it beside the oven door
I take up my guitar upon my knee,
And singing the old songs I knew of yore,
My happy youth comes back again to me--
Music and incense rising on the air!
Courage is mine, and all the world is fair!

--_Helen Coale Crew._

CHAPTER XXIV

THE SERVICE OF MUSIC TO THE COUNTRYSIDE

Mrs. Gene Stratton Porter in her book, _At the Foot of the Rainbow_,
makes a certain Scotch character say that he does not care for better
talking than the "tongues in the trees"; for sounder preaching than the
"sermons in the stones"; finer reading than the "books in the river";
no, nor better music than the "choirs of the birds." This music he calls
the music of God; he would rather have this, every time, than "notes fra
book."

This philosophy of Dannie Macnoun's is excellent; but we must not forget
that God made the "notes fra book" also, and gave us our power to design
and to enjoy them. It is true also that there is little man has done in
copying after the ideas of God that comes so near to the divine as do
his attempts in the realm of music. This field nearly all, if they have
ears to hear and a voice to sing, can approach in some, at least, of its
aspects.

The service of music to the human soul is so excellent that it seems as
if it must be one of the necessities. Why does the shepherd invariably
possess a flute? The answer is this: some kind of music he _must_ have
in his solitary life, and the flute is the instrument that can be
carried in the pocket. The ills of isolation may be measurably
alleviated by this harmonious companionship and this fact seems to meet
a fairly widespread appreciation along our countryside. The emphasis is
however placed almost entirely upon instrumental music. The piano of
course predominates; but the organ frequently takes its place, the
violin, 'cello, cornet, flageolet, guitar and trombone are also found.
Then there comes in the phonograph, the graphophone, the Victrola, and
the Angelus music-box; the instrument that stands for "all that ever
went with evening dress" appears among country customers also, and there
seems to be room for mouth-organ and jew's-harp when nothing else
offers.

Now a jew's-harp is better than no harp, a mouth-organ is better than no
organ; and an accordeon can happify a lowering twilight. The banjo is an
all-round-the-world delight and a guitar may be almost heaven to a
music-hungry boy or girl. A twenty-dollar organ worked by f