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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (July 15, 1899)
rr THE COURIER. $ X to do it publicly. Privately, if tho hypnotized agroo to his torma it would riUJIji p A QQTXfrj STTOW bo Impossible to prevent l.im from as- 1UU J AfcM U JMLU H ...i!.- i.j - if un ,...., nut im ivlmt o W I LLA w.A I ncn nulling 11 in jiuwuii i iiu . .. ....... ho elaimB, tho crodulouB should Btill bo protoctod jb thoy aro from gamblers. HiB"ontortainmontB" havo all thoobjoc tionnblo featuroa of a prio light without tho redeeming foaturcB, of encouraging pluck and thoir tondonoy to dovolop tho iiiufcIcb and inuko tho human baing a porfoot animal. Evory hypnotic tranco, if it bo u trance, weaken" tho will and tho cbaractor of tho party sub mitting to it and lowora tho taeto of tho audlonco whobolioldBit. Thoconvulaivo laughtor which attends tho painful anticB of Flynt'a Bubjojts is evidence of thooiroct of Ihb epulis. T. iB not liko tho honoet laughtor which rowarda thoturnB of mombora of a vaudeville troupo. Itiarathorto bo compared to tho hyaiorin frequently produced in tyroa by tho flight of a bull tight and neither spectacle is houlthful. FROM THE BAZAAR "Oi say, father," said iittlo O'Hriuii. "whoy didn't Saint sign the Declaration of Didn't thoy UBk him?" "Vcb, Timinio," thoy asked him all Timmio Patrick Independence? 0Wtt4 w$$o6 AN KVKNINO AT VINKAUKK. I "Gaily the troubadour Touched his guitar, As he was hastening Home from the war." Old Song. Half a dozen beautiful eongB havo como to tho world lately daintily pub liahnd by tho Church company, undor the fanciful titlo, "Songs From Vino acre." They aro tho words of that young Amorican composor who makes tho most beautiful of songs, Etholbort Novin. Thoy woro published only this winter, but thoy aro already known and sung all ovor tho world, end Bishpam is singing them in London ovon now. It is not oapy for a man who wroto "O, That Wo Two Wero Maying," when ho was in tho middlo of his toon3 to im provo on himself, for it means that ho must go vory high, but this man has kopt doing it from year to year, and tho Vinoacro sorios of songs aro among tho most exquiBito ho has writton. With Novin, thiB last winter has been ono of Buch coaeoloB activity, of such riulif " cniil Mr. O'Hrinn. ''but. vo see. ho fought th'man that brought it to Bplondid achievement along eo many " llHHn &1. St . lnn - ill n t list 1-t ai n III1UB, LUill UWUUIU BUU1I1 lUUl IIU HUD him whb wan o' theBO autygraft-huntora an' ho chuckod him out o' the houBO." "Did you colobrato tho Fourth?" asked Maud. "Yes," anbworod Millie; "Rog?ie grown completely into hia greatest solf, and that, bo young n monarch, ho is coming into hiB kingdom, of which, sinco ho waB twelve yoare old ho ha9 beon hoir apparent. To tho thousands popped, and I promisod to bo a sister to of poopi0 wno follow this man'a work him." and proross with an interest ulmost poreonal, it may havo occurred to woa- "Bortio," said his mothor, severely, dor just whoro and what Vinoacro is, "tho cook Bays you throw lirocrnckere and just whoro is tho fortunato spot into tho kitchon." from whonco theso melodies como. "Well, papa Baid thiB moruing ho Down tho Ohio rivor Bomo iittoon miles thought b!io needed a blowing up, eo I from Pittsburg in Edgcworth. Tnoro, thought I'd do it," anawored Bortio. on tho groon, wooded hills that rise "I'm glad," said Bobbie, at tho break- abruptly from tho rivor, in Vinoacre, fast-table, Fourth-of-July morning, tho old mansion whoro Etholbort Novin "that Oeorgo Washington and tho other was born and whoro ho spent hiB boy- followB decided on tho fourth inBtoadof hood, a happy, happy boyhood it was, tho third." "Why?" said hia fathor. "BocauBO all tho fun would havo beon ovor today," nnaworod hia little son. for thoro was music in tho rivor and in tho trocB and mueic in tho boy's heart and tho woods wero full of his pinging feuthorod brothers and tho world was a good placo to livo in. It was thoro that "I don't aee," Baid Floasio, throwing a ho wrote hia fSoronado," and "O, That torpedo on tho ground with a bang, 0 tWo Vero Maying," and 'Doris" "how thoy manugo to blow up a big ship anu jt wfta there that ho wroto "Narcis- with ono of those things." bub," that melody us familiar now as tho "Oh, you girls can't expect to under- world's oldest classics, that every ono of stand about such things," said Tommy U8 Beemed to have heard some summer in a euperior manner, "Of courso tho day a the fields and woods when wo torpedoes they uao aro about a hundred woro children, and thon lost it again, times aa big, and thoy uso a derrick to until thiB boy on tho banks of tho Ohio lift thorn und drop them on tho ship." brought it back to us from A ready. But back to Vinoacro. It is a big "In view of tho pwesont wolatione bo- rambling old houso that has boon fro- tweon Gweat Bwitain and tho Unitod quontly added to and robuilt to conform States," said Chollio, "1 tyink it's vowy to tho taatoa of its occupants. Mr. bad form for us to build bo fast a yacht Novin has four brothers, all men of de- a b tho Columbia seems to no. n win uu cided mates, and tnoy each navo ap partmonta to suit their hobbies. In tho cuntor of tho houeo is tho library, tho big room lined with books from lloor to coiling whoro Robert Novin, Etholbort's futbor, student and man of lottore, Btill spends his tranquil days in study. It waa in that room that tho boy told all hia childish troubles, and it whb thoro ho wont, aftor a brief clerkship with the Pennsylvania railroad company to ask his fathor to roloaso him from his irk- outwageoua if we boat our doah bwoth orB acwcsB tho soa." "That'll bo all right," Baid Jimpson. "Don't worry, Chollio. "I saw Mr. Ieolin tho other night, and it'B all boon arrang ed. Tho race is to bo a tio." A 6tatiBtician figures out that eating steadily for eight hours a day for thirty Mjvon years, eix months and twenty throo days, Admirablo Dowoy will bo dinners to which ho Una aireaay invited. These do not include breakfn9ta and however. luncheonB in ablo to got away with one-half of tho eomo dutioB, to lot him bo poor all hia .tinnnm tr whii'h ho hue ulreadv been lifo and boa musician. God bus boon tho good to Etholbort Novin from tho boiin- hia honor ning, and ho hiiB given him other good things than genius. Next to getting tho right wifo, tho boat fortune which bofel Dimloigh I understand thero is a him whb in having tho right fathor. Ho akeloton in tho closet at your bourding wa6 too fragilo and too highly Btrung a houso. lad to havo brookod much opposition. Sllmloigh I don't know about that und an unsympathetic fathor might but thoro'll Boon bo ono in a hall bed- hvo wrecked his boy's curoer ut tho be- room. ginning- Last Sunday, on tho porch at Vinoacro, I got tho old gontloman to toll mo again that Btory I havo heard bo often and novor tiro of hearing, of how ho uood to find tho boy picking out tunoB on tho piano when ho waa in kiltB, and how whon hia Iittlo sister wont to take her music lesson, Etholbort usod to roll up a newspaper for a music roll and trot aftor hor and play ho whb taking lessons, too. "Ono day," said Mr. Novin, "whon ho was a Iittlo chap, I whb com ing down tho hall and hoard him drnvi' miny somothlng I had novor hoard. I stopped and usked him what it waa and ho Baid ho waa 'making it up.' It was not just liko tho things othor boys 'mako up' and I stopped out on tho porch hero und for the first time thought ubout the child's tuBto soriousl; and decided to put him under a teacher." Whon Ethol bort whs olovon years old his first com position was publishnd, a polka of which eomo fow copies aro still oxtant, und on tho cover was printed "By Bortio Novin, Aged eleven." The rhyino was Bung to him at school until ho was very sick of it. Ho was rathor a girlish Iittlo boy, al ways much concerned about his mother's droBsos and fond of masquerading in dreBses himself, bo sensitive and tender of hoart and bo grieved for anything in pain that his family inBt'nctivoly kept unpleasant things from him. Ho was always wanting to play boys' gamos, but lacked tho strongth and persistence to succeed. Thoy tell a funny Btory of how ho ono day ran in flushed and pant ing to his mothor and proudly an nounced that the big boys had taken him into thoir ball nine. "La that so, Bertio, and what do you play?" "Why, mothor, I'm umpire, think of that!" And then ho ran away to tho piano and had it but with himself and forgot his honors. II. quicks ann's lodok. ''To Arcady has't never been? Hark, while I give the mystic key, The pass word that shall let thee in To Arcady!" Mcnwrii'H. Wordx by J. R. White, mwtie by Ethel bert Nevin. Now and thon one finds ono of Mr. Novin's earlier songs "dedicated to Miss Ann Paul." Miss Paul is now Mrs. Nevin and that ie why Mr, Nevin'a music room at Edgeworth is called Queen Ann's Lodge. Whon Mr. Nevin roturnod from hia long sojourn in Europe last year, ho decided to work at homo for a timo. Ho was tired of wan dering and tired of excitemont; ho had a brain full and a hoart full of matorial and ho wuntod to settle quiotly down and uao it. Thon ho tittod up Queen Ann's Lodge A muBic room! It ia a houeo of song, rathor, a fivo room cot tugo acroBB tho Holds from Vinoacro, and eomeono has called tho vino covered walk thut leads to it "The Road to Ar cady." Thero ib a music room, a study, a bed room with Bsvoro little iron bed stead, a bath room und u kitchon. Thoro are divans and easy ehuira und turkish rugs and an old Venetian lamp and desks and a concort piano and shelves of music und copies of old pic tures, potraite of Wugnor and Chopin and Mr. Novin's own portrait dono for Mrs. Novin by CharloB Dana Gibson, photographs of singorB and artists and litorateurs, from all ovor tho world, bucIi lumber ua an urtiet brings with him when ho roturns from going' to and fro in tho ourth and from walking it up and down. Thero tho songs of tho Vino acroBorioB woro writton, and thoro bo many more aro being writton. Thoro I hoard his "A Day in Vonico" whilo it was still in manuEcript, and thoro aro ho Bcoroa and notes of songB and pian forto compositions yot to bo. III. II. UUSIONUOLO. "He built on man's broad nature gift of gifts, That power to buildl The world contented shifts With counterfeits enough, a dreary sort Of warriors, statesmen, ere it can extort It's poet-soul." Sordcllo . It WU8 twilight; eomo half dozen of us woro seated around tho music room whon Nevin began to sing. He makea no pretention to being a vocalist, When ho was a child ho UBed to sing for charity concerts and stauding on a tablo usod to warblo an oxtonsivo prima donna roportoiro. Ho expected then to sing all hiB life. Thon, whon ho wbb fourteen his voico loft him, but the hoart in him wub still singing as it will always. He waa very miserable when bo could not eing anymore, until, in tho language of an old book, the Comforter came to him, and he began to write songs of bis own and found it almost as satisfactory aa singing other peoples'. He novor sings in public now, but it is poBsible to sing very well indeed with out much voico, and ho can do it. Ab I said, it waa twilight and some half dozen of us were seatod about the room when Novin bogan to sing. First camo a Lovo song in Italian, not yet publiehod. Thon a song to the words ofCatullo Monde?, also yet in manu script. Then he warmed to hiB work, and saqg because he wanted to and they came ono after another without preface or prelude; "The Rosary," "O That Wo Two Were Maying," "When the Land Waa White With Moonlight," "Dites-Moi," "'Twas April," "A Fair Good Morn," "The Mill Song," "The Necklace,"' "Thero, Littio Girl, Don't Cry." Ho Booms to have written nearly all the songs ono greatly careB for, this man, and whon you stop to think of it, thoro is Boldom a concort anywhere at which ono does not hoar a song that, at Bomo timo or another, has como "from Vineacro." There wbb only tho candle light in the room, lamps aro never UEod there. Tho composer's face was in the shadow but tho light fell on that noble head and touched tho hair already gray with tho labor of giving tivo hundred com petitions to tho world in tte last ten years. Gray hair above a face bo young, so lyric, bo mobile is a strange thins; to ee. It is as though the kiBS of the muse had left its visible mark, and tells that if his wooing of her has been happy it has not been altogether pain leas. Hie wife eat loaning against the piano, in black and white, looking more than ever like ono of the more tender and companionate of Botticelli's Ma donnas. Somehow Mrs. Nevin has al ways aeemed to mo a good deal liko her husband's music, there is in her some thing of tho same idealism and dolicate sympathy and sweotnoss, Perhaps the music has grown to resemble the wo man, porhaps tho woman haa grown to rosomblo tho music, but in fancy I can never quito aoparato them. Tho muBic wont on and on for two hours-, ua mortale count timo I don't know by whut syBtom thoy computo it on Parnaesua or in Arcudy, but a Greek said that Bomotimes tho hours of men aro tho yoars of tho goda. The Btars camo out, and tho frogs kopt up an ac companiment outside, perhaps from eomo pool into which, years ago, Nevin looked und found Narcissus. IV. UN OIOKNO IN. VKNKZIA. "What, they lived once thus at Venice Where the merchants were the kings, Where St. Mark's is, where the Doges Used to wed the sea with rings?" A Toevato of GaluppVs Last of all, Novin playod for us his V II r gJ"'l 1"U'WI
