The Complete Club Book for WomenVIII--WASTE
There may be at least three excellent papers on this subject; the first one may be on _waste of food_: Why is America thought by other peoples to be so wasteful? Compare the economies in the kitchen with those in France. The waste of not knowing how to cook is also a good topic, and the waste of unconscious extravagance. The patronage of the bakery and the delicatessen shop should also be mentioned, and the waste of money involved.
The _waste of time_ may be the t.i.tle of the next paper, ill.u.s.trated especially in the kitchen in making fancy dishes or those which require hours of preparation; the waste of time in doing unnecessary fancy-work and elaborate sewing. Note how all this waste of time means to many women the loss of hours to read.
The _waste of woman's strength_ in doing work too heavy for her--lifting, drawing water, and performing other tasks should be especially spoken of in the next paper, and the value of labor-saving devices, of rest and recreation, and of having some help in housework should be made clear.
The discussion should take up other wastes: waste of fuel in furnace and in range; waste of water, of gas, of kerosene; of the wastefulness of destroying a good gown by doing cooking in it; of little losses here and there in all departments of housekeeping.
IX--FALSE ECONOMIES
This meeting should present the subject of unintelligent doing-without.
It should show how foolish it is to economize recklessly everywhere. One paper may be on the table, showing that unpalatable food is unwholesome; one may be on entertaining, expressing the need of having one's friends and one's children's friends in to meals; one may be on doing without comforts of all kinds, and making life merely hard and uninteresting.
All these should be very brief and balanced by others expressing the thought that education is a necessity, and that so are some things to make life easy--a little service, a little time, and flowers and books or magazines.
Discuss the whole subject of economy in the home and get suggestions from each member as to what she considers the best place to cut one's expenses.
X--WHAT IS HOME FOR?
This is a fascinating subject and the first paper opens up a wide field; it is on Home as a Business Enterprise. This will show that a home may be merely a school of economics, with all the thought centered on that side of its life; or it may be merely a savings bank, with the idea of laying aside money back of everything. Or it may be an industrial inst.i.tution with every one working all the time and no recreation or amus.e.m.e.nt permitted. Show the absurdity of these different positions.
The second paper may take up the trained housekeeper as manager of the home. This may make it plain that if a woman understands her business she should run her house easily, economically, cheerfully, socially. In other words, she will use her brains to make housekeeping intensely interesting and satisfactory.
The third paper should speak of comfort _versus_ elegance in home life; of the rarity of finding the two combined; of furnishing a house simply yet artistically; of entertaining within one's means; of the appreciation of music and books as a necessary part of life; of the ideal family life.
The discussion may take such lines as these: What sacrifices to economy are worth while? What luxuries are necessities? Is benevolence compatible with a small income? Is education to be regarded as an investment? Are our children growing up thinking that money is the princ.i.p.al thing in the minds of their parents?
If the year's work on domestic economy is to be a success, it should have some practical outcome; perhaps a study cla.s.s may be organized to develop the ideas of home efficiency, or there may be a reading club to present new ideas in books and magazines and discuss them, or, as has been suggested, there may be a cooking cla.s.s formed.
Among the books to be consulted are: "Increasing Home Efficiency," by Martha B. Bruere and Robert W. Bruere (Macmillan); "The Modern Household," by Marion Talbot and S. P. Breckinridge (Whitcomb and Barrows); "How to Live on a Small Income," by Emma C. Hewitt (Jacobs); "Home Problems from a New Standpoint," by C. L. Hunt (Whitcomb and Barrows); "Living on a Little," by C. F. Benton (The Page Company); "The Making of a Housewife," by I. G. Curtis (Stokes); "A Handbook of Hospitality for Town and Country," by Florence Howe Hall (The Page Company).
CHAPTER VII
A STUDY OF SONGS
A charming study, not only for a musical club but also for any other, is that of songs. The field is practically limitless, but by careful selection of a program which covers only a part much may be learned and enjoyed. It is essential that the life and times of each composer should be studied, and some of his songs sung. Later on, various periods, or certain themes, may be ill.u.s.trated by the songs of different composers.
Perhaps for some of these records on a good phonograph may be used.
To introduce the subject have a paper on folk songs, which in every nation precede what are known as art songs. Many of these folk songs have come down from very early times, either just as they were or woven into art songs. Follow this with a second paper on the minnesingers and troubadours and their songs. A third paper may speak of an interesting theme which may be called the local color of songs. The Laplander has his reindeer songs; the Alpine peasant, his songs of the mountains, with the yodel; the Russian has songs of the steppes; the negro, his plantation melodies; the sailor, his chanty; the soldier, his songs of battle and prison. Hunting songs, love songs, funeral dirges, songs of nature, of childhood, of home, of country, all have a literature of their own.
One meeting may take up the subject of the first art songs--which originated about the time of the first operas and were part of them.
I--THE GREAT GERMANS
The _lied_, or lyric song, was practically invented in Germany, and by Schubert, the great master of lyric song, though Handel, Haydn, Gluck, Mozart, and Beethoven all wrote arias, or songs, of great beauty and importance. Ill.u.s.trate by giving one or more songs from each.
The life of Schubert and his genius should have at least one meeting devoted to them. Read the chapter in Finck upon him. Notice what he accomplished in his thirty-one years. Beethoven said of him: "Truly Schubert has the divine spark." His hundreds of songs are sweet and tender, yet strong and n.o.ble. Sing "The Erl-King," written when he was only eighteen, "Hark, Hark, the Lark"; "Death and the Maiden"; "Who is Sylvia?" and "Margaret at the Spinning Wheel."
Mendelssohn's songs, long admired, are now considered rather mediocre with the exception of a few. "On the Wings of the Wind"; "The Volkslied"; "The Venetian Gondolier," and others, are distinctly bright and sunny, fresh and graceful.
Schumann, unlike Schubert and Mendelssohn, wrote songs often sad and even gloomy, but many of them, especially in his song cycles, are gems.
Sing, "Du bist wie eine Blume"; and "Der Nussbaum."
II--FRANZ AND GRIEG
Robert Franz, though totally deaf from early in life, wrote songs which other musicians term immortal. His work is strikingly original, the accompaniment woven with the melody of the voice. The simple old folk songs often suggested them and his style, like that of Wagner, is often declamatory. Read his life, and sing "Leise zieht durch mein Gemueth"; "Bitte"; "Es ragt der alte Eborus," and, "Im Mai." Following the work of Franz take up Brahms, Jensen, Wagner, and Strauss, and the many other German song writers.
Grieg is called "the king of Scandinavian song writers." His work is often half wild, half melancholy, but always original. He followed the spirit of the folk songs of his country. He is sometimes spoken of as the Norwegian Chopin and is also compared with our own MacDowell. Sing, "The First Primrose"; "The Minstrel's Song," and others.
III--SLAVIC COMPOSERS
Hungary gave Liszt to the world, and his sixty songs are of exceeding value. His music closely represents the words of his songs, suggesting falling rain, or sighing winds, or even the hum of bees. Sing "Kennst du das Land?" "The Lorelei"; "King of Thule"; "Wanderer's Night Song."
Chopin, born in Poland, wrote fresh, charming little folk songs, dramatic lyrics and romantic melodies. The seventeen which we possess have an emotional range wider than that of any other composer's songs.
"Poland's Dirge," one of his most famous works, is called the most funereal song in existence.
Paderewski, also a Pole, has only recently begun to write songs, but those he has done are charming--quaint, romantic and full of national color.
Rubinstein belongs both to Poland and Russia, but is chiefly identified with the latter country. He wrote many songs, not all of them works of genius, but many most beautiful and strong. See his cycle of "Persian Poems;" "The Earth at Rest;" "Good Night."
Tschaikowsky and Dvorak have also written Slavic music, rather sad, suggestive of folk songs and full of power. See the former's "None but a Lonely Heart," and, "The Czar's Drinking-House;" and the latter's "Gipsy Songs."
IV--FRANCE, ITALY AND ENGLAND
France, unlike Germany, has never had genuine art songs. Of chansons, romances and other light songs there is an abundance, but its serious work has been rather in the line of opera. Gounod, however, has many lovely things, some of them popular: "Oh, That We Two Were Maying;"
"Maid of Athens," and others, are well known. Delibes shows a distinct German influence in his song-writing. "Nightingale," and "Regrets," have high merit. G.o.dard has more than a hundred songs to his credit, many delightful: the "Arabian Song;" "Farewell;" "The Traveler," are among the best. A French woman song writer, Mdlle. Chaminade, is distinctly popular to-day, but her work is not considered by critics to be strikingly original.
Italy has never been interested in art song; indeed, except for the folk songs of the street, there are few, if any, except such as are found imbedded in operas and are distinctly a part of them. Tosti, to be sure, has written many songs and so have other Italian composers of our day, but nothing which stands among the great lyric songs of the world.
In England the ballad is the musical form of the song, and here this nation excels. The ballads are strong, sincere and beautiful. Clubs should have a number of meetings on the ballads of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Sullivan has written some lovely songs, and so have Goring Thomas, Stanford, and Cowen. There is a new English school of merit, with fresh and original ideas. Sing Thomas's "Spring Is Not Dead" and "A Summer Night." "La Belle Dame Sans Merci," by Stanford, is an excellent piece of work. Mackenzie has followed Brahms more or less; sing "Hope,"
his best song.
V--AMERICAN SONGS
Until recently we in America, like the English, have written but few lyric songs. But to-day we have a large number of such composers, and there are those in other nations who think that the best work of our time is being done in this country.
Prof. John K. Paine has written only a few songs. Among them are: "Moonlight," and "The Matin Song," both charming.