437 THK ARTS Perhaps the most widely read of her works is the " King's Last Vigil," which had a most interesting origin. "The whole of that poem," says Lady Lindsay, " even to the last detail, was revealed to me in a dream. Curiously enough, ' The Oracle ' was the outcome of the same source of inspiration." In 1907, Kegan Paul, Trench, Triibner & Co., Ltd., who have published most of Lady Lindsay's works, issued a selection of her poems, and the power, pathos and charm of her writings may be judged from the following extracts. A Prayer God of war ! God of war ! Thine the strength and Thine the might. Be Thou with us, day and night, Through the darkness, in the light, Near and far. Guard our armies, guard our men, Fathers, brothers, husbands, when Death and danger lead the fight — God of war ! God of peace ! God of peace Keep our homes, and keep the land. Women, children, in Thy hand. Grant that strife on yonder ntrand Soon may cease. Lord, for victory we cry, Peace comes after victory, Sorrow flies at Thy command — God of peace I Doubtintr Nay, do not ask me once again, rhy very doubting gives me pain ; Have I not said (and, while I speak. Here's hand on hand, and check on cheek) Dear heart, I love thee ? And yet, thy doubt to love allie<l Is sweet, so sweet I dare not chide. Cease not thy love, cease not thy doubt ; O child, I could not live without I Dear heart, I love thee. For love's not love that dreads no ill, And doubt like this means loving still. And both together fill thy heart. To make thee lovely as thou art ; Dear heart, I love thee. HOW^ T© PRESERVE MUtSIC Torn Pages and Broken Backs^ their Prevention and Repair— How to Keep Music so that it can be Found when Wanted TThe sheets of music that lie on the top of
- ■ the piano and overflow on to the chairs and
tables in the drawing-room present a problem to the musician who possesses a bump of law and order. Music has a fatal knack of getting torn and shabby, and one is tempted to exclaim, " Oh, why must music be printed in such a flimsy, ephemeral form ! " Dog-eared, broken-backed pieces of music look bad, and are inconvenient to handle ; they will not stand up in the music-rest, and if turned over hurriedly, generally collapse in the hands of the executant. Music torn across the page can be mended with transparent gummed paper. This is sold in small reels for the purpose, and when pasted over, does not blot out the notes as would ordinary stamp paper. The Broken Back A worse trouble, however, is a broken back, because music must open fiat. Several devices are sold for the purpose of effecting this repair. One is black gummed tape about an inch wide. This is very strong and reliable, and is particularly suitable for albums of music, but does not look well. A better device for ordinary sheets of music is white gummed linen ready for use, so that there is no trouble in pressing down the back crease. This is sold I in lengths, and four pieces are joined together j^L in each length, so that if you wish you may l^f keep four songs together in a little book in which each sheet has a separate binding. One strip, however, may be detached and used alone. Tape or ribbon sewn through with needle and cotton is not to be recommended, since it is difficult to induce the music to open flat afterwards. Some musicians and singers adopt the well-known plan of a " stitch in time," and put on the gummed backing as soon as they buy a new piece. An old and simple method of preserving I li music is to cover the piece with stout paper in the same way as one would protect a deUcate book cover. From a utilitarian point of view, brown paper answers the purpose well enough, but if some stout paper in a pale art shade is obtained, the effect is daintier. A Filing: System A good plan to keep the various sheets of music in an orderly manner, and thus obtain favour with those who demand that the drawing- room shall be kept tidy, is to have half a dozen heavy covers made, somewhat larger than the size of an ordinary sheet of music. These should be as strong as the cover of a six-shilling novel. One may be labelled " Songs," another " Dance Music," another " Operatic Selections," and so on. Each cover should have a good wide back and be capable of holding com- fortably from twenty to fifty pieces. If there are several members of a family who use the same receptacle for music, this will be found to avoid much confusion ami annoyance. The cover, moreover, protects the music, and saves much wear and tear in turning over to find the piece required. Some people send about twenty pieces of music to a professional binder, and have them bound properly in a leather or cloth case. This costs only a few shillings, and gives one a handsome portfolio. There is only one drau back : if some music has to be taken to a fri. ^ house or to a concert.it is inconvenient toca;iy a heavy book for the sake of one piece. Never fold music ; have a flat music-case. If you find it necessary to compress music into a small compass, roll -it in preference to folding. Turning over hurriedly a pile of music to find a particular piece causes much damage. This damage and much annoyance can be saved by some system of covers or labelled compartments in the music cabinet.
