Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 1901)
THE COURIER. -, th.it instrument, and had written two very creditable light operas, "The Wizard of the Nile" and "The Sere nade." The first of these two in melodic quality was certainly superior to any cuiiiic opera that had been originated in this country for many years. The instrumentation was broad and skill ful and the opera was ricli in naif and catchy arias. The first thing Mr. Herbert did after he took charge of the orchestra was to enlarge it from sixty to eighty pieces, putting in a large portion of brasses, which he declared indispensable to the produc tion of Wagnerian music. "The trick of the ex bandmaster," as Frederick Archer, the organist, contemptuously declared. From a business point of view, Mr. Herbert's directorship has been a uiost successful one. He is a good '"business man and a born manager of men. His musicians swear that he's the best fellow in the world and the most generous. lie lias helped the orchestra to get clear of debt and to make money. He has discharged his duties faithfully and yet found time to swell his private income by writing such execrable musical nonsense as "The Ameer," "The Fortune Teller" and "The Singing Girl," besides sev eral orchestral suites and one sym phonic poem, "Hero and Leandar," which abound in cleverness, yet totally lack any reason for existence. The truth of the matter is simply that Herbert is wholly mercenary and is in no sense a conscientious music ian. With the constitution and ani mal energy of the Irish giants who may have been his direct ancestors, he is able to eat and drink and work enormously without showing any evi dences of wear and tear. An organizer, a clever workman and a good citizen the man surely is, but to ask for inspired composition or for y irreproachable interpretation from Iiuu is, to reverse Charles Lamb's simile, like asking for champagne at a mutton shop. FROM MEMORY'S RIVER. KLL.V WHEKLKR WILCOX. Not every air that a master composes Can tnrill human heart-strings with pleasure or pain; But strange, simple chords, like the scent of tbe roses, Breathe out of some measures, tho' simple the strain. And lo ! when you hear them you love them and fear them, You tremble with anguish; you thrill with delight ; For back of them slumber old dreams without number, And faces long vanished peer out into sight. Some airs are like outlets of memory's ocean ; They rise in the past and flow into the heart ; And down them float shipwrecks of mighty emotions, All sea soaked and storm tossed and drifting apart. Their fair timbers battered, their lordly sails tattered, Their skeleton crews of dead days on their decks ; Then a crash of chords blending, a crisis - an ending, The music is over, and vanished the wrecks. An exchange says that a Nebraska editor dreamed that he died and, of courpe, went to heaven. Ho knocked at the golden gate and was promptly ad mitted. After spending several hours taking in tbe eights of the city ho came upon a man in chains. This greatly surprised him, so he inquired of St. Peter if they had to punish men in heaven. "Oh," aaid the good saint, "that man is just from Nebraska and we always have to chain INobraskaos to keep thorn from going Hack." OC00000000 I LBBS- I I Edited by Mbs Helen G. 1 larwood oooodooooceooocoooeeooo All clubs belonging tn tho N. F. W. C. who have rotained library books longer than six months will please re turn them at once to tho stato librarian, Mrs. Hello M. Sloutenborough, Platts moutb, Nebraska. Mrs. Stnatenborough wishes to mako a new catalogue of tbe books beforo the meeting at Wayno. A following comprehensive report of tbe twenty-third annual mooting of tho American Library association, contrib uted by the state librarian, Mra. Stout enborough, will bo of interest to club workers: The association has not met in the middle-west since 1S93, but the progress made in library work in this section dur ing the past few years seemed to "beck on" to the eastern librarians to come west and interchange idoas and experi encesnot over the teacups, but over a glass of the famous Waukesha springs water. Waukesha is an ideal place for a meet ing; and Fountain Spring House, with its wide halls, beautiful parlors and grand porches, was selected as head quarters for the A. L.A. Tho general sessions and Bection as well as the com mittee meetings were all held at tho hotel, and the management spared no pains to give their seven hundred and iifty library guests a-good time. "It doesu't look as though tho country was going to the dogs because of the lack of library privileges," I overheard a gentleman say in tho elevator at the Fountain Spring House. One can only realize the wonderful impetus given to library work this last year when she roads the report of George Watson Cole, chairman of the commit'.oo on gifts and bequests made to the A. L. A. The magnificent sum of SIG,l'5O,220.12 has been distributed this year in 105 sepa rate gifts; 391 in thirty-nine of tho Uni ted States, nine in the British provinces and two in Scotland. Tbe amount so vastly increased over that of last year is largely due to tho munificent gifts of Andrew Carnegie. His gifts afono ag gregate 811,210,500. Tho transfer of the John Carter Brown library to Hrown university by tho trustees of the Hrown estate, is ono of tho important library events of tho year. This library contains ono of tho finest collections of Americana in this country. It is estimated that tho library is worth 51,000,000, and carries with it legacies of $050,000 for endowment fund and library building. Tho topic which seemed to bring out the warmest discussion was "Trustee ship of Literaturo." Mr. Georgo lies of New York and Dr. Richard T. Ely of tho University of Wisconsin addressed the general assembly on opposite sides of tho question. At the close of their pa pers a general discussion followed which lasted until the hour of adjournment. Mr. lies supported the plan of trustee ship, Baying that a great many people waste much valuablo time in reading worthless works, when a proper system of trusteeship would post them as to what books would bo or valuo to them and what ones they should let alone. He also thought a criterion could be established for tho selection of library bookn, stating which should be used in libraries with reference to topics. Dr. Eiy objected especially to this plan. "Have we," said Dr. Ely. "a judic ial body of men who could render these estimates?'' He spoke of the frequent narrowness and prejudice of book re viewers. "Above all things," he said, "the effort should bo to keep a free way for new truths." There were so many helpful suggest ions given at each general session that one can Bcvrcelj toll wheio to glean in writing a brief account of tho Wauke sha meeting. The most interesting public meeting (at least to tho club womon) waa held Wodnasday morning, July 10. At this noeting papers were road on tho intlu enco of woraon's work in library schools, and how to secure state library commis sions. Mrs. E J. Dockery, secretary of tho Idaho Free Library commission, told in a most interesting way how tho women of her stato secured a library commission. At Hoiso City thore is a club of two hundred womon, and they wont to work last fall to secure legisla tion. "They lobbied," sho said, "and tho mombers of our legislaturo weio only too glad to stand us sponsors for our library bill." There were committooB on the press and committees on personal interviowB indeed, all the regular chan nels were worked to a finish. The bill, carrying an appropriation of 8)7,000, passed with only one dissenting voto, and when tho momber who cast tho "nay" was interviewed, ho said tho wo men had failed beforo to interview him. The women who worn interested in House Roll No. 2, in Nebraska, during our last legislature, wojld tell a differ ent story. Mr. T. L. Montgomery of Philadel phia, told how they passed a library bill through tho Pennsylvania legisla ture. Tho bill had been put off from timo to time. It was tho last session. Many of tho members those of sober stand ing wore asleep, and those who wero not included in this list had taken "a wee drop too much." As the rolls of names was called off, an insignificant looking little man, over in ono corner of the room, called off. from time to time, an "aye," which was duly recorded by tho clerk. When the vote was announced it stood 127 affirmative. "Well," said the little man over in tho corner, "wo only netded 107 that is what I call overdoing it." Mrs. II. M. Youmans of Waukesha, president of the Wisconsin state federa tion of clubs, spoke of tho proud place that Wisconsin holds in library work, through tho pationt labor of club wo men. Mrs. L. A. Stearns of Milwaukee, tho pioneer woman of the northwest in tho traveling library movement, gave some personal reminiscences, which were most interesting. Heforo adjournment an invitation from Portsmouth, England, was read, urging the members of tho A. L. A. to attend their annual session tho coming fall. The invitation comes from tho library association of tho United Kingdom. There waB a memorial to the late John Fisko, which was as follows: "Tho news having reached us of the death of John Fisko, once our profes sional associate, we, tho American Li brary Association, desire to make record of our profound grief at tho departure of a writer who was a dominant force in American literature, and to express our sense that in this passing of a great thinking historian, our land and our time have sustained irreparable loss.' It was an inspiration to see and hear such men as Melvil Dewey and William A. Eastman of tho New York state library; Herbert Putnam, librarian of the congressional library; Henry J. Carr (president A. L. A.) of Scranton, Penn.; William Fletcher, Amherst college; John Cotton Dana of Springfield, Mass.; Frank A. Hutchins, secretary ef tbe Wisconsin library association; Dr. James II. Canfleld of Columbia university; Johnson L. Rrigham of Des Moines; J. T. Wyer, jr., of our own state univer sity, together with the brilliant speak ersthe women, who were accorded not a little praise at this 23d annual meet ing of tbe A. L. A. As I looked over tho large audience ono evening, this thought came to me: "What a moeting of noble in on and wo men, interested in this groat work educating tho masses through tho free public library and Nebraska is in line." Objectionable Advertising. A discussion of disfigurement which starts with the appeal to proeerve natu ral beauty leads us to the increasing ugliness of the modern city from which tho contamination spreads. Henry H. Fullor, tho novelist, a few months ago suddenly awoko to find himself a nation al issue, as tho outcomo of a frank talk on Amorican art. Ho oxprossod tho opinion that tho Amorican people wero ossontially inartistic. Ho wont further and said that tho ontiro English-speaking people were unesthetic and con cluded by Baying that the Anglo Saxon mind had no conception of art separated from othicai considerations. This brought forth protests most bit ter from tho whole northern race and became an astonishment to tho gentlo pessimist who only expoctod to reach the limited group to whom ho talked. Among other things Mr. Fuller based his assertions upon was tho ugliness of Amorican cities; not only upon their lack of good art but thoir amazing sam pies of bad art. And what patriotic cit izen does not resent criticism of his city? Hut much to our delight wo find that the Amorican people aro becoming more and moro interested in municipal art tho aim of which is to realize that dream of tho artist and poet tho city beauti ful. Thoro is much in our cities that is beautiful and well worthy of preserva tion, but is so surrounded by die tractive elemonts that we often fail to see it. Tho first step, therefore, is to roifcovo these obstructions bo that we can take an inventory of what is really available for tho construction of tho city beauti ful. Municipal reformers havo already taken up the question of clean streets and smokeless chimneys with somo hope of success. And we women, while strongly second ing their efforts can turn our attontiun to more neglected questions. Perhaps the most distracting of all these nuisances that mar the appear ance of our streets aro tho signs and signboards. While walls are covered whole houses are besmeared with hide ous hues, and the high billboards full of glaring posters tho most otTensivo fea tures aro thoso which display in a prom inent way nude figures. It may be ditlicult to some to under stand why wo object to these and ad mire the beautiful classic lines as dis played by the master's brush, and hung on the walls of our art galleries. The latter inspire no impure thoughts, fur we aro only conscious of beautiful col oring aad graceful lines; these only.ap peal to our love of the beautiful, while in the poster it is demoralizing, as it ap peals to the baser feelings. It has been said by one, "The graceful form of wo man may be made to picture a Madon na or a Magdalene." We surround our children with the beautiful and protect them from the contamination of bad bookB by our watchful care, but we ca not protect them from tho harmful in fluence of the glaring poster on the bill, boards that confront him on every side, and we, therefore, question the right it has bas to flaunt itself beforo the pub lic. We think the crusade against it is a most just one and should be carried on most earnestly by our club women until it be made to conform with the most rigid ideas of decency or else com pelled to go. We have watched with interest the work of the British society for checking the abuses of public advertising, known 3 3 1 B 'A 1 Vk ft If n hU "" 3t JM it A ': U i J !! i k X 4 I ;. ) ftl; -1 u 21 i il i ,;J -I
