ATTENTION.
It is not very dillicult to extend sympathy
to tho neglected, and only a churl will re
fuse to aid thoso who aro maltreated and
abused. ,Tust a word, then, in behalf of
thoso unfortunates who aro so misguided by
their kindly fooling and spirit of accommo
dation as to consent to render music num
bers on university programs.
Tho evening comes, and tho work is done
and well done at that. It has called for
several hours of careful preparation, the
keen night air has been faced or even a
storm braved, tho player has nerved himself
or herself to the strain of publicity and the
dread of imperfect work and subsequent
criticism only to find an audience thor
oughly absorbed in itself. The whispers
multiply, then become undertones, and thon
tho hum of conversation actually masters all
other sounds. The player is as completely
alone and isolated as though there wore no
others present. Here and there in tho audi
ence a few friends, or a fow lovers of music,
make a faithful effort to catch tho theme
and note rendition, but in vain. The voices
all about them, the flutter of fans and tho
uneasy rustle of garments, the shifting of
feet and tho creaking of seats as the occu
pa ts turn to each other for further gossip
all combine to entirely shut out tho concord
of sounds from tho instrument, and to wall
off the best efforts of the performer. As
tho music ceases, some one near the plat
form becoming aware of tho fact, quite acci
dentally, begins the stereotyped applause;
which is taken up in a perfunctory way by
others and tho next number is called.
If any adequate excuse has over been
offered for this peculiar and aggravated form
of rudeness on tho part of otherwise polite
people, tho writer has never heard of it.
Concerning the whole matter at question
there may be stated a fow truths that seem
self-evident. If music numbers aro not en
joyable aro not wanted, thon they should
not appear on tho program. If tho fault lies
in an habitually poor choice of performers,