THE COURIER
:j
greaves, the chain-mail of the old war
riors who fought the battles of the
middle ages made up of single handed
combats between man and man. I're
eocious nine-year olds gaze with scorn
upon pictures of ancient warriors light
ing with their antequated weaions.
"Just give me a uornl revolver and I
would linlsli that fellow in a minute,"
is what the little boy said while exam
ining a piece of sculpture representing
two Creek warriors engaged in a light
with short swords.
The love of ancient times, of remote
ancestors comes with maturity when
we begin to realize the strenuousness
of the struggle and that the breath
comes short and muscles ache whether
we light with the weapons of modern
warfare or with ancient arms. The
frame of man is exactly the same now
"as when, clothed in the skins of ani
mals, he fought man anil beast with
sharpened Hint.
"Four Old Greeks," by Miss Jennie
Hall, instructor in history in the Chi
cago Normal School, Is a collection of
biographies subtly calculated to
awaken a deeper love for the heroic In
conduct and character. The story of
Hercules and how he killed the lion
and the hydra and established the
Olympian games is more stimulating
than tales of old Sleuth. Only the
former is ancient, and modern boys are
afraid of being "kidded" with stories
that are not true. Achilles, Dionysos
and Alkestis are the three other heroes
whose exploits Miss Hall recites so
spiritedly. The only way to find out
whether boys' books will accomplish
their object is to try them on a boy.
If he ties himself into the contortionist
position boys assume when they read a
dime novel, the book is a success.
"Four Old Greeks," to a grown person
who has forgotten what Dionysos did
to attain immortality. Is an interesting
book. It is illustrated by pictures taken
from exhumed vases, funeral urns and
sarcophagi, contains a pronouncing vo
cabulary and directions to teachers
who wish to make the old Greeks real
to their pupils by constructing armor
and arms.
The last two books of the series
which the publishers have named
"Lights of Literature" contain short
biographies of the men and women who
have made English literature, with a
few of their shorter poems or essays or
stories. At the back of each book there
are explanatory notes and questions di
recting the reader's attention to the
more subtle meanings. The live books
of the series are admirably calculated
to provide youngsters with high ideals
and a taste for literature. They are
published by Kami. McNally and Com
pany, and all are exquisitely illustrated
and neatly bound.
Diplomas for Vocal Teachers
During a meeting of the vocal depart
ment of the New York Musical League
on January 2, the subject of compelling
vocal teachers to take u state exam
ination was discussed. The question
announced was: "Besblved, that legis
lation is as important in the musical
profession as in law or medicine." To
cripple or destroy a noble voice is an
overwhelming misfortune to the singer
and a distinct and irreparable loss to
humanity. Yet there is no law to pre
vent any one who chooses to do so from
teaching singing. Dentists, doctors and
lawyers for their own protection and
for the protection of the teeth and Hesh
and bones and property of the com
munity have induced legislatures to
pass laws restricting the practice of
law or medicine to individuals holding
a diploma from some reputable school
or front the bar.
The American student colony of Ber
lin is agitated by the revelations In the
cases of two Chicago young women who
came to Berlin for the purpose of cul
tivating their voices. A well-known, but
not reputable singing teacher told them
that the tone and quality of their
voices would be Improved if two or
three times a day they would thrust a
steel cylinder down their throats.
They followed his advice and doctors
have found that their vocal cords are
severed and bleeding. All chance of
singing is dissipated. The Germans al
lege that two-thirds of the 150,000 mu
sic teachers who support themselves
by giving Americans vocal lessons are
incompetent and do not know the
mechanism of the delicate instruments
which their owners pay a large price
to learn how to use. To maintain the
prestige of Berlin as the musical cen
tre and to protect the reputations ami
incomes of those teachers who have
had the conscience to learn and who
possess the talent to teach music, as
well as for the benefit of the unsophist
icated strangers who go to Germany
to study music, it is proposed to bring
a bill before the Reichstag compelling
all teachers of singing to pass a state
examination and be able to display a
diploma stating their competency.
Ilerr Leonard Liebling, a Berlin
critic, says: "American students will
take the liveliest interest in the pro
posed legislation, because they are the
most numerous and obliged to pay the
highest prices for education. In Berlin
alone American students spend 3,000,000
marks, or $750,000 a year for music les
sons. A large percentage of the teach
ers not only fail to teach anything, but
often spoil talent."
The reform proposed by the New
York .Musical League and by the best
teachers of Berlin is a measure which
cries out for accomplishment. There
are large obstacles in the way of get
ting a few hundred legislators, whether
they are members of the Ueichslag or
of the New York legislature, to pass
such a bill. Musicians are not apt to
be politicians. They are men ignored
by the man of affairs. Long-haired,
with dieamy eyes and often eccentri
cally dressed, they are ignored by the
piocession of square-shouldered, push
ing men who get elected to the legis
lature and make laws for dreamers and
everybody else. There is one exception,
the bandmaster of San Francisco, who
is now the mayor. He has the peculiar
appearance of the musician, but he was
able to attract the serious consideration
of liremen, janitors, street-hawkers,
draymen and of all other sturdy labor
ers in the work of a great city by the
same organizing ability that made him
a successful bandmaster. The singu
larity of his success demonstrates the
isolation of most musicians. The very
ideal qualities which contribute to their
success as musicians unlit them for
finance, legislation and politics. It is
therefore doubtful if a body of mu
sicians can succeed In inducing a legis
lature or a Iteichstag to pass a. law
whose provisions will deprive some of
their constituents of the means of
livelihood.
& iS
State Historical Society
Last week was signalized in Nebras
ka by the annual meeting of the His
torical society. Farmers, lawyers, edi
tors, teachers, artisans, merchants,
civil engineers all sorts and conditions
of men are members of this society.
Papers are read by college men and by
men who never went further than the
high-school. But scholarship, judging
by the work of the representative men
who read papers before the society, has
permeated all classes. Carefully, with
a scholar's large patience, the members
of the society are gathering together
the records of Nebraska. Mr. Blackmaa,
the archaeologist of the society, says
that the standard works on archaeology
announce that this state has no
archaeological remains. This Is error.
Mr. Blackmail has examined the ex
cavations of several square miles of
the state and has found pottery. Hints
and a small sculptured head. He says
that there is no state In the Union
which has a greater number of re
mains hidden by the sod.
A remarkable and exceedingly val
uable set of maps of Nebraska, show
ing the changes in the boundaries of
the state and the internal county
changes that have taken place since it
was first organized, have been prepared
and presented to the society by Mr. H.
L. Sayre. Mr. Sayre said his attention
was first directed to the subject of
which he afterwards made an exhaust
ive study, by reading the proclamation
of Territorial Governor Cummings.
Mr. Sayre noticed that Governor Cum
mings' location of two coun.ies did not
agree with their modern g. Jgraphical
location. In the course of nis investi
gations he found a map ot 1855 which
from its correspondence with the gov
ernor's definition Mr. Sayre concluded
was the map used by that official in lo
cating the counties referred to. From
the reports of the territorial legislat
ures Mr. Sayre then drew and mimed
a series of maps representing the state
and counties in every phase of the
changes created by the federal govern
ment and by the legislature. The bills
changing the boundaries of the coun
ties and describing their location by
their relation to rivers or other natural
boundaries are occasionally very much
mixed topographically. Where there is
a conflict between the actual topog
raphy and the geography of the leg
islators, an irreconciliahle discrepancy,
Mr. Sayre marked it "conlllct." and
went on to the next confusing phase of
toiinty reorganization. In the original
territory set aside as Nebraska by the
federal government two counties were
first organized and named Morton and
Wilson counties respectively. This was
when the territory of Nebraska includ
ed large slices of the states which now
bound it on the west, north ami south.
The magnificent area called Morton
county, in honor of Mr. J. Sterling Mor
ion was lost to the state of Nebraska
by being apportioned by congress to an
otner state in order t- make the states
of uniform size. Mr. Sayre's last map
showed the counties as the last terri
torial legslature left them. Since the
territory was made into a state, the
county changes have continued. The
western counties are still large and
their settlement and agricultural devel
opment will produce further changes.
But surveys have been made and maps
are fairly accurate. It is not likely that
any future legislative body after the
fashion of past legislatures will Ignore
topography and counties already named
and located. Mr. Sayre's maps from
the period of statehood to date will in
volve less critical choice of contlicting
testimony. The maps are large, neatly
lettered, and of great value to the his
torical records of the state.
The same impulse which led the ab
origine to cut a runic history of his
tribe on rock and bits of horn or bone,
induced Mr. Sayre to make this long
series of maps, some of which record
only slight changes in the political
boundaries. For love of his race and
that his children and his children's
children should have definite records
of the changes effected in the state, the
expert engineer made these maps. The
aborigine and the map-maker receive
the same reward: the consciousness of
extra duty done. No one would have
blamed either aborigine or the modern
man for ignoring his impulse to com
plete a record, but posterity would
have been the poorer. It Is a far cry
between the aborigine's pictures and
Mr. Sayre's work, the difference be
tween crudeness and the finished pro
duct of a scientific mind. But the his
torical impulse, the willingness to
search Imperfect records for jewels of
truth, to labor without recompense or
chance of fame is the same in abor
igine and scientist.
The reverence a man has for the
heaps of stones piled up by his ancest
ors to mark Historical crises is wnat
separates him from the brute and is a
sign of his high calling. In the days
of old when a man wanted to be extra
good he went off into a cave and said
several hundred prayers a day. Soli
tude has its uses, and if more men and
women went into retreat and reflected
on their mistakes and strengthened
themselves for new efforts the world
would be better. The most perfect man
that ever lived felt the need of isola
tion. Sometimes He sought it on the
sta, sometimes on the mountain tops,
anon In a desert. But His work was
done in the midst of the multitude, for
the multitude. The herndt fashion is
gone. Only cranks isolate themselves
completely and permanently. Man's
work is more and more done In concert
with countless other hands that chisel,
weigh and measure. Associations and
churches are doing the work of evan
gelists. Steadily the idea of combina
tion is growing and spreading. Any
thing which makes more obvious the
connection of man with man and the
relation of one decade to another
strengthens the ties that bind.
The papers contributed by Mr.
I.innax of the I'liinii l'acllle In regard
to the early impetus given to the set
tleiueut of Nebraska by the I'nlon I'.i
title railroad, and by Mr. Ager of the
Burlington concerning the methods and
reason for a railroad's participation In
polities, serve to emphasize the agree
meat between the people and the roads,
their mutual dependence and slmultan
eons development.
One of the most useful Institutions
in the state Is the historical society.
The valuable collections which the of
ficers and members of the society have
made are crowded Into the basement
of the university library. The move
inent to provide a separate building
should receive the encouragement of
every one. A knowledge of what the
society is accomplishing and an inspec
tion of the records and areliaeoliigl.nl
lemains preserved In the crowded
rooms convince the Incredulous of the
need of fireproof and more commod!
011s rooms for the society.
a-
A Bad Way
When editors desire to find fault wit.i
the Omaha Kxcelsior. they call the
editor, Mr. Clement Chase. Clemen
tina, and apply a feminine pronoun to
his paper. Mr. Morton, editor of the
Conservative, was rebuked by Mr.
Chase for mentioning that the credit
of the city of Omaha was not gilt
edged. Mr. Morton replied, not by
proving his statement, but by calling
The Kxcelsior "she." which reminds
my 'of the procedure between two
darkies who disagree. Instead of prov
ing his case the one who gets mad first
calls the other "a black nigger." Thei(
they are both mad and truth perches
afar off. Of the two contestants Mr.
Chase does not call Irrelevant names,
but with dignity asks Mr. Morton to
prove what he says about Omaha's
credit or retraet an unsubstantiated as
sertion. Anyone can call names,
human eccentricity is so common and
the most eccentric person Is so uncon
scious of how funny he is that it is not
safe to call names or make faces In
public. The sex of an editor has noth
ing whatever to do with the logic or
the "nervousness" of the editorials. If
it had the public would expect from
the editor of the "Conservative" a
temperate, logical, virile discussion of
public matters, a discussion not pep
pered with epithets and insinuations.
As It is but the bears ate up the scof
fers who laughed at the prophet, anil
this department is edited by a timid
woman who is afraid of bears.
.- "v "-
The Strollers
Color, laughter, catchy song. dam tntr
light as elf. lovely scenery, charming
costumes this is The Strollers. It is
probably the translation of a German
play, because it is funny without
coarseness. American farces are
laughed at only bv the men and boys
fi ?
(J. F. Harris 1
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