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Show s ifte (eg Proposal? "MODERN PROPOSAL ., IS A KIND OF JOKE" Iro-e. Minna Kaufmann. NowadayV' SayB the Teacher and Singer, -Marriage I6 "Looked Upon in a Different Light, and Lovo-Making Ib a More Jocular Affair' What is the ideal proposal? Love and music have always gone hand in band, from the t.imo birds piped their songs in tlio first springtime of tho world, and lovo is still the theme on which all popular composers harp to make their incomes come iu stead- Consequently, ' Mmc. Minna Kanf-manu, Kanf-manu, teacher as -well -as singer, -when she was asked v-lmt sho thought of the ideal proposal, said that one could tell what the popular form of love-making and proposing was by the trend of popular pop-ular music. Mine. Kaufruann is not a. serious "highbrow" person, but a chanuinpf young1 woman, and her criticism ot modern love songs is given with a merry mer-ry twinkle in her blue eyes. "Onr attitude toward romance, love-making love-making and marriage is illustrated iu tho popular soogs of the day." said Mme. Kaufmann, "and you can not get .a.way from that fact, for it has always boon so. ' . "Tho troubadours ot old sang lovo songs of a semi-religious character, aud tho Minnosaengors who came atlcr tnem csaltcd Tomautie love and sell -sacrifice, to a. height that has never been surpassed because it was the fashion. "The moderu lovo song is 1rivoous in character, because people, no longer take love-making aud marriage with the same solemnity that thev did in former times, "The popular love song of ine day is Iho ragtime love soug, and it ye are to judge by modern plays and stories, sto-ries, the most popular form of propocr iug if a kind of joke. "Now don't think I am saying that fchpre is not as much deep affection affec-tion nowadays or ns much married nap-pincss nap-pincss in store ' for the modern cou- Pl "But I do think they look upon marriage mar-riage id' a different hght.Jind love-making love-making 10 a moip nocuiar anair. "Tho love songa of a hundred years ago are too sweetly sontimontal for tho pSpular taste. The modern lover would feel terribly embarrassed to think of himself as singing to his swcotAearfc Qfv Love's -iu Arbutus in Mcr Kutlc , of Green,' or "Drink to Me Only with riiinc Eyes. ' but he is perfoctly comfortable com-fortable and sure of himself when he calls her his 'Ragtime Bab-' or 'His Beautiful Doll.' "At the mention of Beethoven our modern young people begin to yawn and feel oppressed, but the great classic clas-sic master wrote one. of the funniest love songs to a daintv and exquisite poem of Goethe's. You remember tho lover vho was alone with his Chloe and bogged for a kiss. But Chloe was a prim young person aud said she'd scream if he kissed her. He kissed her. Did she scream? Of course, she scroamcd, hut a long, long time after. "That song is a gem; musically it expresses every change of feeling, and the words are whimsical and charming. Tn the modern version the young lady screams for more kisses. That is jiiBt the difference. The great poet leaves it to your imagination; tho modem poet believes with Heine that you can not underestimate the intelligence and imagination im-agination of the crowd Fow people have over heard the Beethoven song and it will never be popular. "Popular songs of the kind wo hear so much of do a great deal to drag romantic love from ils poetic hcightB and to make everything connected with love-making, proposing and marriage comic. "When 'everybody's doing it,' it is impossible not to .ioin the procession, and to joke and laugh about the really serious things of life." |