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Show --- ' e I a ii I ... i i i i HARP ALWAYS THE PRIDE j OF THE EMERALD ISLE ---- - -. -.. -. - - - . ..- a. Long before history had trodden a pathway across tho Insccuro ground of legend and tradition the Irish harp was allko the rcliex and Interpreter Of popular feeling. Perhaps It may bo said to havo como popularly Into the general view whon James I. placed It In thfc third quarter of tho royal nrms of Great Britain. Hut a century before this Henry VIII. had Impressed a harp on tho Irish coin-ago; coin-ago; a seemingly prosaic fact which yet cannot bo disorcctl from tho strong element of romance which permeates per-meates every phase of tho subject. For It seems that n son of King, lirlnn Horn presented his father's harp to Popo John XVIII. in 1003; nnd that It was treasured In Uomo until Leo X. sent It to Henry VIII. BOO yearB after-ward. after-ward. He In turn gnvc It to the first Karl of Clanrlcarde; anil after passing pass-ing Into tho possession of several Irish families Drlan's storied harp eventually found a homo in tho col-lego col-lego museum In Dublin. Hut supposing suppos-ing this venerable Instrument to bo at 1 ast 1,000 years old, that Is a more Mile In tho history of the harp nnd especially of tho Irish harp. Wo may accept the THoblan harp as a preity ahcient representative of its gre.at family; but Mion the older Irish historians go b:-.jk to tho dclugo arid it Is only In tho vory mlstland of antiquity thnt wo lose touch with their national symbol. And oven there wo seem to catch tho echo of Its strains'. - r- rrmw t Hut though boasting of such a remote re-mote past, tho Irish harp Is simply an adaptation ot nn 'instrument common com-mon to central nnd northern Europe. Wo find It In tho hands ot Mio Ger-mnn Ger-mnn and Celtic bards, and ot tho Scnmilnnvlnn sknlds; nnd every raco has been able to impress upon it something of Its own peculiar gnlm.. Tho violin Is Italian in Its birth, and It Is sald(to bo anlmn'cd by An ltnllan soul. And In llko miinnci, such of tile old Irish music as has come down to u h essentially consists ot strains of tho harp. This, however, Is not surprising, for wo nro old that "long before the lrc was Known In Home or Oieeco the One; 'if Ireland had nttnlned a high degrco of perfection perfec-tion In the form and management of the hnip. Not to bo capabto of sweeping sweep-ing It In n innstprly manner was deemed :i disgrace even to rojnlty." This, however, waB not stAMy an Irish leellng, but that ot almost r'vory people peo-ple among whom tho harp nourished. In mcdlenl times It was regarded aa tho King of niuslcu larurumcnt' 'hleHy because no other provide Mich nn effective- accompaniment for tho voice. Tho national feollng nrous-ed nrous-ed by It was nowhere expressed moro strongly than In Irclnnd, and tho cloud of legends, traditions nfcd ancient an-cient superstitions which In thnt country sedm essentlnlly to cling to It aio Us pcullar but very natural heritage. The harp 1b the esj-eclal prldo of the green Isle. m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m t- m O. |