Girl Scout Leader Magazine

GIRL SCOUT LEADER .,; . MAY, 1937 VOLUME XIV Preserving Our Musical Heritage NUMBER 5 By MARION F. GALVIN UR f o r e fa t h e r s be dians, Spanish groups, Ger O queathed to us many mans from Fredericksburg tokens of the lands they left (Texas), and Acadian groups to settle in this brave neyv from Louisiana sang their world. The names of many songs to the accompaniment of our cities and towns, the of the harp or the fiddle . architecture of our oldest · Girl Scouts are among the buildings, the family names, devoted friends of the folk the customs and traditions in song, for an interest in their certain sections of the country own community, whether it is are all part of· our heritage Los Angeles or a seacoast from the English, the Swedes, town in Maine, leads them the French, the Netherland into the alluring bypath of ers, and the Spaniards who its music. Mr. Winston were among the early Ameri Wilkinson, who holds a fel cans. Perhaps their best gift lowship in folk music at the to us is the wealth of songs University of Virginia, and and dances that are found in who permitted the Girl Scouts various parts of the country to use in Sing Together three songs and dances that have of the songs he has collected, kept something of their origi From New Mexico says he "can imagine no finer nal character and yet have gift to our young citizens-to-be taken on the imprint of the different generations who and to the mothers of the coming generation than an have sung them. Kentucky mountaineers sing ballads opportunity to learn these incomparable folk songs which that originated in England; folk songs heard in South have their roots in ·our remote past and which belong ern California and New Mexico may be traced to Spain; to the children by · right of birth." Girl Scouts sing in the Great Lakes region many a song is reminiscent folk songs in their camps; and in many a camp one of the .Swedes and Norwegians who settled there. may hear the clear notes of a shepherd's pipe playing The preservation of this priceless material has until an old ballad while groups of minstrels and actors sing recently been of concern mainly to students of folk the words and pantomime the action. The girls of music and customs, like Cecil Sharp, whose compila Troop 10, Chisholm, Minnesota, became interested in the tions of songs from the Appalachian Mountains marked songs that were sung in their families and made a col an important step in the history of American music. lection of them. The booklet includes songs from Fin Recently, however, there has been an awakening interest land, Italy, Yugoslavia, and the Ukraine. among Americans in this folk music, in its evolution, Recently a number of interesting books have been its preservation, and its relation to the whole body of ~ published containing the folk songs or games of par American music. Music departments of colleges and ticular sections of America. Girls Scouts who live in universities have been doing valuable research in their the parts of the country from which this folk material own states, seeking out the songs that are traditional,- comes will, of course, be especially interested in ·these which should not be lost. · collections; but girls everywhere will enjoy singing · the The Folk Festival Council of New York, which was songs, dancing to the play-party games, and reading of formed to encourage wider participation in our folk the thrilling experiences of the collectors. heritage, has in five years become nation-wide in its membership and world-wide in its resources. Another SwiNG AND TuRN: Texas Play-Party Games, collected. organization, the National Folk Fe~tival, held its third by William A. Owens (Tardy, 1936, $2). annual gathering in Dallas last year while Texas was In the early days of this country people of all ages celebrating its hundredth birthday. gathered in the towns and villages to dan'Ge and· sin& ·at Miss Sarah Gertrude Knott, the director of the Na play-parties. Youngsters s~t in co,;ners and':'t<tpped their tional Folk Festival, writes colorfully of this birthday .Ji_ feet to the music of the fiddle while their. elders took party in the October, 1936, issue of Recreation. People the center of the floor to. 's:wfh:g, aritl: t'v¥J, · sometimes from twenty states traveled to Dallas with their folk singing while they danced. H~_!ic~~th~ term' "play-party (Concluded on tHige. dances and so]1gs. Cowboys in great hats, Negroes, In- 55)"' ··.:f' . 49 50 THE GIRL SCOUT LEADER "If She Ever Gets Time-" By MARGUERITE TWOHY and MARIE GAUDETTE OUR announcer is Marguerite Twohy: meeting, here are some of the things that may happen. Y For a long time we have been hearing and seeing The girls and leaders may bring samples of all the "hob and feeling in our bones that it won't be long now until bies" they can find. The girls may tell about their own the new leisure will be upon us. Some of us wish it hobbies. Perhaps. they will invite some of their friends, would hurry a bit. boys and girls, who have hobbies. It may even be that Though we adults may not soon be kicking our heels parents will exhibit hobbies. A qualified person may and twiddling our thumbs, it seems more than likely that come to the meeting and talk about hobbies, or they the young people of today will arrive at our advanced may invite several persons in the community to talk ages with more "time to stand and stare" than they about their hobbies. need or want or can use unless we prepare them for Undoubtedly there will be an exhibit of publications, this time. which will include copies of The American Girl, the Let us think whether or not our girls are developing Girl Scout Handbook, books on handicraft, nature, interests now that will provide emotional and intel sports, and all other interests the girls can find. There lectual outlets twenty or thirty years hence. will probably also be such pamphlets and books* as It may be of interest to you to know that at a recent The Choice of a Hobby by Anne Carroll Moore ( Comp meeting of Girl Scout leaders we discussed in groups ton, 5 cents), Care and Feeding of Hobby Horses the following question: "To prepare our young people (Leisure League, 25 cents), How to Run a Hobby for adult living,' what interests and· activities can you Show (Leisure Magazine, Readers Service Bureau, 10 find in the Girl Scout program that can be followed cents), Hobbies for Everybody by Ruth Lampland under one or all of the following circumstances?" (Harper, $3), and the 1936 Girl Scout Diary (now 1. In old age. out of print) if one can be found. 2. Without money. It might be fun to divide the people into groups and 3. In poor health. let the leader of each group, with eyes closed, select 4. In moving about the country away from home or a slip of paper from a sheaf of slips on which have (in this trailer age). while traveling with your been written the eight situations listed in the begin home. ning of this article. In groups they will discuss, using 5. Out-of-doors alone. the exhibit and source material present, what special 6. Out-of-doors with one or more persons. interests would meet the situation or situations described; 7. Indoors with one or more persons. and also what facilities are available in the community 8. Out-of-doors in any kind of weather. for following such interests during the summer vaca Although we have no gazing crystal that will accu tion. rately tell the future needs of our young people, may They may decide on one hobby that seems best to we not guess that they may someday need interests that meet the situation mentioned on the slip and then tell will meet the conditions listed above? Really, we need the other groups why that particular one was chosen. them now! Goethe said, "He who is plenteously sup *Order through your local book dealer ; if you have none we will plied from within has need of littl~ from without." furnish publ ~ hers' addres'3es on request. Are we doing all we can to g1ve our young people the resources they need toward more interesting lives? Here is an idea from Union town, Pennsylvania, that may not only help to solve this problem ?~t also the problem of summer actiVI ties in general, especially for those young people who do not go to camp. The general idea is to get sugges tions of things a person can do on her own initiative! Two leaders, with their Courts of Honor, are planning a meeting full of possibili ties toward helping young people to find interests. Just before the troops disband for the summer they are going to have a "hobby meeting." The spirit of it will be "let's see what new, interesting hobbies we can tell one another about when we meet Pau l Parker Photo in the fall!" These small words of the Speyer Hospital for Animals seem to understand Girl Scout On the great occasion of this Law Number Sixl MAY, 1937 51 It might so happen that every person who does not look. Perhaps it would be nice to learn the names of already have an absorbing interest will want to choose some of these insects.

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