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Show • • Page Eight THE MIDVALE JOURNAL Friday, August 9, 1 Myrna l:of ... en PETER GNOME AT PARTIES people in Fairyland were alT HE ways very much interested In hearing what the children were doing, of their games and their frolics and Peter Gnome often used to go to children's parties and watch them at play. It really wasn't rude of him for he put on his invisible robe so RO one could see him and he wasn't in the way at all. lie had a beautiful time early one morning watching two children playIng the telephone game. They each had a ilttle toy telephone and they played that they were tele- ' By ELMO SCOTT WATSON since the world began men have gone to war and, going, having sung songs. Among savages the singing of war songs was an essential part of the preparation for battle, but in so-called "civilized warfare," soldiers have light ened campaign hardships or camp life monotony ~Y singing about their officers their regiments, what the~ ha~ to eat and the shelter, or lack of It, In which they slept, as wei! as any number of other details of their everyday life. In this respect the soldiers of the American army, ever since there was such an institution, have been no dlf· !erent from the soldiers of other nations. What is a typical American soldier song? The answer Is: there is no such thing I The type of song that was popular among our soldiers of one period, the soldiers of another war would scorn to sing. With but few exceptions, perhaps, the songs which were sung during one war are all but forgotten by the time another war comes along. For the soldier song is one of the most ephemeral things in the world. I<'ortunately for our national ballad· ry, there has recently been collected in one volume the greater part of our soldier songs "from Yankee Doodle to Patley Voo," which at·e published under the title of "Sound Oft'!" by the Cosmopolitan Book corporation of New York. The collector of these sollg!il Is Lieut. Edward Arthur Dolph of the United States Military academy at West Point and two brother officers on the academy staff ha\'e co-operated with him in producing a piece of work which, aside from its Inherent interest, has great historic value. ThE-y are Lieut. Philip Egner, teacher of music, who arranged the music for many of the songs In the book, and Lieut. Lawrence Schick, instructor In drawing, who made the illustrations. In the foreword to the book, Peter B. Kyne, a veteran of the Spanish· American and World wars, makes the following comment: "A soldier song Is, essentially, a song of the people. Its melody must be simple, the words either sad or humorous, and it must have a resounding chorus In which the tone-deaf can join without fe~u of discovery. It Is for this reason that the most popular song of the Wor!:l war was 'All We Do Is Sign the Pay Roll,' sung to the tune of 'Jolm Brown's Body.' Then, too, It lent It· selt readily to Improvisation. I remember a chief cook I had. He had a bellowing baritone and was one of the funniest men I ever knew. One day, after having passed through three British rest camps, this fellow suddenly roared forth: 'All we do Is go to rest camps-'. A joyous shout greeted this opening line. The men knew Instantly what was coming and with mighty I vigor, Indeed, did they come in on the last line: 'And we never get a d-d r--~1 VER E .Old Superstition During the Middle ages the signs of the zodiac were supposed to influence human life and wet·e distributed to different parts of the human body. Disease was supposedly curet! by the aid of the zouincal power presiding over that part of the body. '!.'he dominion of the moon o\·er the botly as she pa.;scs thro Jgh the 12 signs of the zodiac is as follows: Al'ie«, head and face (rum) ; 'l',.urus, neck and throat I'T76 -1929 bit of rest !' " His song was a hit I The oldest American war ballad, ac· · cording to Lieutenant Dolph, was "Lovewell's Fight," written about 1725 In commemoration of Captain Lovewell's victory over the Indians at Pig· wacket on May 8 of that year. Just before the Revolution the Americans frequently wrote ballads to express their Ideas about tea and taxation. These ballads, however, were not ne~tr· ly so popular among the soldiers of the Continental army as were son~s which dealt with events of the war Itself, such as the famous "BattlE> of the Kegs," "Mad Anthony Wayne," "Brave Paulding and the Spy," "lliearly all of these Revolutionary songs were sung to tunes borrowed from the British,'' says the author. "This was natural, for soldier songs are generally sung to old, well-known tune.!!, or to popular music of the day. . . • It was not until many years after the Revolution that we began to have a national music of our own." It is interesting to note that the one outstanding song of the Revolution, the one which has survived longest in popular knowledge and which was the basis for other songs during all our wars, down to and including the Civil war, was written originally by a British army surgeon. This was the famous "Yankee Doodle." llere is the story of its origin as Lieutenant Dolph tells it: "In the summer or early fall of 1758, during tht! French and Indian war, a Britlsb army surgeon, Doctor Richard Shuckburgh, who had spent most of his time in America, was encamped with General Abercrombie on the old Van Renss<:!iaer estate, near Albany. A number of provincial troops were mobilizing there. Their rustic appearance was so ludicrous that Doctor Shuckburgh, who was quite a wit, wrote a song about them and set it to an old tune which we now know as 'Yankee Doodle.'" To the men who served in France a decade ago and sang of ''Madelon.'· it may be a surprise to know that "Madelon" was a soldier's sweetheart long before the World war. In proof of that consider this stanza from a soldier song which appeared in oae of the earliest American songsters and was probably sung in the War of 1812: Could you to battle march away And lE-ave me here complaining? I'm ~mre 't would break my heart to stay When you are gone campaigning. Ah, non, non, non! Pauvre 1\fad.,lon Could never leave her lover! Ah, non, non, non! Pauvre Madelon Would go with you all the world over. Although the War of 1812 did not produce many soldier songs-mainly because the army didn't have much to boast about until near the end of the war! But there Is one exception to this statement and it Is "one genuine soldier song that will live as long as the republic-'The Star Spangled Banner.' " For this product of the Inspiration of a volunteer soldier, Francis Scott Hey, has become our national anthem and had thrllled millions of (bull) ; Gemini, arms and shoulders (twins) ; Cancer, breast and stomach (crab); Leo, heart and back (lion) ; VIrgo, bowels and belly (virgin) ; Lib!'ll, reins and loins (balance) ; Scorpio, secret members (scorpion) ; ::lagittarlm;, hips and thighs (archer); Cnpricornus, knees and hams (goat) ; Aquarius, legs and auldes (water bear· er), and Pisces, feet and toes (fi~h). A doctor is up against a stubbom case when hir; patient romes of 1-1 long-llved family. Americans even though not one out of a hundred can sing it all the way through, Unlike the Revolution und the War of 1812, the Mexican war produced no great outstanding song which has sur· vived to the present time. In the main, this conflict saw the revival of the favorite songs of the two previous wars mentioned, although the soldiers, both volunteer and regular, seized UP· on the opportunity offered by various events in the Mexican campaigns to compose crude songs which were sung to familiar tunes. "No other war in our country's history produced as many songs as the Civil war," says Lieutenant Dolph. "The struggle lasted so lollg and thP. feeling on each side was so Intense that hundreds or songs of all degrees of merit appeared.'' Some of them seemed destined to be sung as long as the American nation lasts, for such songs as "Battle Cry of Freedom,'' "Dixi-e,'' "Battle Hymn of the Republic,'' "Bunnie Blue Flag,'' "Maryland, My Maryland,'' have become an essential part of the American tradition. "Not all of these songs were sung by the soldiers, however-nor were they intended to be,'' writes the author of "Sound Off!" "Many were wholly unsuitable for camp or marching songs, or were too f.1r removed from the in· timate details and stark realities of a soldier's daily life. . . • As a rule, sentimental songs were not In great favor. • . . As the first wave of feeling passed, and men settled down to the serious business of fighting, marching, sleeping in the mud and rain, and living on 'sow belly' and beans, their attention was more and more focused on the immediate details of their dally life, It was then that true soldier songs were born." For it was at this time that the es!'entlal character of the American soldier began to assert Itself-his nhility to make a jest about danger and hardship and, to seek an emotional outlet by singing satirically about himself and his uncomfortable life. '!'hat quality became even more apparent In the songs of the Spanish-American war and those of the Philippine insurr~c· tlon. And it reached Its full flower in the World war. '£he fact thnt "Hinky Dinky, Parley-Voo" Is the outstanding survivor of the soldier !'ongs sung "over there" reflects as nothing else can the spirit of the young man who took part in the Great Ad,·enture of 1917-18. And lest anyone deplore the fact that the World war songs breathed none of the crusading spirit, let him consider these words of the author of "Sound Oft'!": "Perhaps. after all, it is a blessing that these soldier songs of '17 and '18 were light, nonsensical, and even bawdy. As long as ·soldiers sing these kinds of songs they do not become cynical and bitter, a~:~ dirt the French, Germans and English. The Americans came out of the war with the ablllty quickly to regain their normal perspective. No feeling of hate rankles in their breasts today. This fact alone is worth more than ali the war songs that have ever endured.'' Firat British Flyer Found j The first British subject to make the first flight in a heavier-than-air machine in the British isles hns just been determined by a committee of three appoilltcd by the Hoyal Aero club. It was Col. J. T. C. .l\Ioorenrnhazon, 1\[. P. The flight was made ut some time between April ::o and ;\lay 2. l!)OB. The airplane rose :iO to 80 feet, flew for a quatter to half a mile, and, turning, crashed, with no injury to the pilot, says the com 111 !tt£·e ·s report. they were saying to their llttle dolls: "We have to pay to ride on the cars, bnt you are young enough to travel free.'' Then Peter went to a zoo where most of the people about spoke another language, for he went a long, long way this time. But the animals still grunted and squealed and chat· ted in their own way to Peter's great rellef. Coming back be sailed on an old schooner and had a most adventuresome time. • He sang to himself at times and this was one ot the songs he sang: The ocean and the sky And our boat plowin;; steadily on While trees and land and streets Are QUite completely gone. It was quite true, too, that they had lett trees and streets in the tar distance now for quite a while. He listened to the sea gulls saying the same things oo;-er and over and he thought how much they were llke some people who satd the same things over and over. But they were so graceful ond so beautiful and they always made the scenery more inter<!stlng. Then he liked to hear their funny laughing voices and he thought their good appetitles showed how healthy they were. lie certainly would tell them ln Fairyland, how he l'Ould see, when he looked from the top of the mast, only where the sky and sea met all around. There was a blue ridge fn the distance and bey(lnd he couldn't see. He thought of all the curious things he had seen on this trip-the donkey and dog wagons and how much they had to work. But then, too, he had been in one little place and every day the dogs had all met together on the beach and tmd gone in swimming and had played and had a beautiful time. It had seemed just as If they had named an hour to meet on the beach. He had seen wooily white sheep lying on stones, on rocky hills, and he had watched scampering wild rabbits and great flocks of wild birds. He had made friends with a dear little dog as they had warmed themselves before a fire when every one was out and the little dog had felt so blissful lying on his bark by th~ warm fire and having Peter Gnome rub his chest. Oh, Peter had made many a visit and had seen many a quaint and interesting sight ut home and far away, but the best thing of all was always, he thought, to go back home again l Had Watched Scampering Wild Rabbits and Flocks of Wild Beasts. phoning people just as they had heard their mothers talk. "Hello,'' said one, "please give me 145 Party J." And the other an· swered: "Yes, this is 145 Party J. Did you wish to speak to me?" "Oh, yes, my dear, how are you this morning? Well, I had the loveliest time yesterday afternoon. I called you up to tell yon all about it." Next he saw two children sitting in a big box and the big box was in a still bigger puddle and they were playing that they were on a boat. Another little girl was playing "house" with her friend and she was saying: "Dear Mr. Iceman, why didn't you lea\'e ice for me today? Do you know now where I can get any?" And the other girl who was supposed to 'be the iceman answered in a gruff voice: ''Go to the North pole and you'll find some, lady." Some other children were starting out ,..,ith their dolls for a trip and (Copyright. l q'HE WHY of How It Started By SUPERSTITIONS jEAN NEWTON By H. IRVING KING VERVAIN "DEVIL-MAY-CARE" A Q BOUT all that seems to have surB, THE devil may care!" This vived In this country of the once fs a phrase which we sometimes hear used as an expression of high esteem In which vervain was indlft'erence, or applied to a person held in magic and folk-medicine is its who takes things not very seriously . reputation lUI a cure for fever and or intensely, who does not worry and ague-a reputation which the doctors cannot be ruffled, who Is irresponsi- say ls entirely undeserved. But let science say wnat it may, superstition ble and "easy going.'' It was as descriptive of a certain still calls vervain "favor-weed" and l>erson that the expression had its this is little enough as salvage from <~rigln. Its contribution to modern its once great estate of magical prop!lpeech Is part of the great legacy left erties. to posterity by Charles Dickens. In In former times the vervain was his well-known "Pickwick Papers" we highly esteemed as a love philter and find the quotation in which the term is so today In some sections of Euwas first used, as follows: rope. At a German wedding a wreath "He was a mighty free and easy, of vervain Is presented to the bride roving devil-may.care sort of person, and is supposed to aid her in holding was my uncle." the affections for her husband. In (Copyright.) England the herb Is thought to be ---0'--efficacious in staunching a wound, and In France, if gathered in the waning of the moon It Is as much regarded for its curative properties as it is in the "fever and ague" districts of the United States. But the French emGABBY GERTIE ploy an incantation while gathering it which Is not done In America. That is the reason, perhaps, why in France J'""" it cures not only feYer but various -~ other sicknesses. In the days when witches were more common than they are now vervain was one of the herbs which they gathered to work their magic with ; but also it was regarded as a charm against witchcraft-as it Is today in some sections of Europe, including rural England. Ali the superstitions regarding vervain are an Inheritance from the days of the ' Druids with whom it was a sacred plant, and If It has lost a portion of Its magical reputation today it is probably due to the fact that we have forgotten bow to gather it properly. The Druids gathered it only "wbe,, tlte dog-star arose from unsunned places.'' u (@)bY ~cCture Newspaper Syndicate.) ---0--- Habits of Wild Horaea "The synthetic thrill in kissing Is dangerous-to your bridge.work, un. less your car boasts check absorbers." 0----Signa on Roofa Ili"lboards are 'G strictly regulatetl In I :ance that sign~ nre paiuted t•n ·ool'. 1d v-al~!- ~Jl farm bulllllngs. I llorses are gregarious, that is, their tendency is to herd, and as a rule they graze wit't the wind, presumably from the same instinct that impels them to face away from a storm. Some believe that in tht'lr wil!I state they depend on wind carried sc-f'nt to warn them of <langrr from the rear ami trust their eye,; for nuvs of danger coming ngl· lnst the ·\\'in d. Myrna Loy, one of the most colorful and exotic girls on the screen, Is a native of Helena, Mont. She was educated in a school for girls at Loa Angeles, and studied dancing with Ruth St. Denis, and later participated In theatricals, which resulted in her be. lng Induced to enter motion pictures. Her latest appearance has been in "The Desert Song." ---·0'---- F~r Meditation 00<>000< • · By LEONARD A. B~ CAN ANIMALS THINK? Can animals think? ~4tny arguments, pro and con, '-have been advanced in answer to this ques· tion. Those who believe that anl· mals cannot think argue that in order to think lt Is necessary to be conscious of one's personality; and quote In support of their position lhe statement of the famous phtlosopher whose words have become a classic, "I think, therefore I am." ror instance, a dog Leonard A. Barrett is not conscious of the fact that it is a dog, either as distinct animal or as distinguished from any other animal. Those who take the other view of the matter say that animals can and do think be· cause of the evidence fri aimost every case; the way a dog responds to Its master's voice and command, the fact that a dog !mows Its master as distinguished from other ~persons with whom it may come ln contact. While the question Is being debated, the fact remains that instinct is so much like reason, it is very difficult at times to detect the difference between them. Whether an animal responds to either instinct of reason, every person who has had a pet knows that no' one could wish for a more hearty appreciation from any animal than that which is expressed, as a response to acts of kindness and consideration, by a fayorite dog. A dog's sense of protection is very highly developed. It will brave any danger in order to protect Its master. The Eskimo dogs have become famous for their endurance and bravery In rescue work in the frozen country of North America. The domestic value of Newfoundland dogs is very great. But, tb.e dog which appeals to us more strongly than all s the one which has become the household pet. When that dog dies somPthlng seems to have happened which we can neither define nor explain. When we endeavor to discover just what It ts we are m·ssing, we realize lt is the element of aith· tulness and loyalty, dumb though lt was, It was very real. An organization for the prote tlon of animals exists In almost every city and county. The chief responsibility of these organizations, which are sup· ported by contributions from an interested public, Is two fold; first; to inculcate a desire for the prot~tlon of animals ; second, to arrest any person who overburdens, abuses or in any way acts cruelly toward them. Such organizations deaerve hearty commendation for their work. Animals may be dumb, but their response to our interest in them more than pays for the effort. a (@. 192,, Western Newspaper Union.) ---0--- |