THE BANJO.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VI, Issue 1864, 13 December 1884, Page 2

THE BANJO.

The 'New York Tim writes.:— ' "Last week a youtig man died suddenly while. jnvfch'Q very.act of playing on; a banjo;" Be-vVassitting in the friend'? house^arid' although a number' of inbfilesiye . men • and women; were', present,: he was.; Binging, "In 'the Gloaming" and playing an accompaniment, on. the- banjo. Suddenly'hV stopped playing; pressed his hand to: his chest, and expired without a word. No.arrests were made, for, in spite of the'^provocation- it wad quite clear' that ho one had shot-the player, and that his death-was really due disease. . This occurrence, .which.has cast a glooni over Mends of te .deseasciiho'livd at a distance from him,,wiir,'.it-is;Hop.edi;be v a warning tb : the thousands Of young men' and wpmah ; ■who have .become addicted to the banjo. ■ Sbmeyearsago';aman .who was play ; - ing the accofdionbwas' struck;by light/; liing and instantly killed. The good. effect of this signal instance of summary' justice stiil..endures, and 'the"accordion has become rare'except in colpved and densly ignorant comtiiuiiities/: -There canjbe no (Joubt : that thebanjojis a mostdemoralising ihstrumenti - 'Mien, as a, no better than Ithe instruments they play, 'Let ine.make the instruments of people,' remarked—or. at' all- events might have remarked —an eminent burglar ''and ;J care'. t hojt who runs, their sunday sohdqls.'. 'Yeafe ago the; Spaniards sank .politically. and' the leval of/jiheir-'guitars/ and, we; need only glance at our local Italia&faoblemen to notice, ;tliat not 6nly|they i but 'their-- : monkeysi'.have .became miserably degraded by intimate, association with hand organs. 'The bafijb'is the offspring of ,a dissolute" guitar and a shameless' drum. It- giye forth' no sounds that can properly be called musical, although it is capable of simulating musical notes in the pitch of its thin peroussive noises. Jt was invented by a degraded race in the wilds of Africa and its capabilities for evil developed by the same race while enslaved in our Southern States, About 25 years ago a pianist, whose moral tone was confessedly much below that of bVpiaho, affected, amongst his countless other j afiectations to admire the banjo, and glorified it in one of his rhythmic and : peculiar compositions, A little later a popular prima donna, with a fine advertising sense, attracted, attention by announcing that she was assiduously learning -to" play the banjo.. The instrument,' with such an introduction soon.became popular,.and:there are now thousands of. convicts in our gaols whose'first downward stopin life—as they will confess with tears to the chaplain who suggests the thought to them—was taken with, the banjo on their collective knee." '.-'•'