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Show Ancient siugfcal f astramenta. In the Metropolitan Museum of An hi New York city there is an interesting collection of musical instruments of all nations, many of which belong to past centuries. They lie silently in the glass casea The strings of mandolins and lutes that made sweet musio in das gone by are broken and twisted, and the fingers that once swept them have passed a,way, but still the air seems trembling with melody. Imagination pictures the banquet hall, the summer nights when the troubadour sang songa ender his ladylove's window, or the Bedouin camp in the desert, where th4 flute and guitar were played during th evening hour of repose. There are in-itruments in-itruments here of all characters rude riolins and banjos fashioned by savage hands, and dainty lyres inlaid with gold and mother of pearl, instruments which have played their part in ancient ceremonies cere-monies in faraway India and China, in the castles of the middle age3 and in tha African wilderness. It is interesting to note that all nations have tried to make Instruments to please the eye as well as to produce sweet sounds. The stringed Instruments and flutes of savage races are often grotesque and even ugly to civilized eyes, but the poor savage did fcis best Ho carved his instruments a well as he oould and also adorned it with whatever precious trinkets he had tn his possession. H. S. Conant in Q Kiobolaa j |