The Seaforth News, 1959-12-24, Page 2A Cool Cat
On A Fipple;
Making music is multiplying
so fast that 20,000,000 Americans
are "far out" (extremely advanc-
ed; gone) as nonprofessional,
do-it-yourself hipsters, And 21,-
000,000 are adults -- many of
them delayed playing or looking
at the maps (arrangements) un-
til they had eyes to eool it (the
desire to relax).
But now there are 21,000,001,
for this reporter recently be-
came a finger popper (a swing-
ing musician) with the recorder.
Let no one sell a recorder
short. It is a lovely wood -wind
instrument, It is a loth to 16th
century advancement over the
fipple flute of the 5th century.
This in turn was a descendant
of the syrinx panpipe flute of
Egyptian origin. By the same
token, the ancestry does not help
one to learn to play it — you
have to get untwisted before you
go far out.
Yet, 70,000 recorderswill be
sold this year with a retail value
of about •$700,000. About 60 per
cent of these will be purchased.
by adults over 30. About 500,000
persons are actively playing re-
corders today.
These wailers (those who play,
blow, or perform outstandingly)
are not to be confused with the
millions who perform on an
ax (any instrument, including
piano), And there are millions•
of these. Actually, for the past
three years about 12,600 adults
each year have started class mu-
sic instruction, There is no
knowing how many have gone in
for self -instruction. The total
number of adults registered in
classes in 1959 is about 75,000,
writes Harry C. Kenney in The
Christian Science Monitor.
Some of these will become
loose wigs (uninhibited, beyond -
musicians) ' and some will be ly-
ing (conformists, playing the
notes, not improvising). But few
will have my experience.
The instructions that carne
with my beautiful German wood
wind say that owing to its great
simplicity one can easily learn
to play the recorder. I live in
an apartment, and my neighbor
upstairs says this is not so — my
"learning" was giving him a -
hard time. He is a good fellow
but a monkey (a music critic,
he sees no music, hears no mu-
sic, digs no music).
Then I went out into the foot-
hills of lovely Connecticut and
started to practice in 'a saddle -
horse pasture. Shortly, very
shortly in fact, a police prowl -
car rushed up and shooed me
off — the neighbors, unseen, had
heard, and that was too much.
They just did not appreciate the
embryonic dulcet tones.
But by perseverance in the
woodlands of New York, Con-
necticut, Massachusetts, and New
Hampshire, I worked from the
fingering charts to "A Wee Man
All Alone," "Loch Lomond,"
"Dip Your Bread, Mary," and
"Amaryllis."
As the Light began to dawn
and my fingers became more
nimble, I graduated to "The
.Nightingale," "Hot Cross Buns,"
"Came a Bird to My Window,"
and finally, with great satisfac-
tion, "Theme From The Ninth
Symphony."
At this point I expect soon to
become a. member of the Ameri-
can Recorder Society — an as-
sociation devoted to "anyone
who plays the recorder — no
formal requirements are neces-
sary."
Furthermore I have just learn -
ISSUE 51 — 1959
LAST MONTH - IN HISTORY
NOV. 24 Cargo pion,
crashes into Chicago
residences, 11 killed,
NOV. 21
U.S, and
Russia extend,eultural
and scientific exchange
pr • ram for two teat'!.
NOV. 27
Chinese Rods
kidnap U.S. Morino in
Rumba : hold him six hour
NOV. 28
NOV. 2 Ty quiz star
,{ Charles.Vaa Doran admits.
, - rigging; congressional
investleahoe moves into,
disc jockey field.
NOV. 9. G8e twarn6'of
'contaminated eranberriesl begins
widespread sehreye qpd: inspection.
NOv. 8
,h1EWSMAP
Chinese attemp
to steal coded U.S,
diplomatic telegrams
from messenger,
NOV. 1 Supreme
Court upholds
Taft -Bartley in•
junction; 500,000
steelworkers go
back to work For
80 days.
Burning tanker imperils`
Housten for 20 hours;7 crewmen
are killed; 75 injured..
Sixth
U.S. moon rocket
'fails,
DV. 3
Airliner crashes in R
Gulf of Mexico, killing 42.
141111611111111111111111
NOV. 16
Anti -U.S. riots
erupt in,Panama.
Native
civil War spreads
ire Belgian Congo.
that there are nonprofessional
musical groups established in
many cities across the country
who welcome strangers, travel-
ers, and businessmen who be-
come stranded while in the pur-
suit of their profession. All one
has to do is call up the group
in the city and join in the scene
(any place where musicians play
or gather).
The only ticket or expense• is
a joy for making common mu-
sic. The "scene"' is usually a
home.
I have not yet reached the
point where I am a far-out chick
but the other night my neighbor
came down and asked: "Say, how
do you learn to play that thing?"
Sleep GOesWest
If YOU Face South
When you sleep does your head
point to the north? If so, you
probably sleep better than peo•
ple who sleep with their heads
pointing south, east or west.
That's the theory, anyway, of
a team of scientists in the United
States who conducted a series of
experiments to study the influ-
ence of the earth's magnetism on
the human body.
"If you want .to awake feeling
refreshed in mind andbody, pay
attention to the position of your
bed," they advise:'
"The head should rest to the
north, or in line with the earth's
main magnetic field of force,.
which exists in the direction.
north to south,"
In some sanatoriums abroad
the authorities, deliberately seek
the north when they place their
patients' beds in position. They
maintain that "north sleepers"
come under the soothing influ-
ence of the Magnetic Pole and
that as a result the . spectre of
insomnia is banished.
A doctor who died at the great
age of 109: had slept with his
head north and his' feet south
ever since he was a young man. •
He always declared that when
you lie north and south you are.
"in a direct line with the mag-
netic currents passing between
the twopoles and these currents,.
in passing through the body, en-
sure a regular circulation of 'the
blood and help to maintain the
tissues."
In London a professor of psy-
chology said some time ago that
there was ample foundation for
the belief that the position of
the bed had some effect on the
quality of a person's sleep.
"Magnetic and other cosmic
forces undoubtedly influence the
processes of our minds and
bodies," he declared.
He called his girl Candy Bar.
Not because she was sweet, but
because she was• half nuts,
HOW MANY HANDS HIGH? — Visitor Jina Shelser matchers
,her hands against those in an unusual painting by Roman
artist Renato Christiane, He dunks his •hands in paint and
pre:era them on the canvas. _
MIAMI, MISS — Winter' weather
reports are just so many, words
to Dolores Kirby-. who soaks up
the Run at Miami Beach.
Try Your Turkey
Gran'd•ma's Way
By GAILE DUGAS
NEA Women's Editor
When we sit tdown to Christ-
mas dinner this year, let's . all
be merry, every last one of us,
over the foot that great -grand-
ma didn't cook it.
Because, all the legends to the '
contrary, the American woman
of a century 'ago probably . was.
a poor cook. 'Proof '_comes .in
Peterson's .Magazine, the Nov-
ember and December issues for
1859. (Peterson's Magazine, like
Godey's . Lady's Book, was in
evety .Victorian home.)
Now, to the Christmas turkey,
Tired of the roasted drumstick?
Sick of basting? Then try it
great -grandma's way. She just
dropped the bird into a pot and
boiled it. Here's her recipe:
"Procure a large turkey, make
a nice force -meat' of veal and
stuff the craw of the ' turkey;
skewer it 'for boiling 9nd boil
it until it is almost . done; take
•up your turkey and put it in a
pot with some of the water it
was boiled in, then put seven
or eight heads', of 'celery into the
water the turkey was boiled in,
till they are tender; takethem
out and put . your turkey in,
breast side clown and stew it a
quarter of an hour. Thicken your
sauce with half a pound of but-
ter and enough flour' to make it
pretty thick and 'a quarter of a
pint of rich cream and then add
the celery. Pour the belery and
sauce upon the turkey's breast
and serve it up."
Next on this .Christmas menu
is plum pudding, which sounds
more like bread stuffing made
with raisins. Please notice great
grandma used store - bought
bread. Here we go:
"Take one loaf of baker's
bread, broken up and pour over
it three pints of warm milk and
let it stand for an hour. While
warm put in a piece of butler
as large as an egg, half a pound
of raisins, six eggs and half a
pound of currants, citron, nut-
meg and brandy and anything
else you please. Bake it three
hours and eat it with a wine
sauce."
This is a stretchy kinil of
recipe. "Anything else" went
when great -grandma was in the
kitchen,
One thing that was always
in the kitchen with her was a
bottle of sherry, A shining ex-
amples comes toward the enol of
a soup recipe;
"Pass the soup through a
sieve, skim off the fat, and put
it on the fire with a little pow
dered arrowroot to thicken it.
When It is sufficiently thick
pour in sherry wine and season
to your taste",
Great -grandma pout ecl the
stuff into everythi g: steer('
6TA6ctue � TALKS
Here are some recipes using
nuts and whichare ideal for holi-
day nibbling. .
WALNUT DROPS
Temperature: 350 degrees
Time: 10 minutes,
ere cup' sifted'• flour.
% teaspoon baking powder
% teaspoon salt
%, cup butter
34 cup ,white sugar
1' egg,: unbeaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 square unsweetened'ehoco-
late (loz.) melted
2 cupswalnuts, coarsely
chopped'
Sift together flour, baking
powder .and . salt; cream together
butter and sugar until light; add.
unbeaten egg, vanilla and .melt
ed chocolate; blend well. Corn -
bine the' two mixtures, add wal-
• nuts. Drop' by spoonfuls one inch
apart on oiled cookie sheet;
mould to peaks with back of oil-
ed spoon. Bake until done. •
5 e M
NEW ORLEANS, PRALINES
2 cups firmly packed brown
sugar,
s cup butter,
�(a cup water
2 pups pecan nuts, coarsely
chopped
Combine sugar, water and but-
ter. Cook slowly, stirring con-
stantly until mixture boils. Add
nuts. Boil slowly,,.: stirring con-
stantly, to 246 .degrees F. (or
when small quantity dropped in
cold• water forms a firm ball).
Remove from heat and drop by
tablespoons on oiled cookie sheet'
or aluminum foil, making patties
two to three inches in diameter.'
Let cool, a a • n,
NUT AND DATE BALLS
-Temperature: 350 degrees
Tinier' 45 - 50 minutes
1 cup chopped nuts, any
variety
chicken, puddings, cake, soup,
meat pie and the. breakfast por-
ridge. •
The last word• on our ances-
tor's :culinary skills comes from
an expert, Mrs. •Harriet Beecher
Stowe. In 1869; she wrote a book
called "The American Woman's
Home." In it, she says: '
"The' abundance of material
wehave in America is in great
contrast with. the style of cook-
ing most prevalent in our
country. How often do we sit
down to tables loaded with' mat -
eclat originally of the best kind
which has been so spoiled in
the treatment that there•is really
'nothing to, eat) Green biscuits
with acrid spots of alkali; sour
yeast bread; meat simmered
slowly in. fat until it seems like
grease itself and :slowly congeal-
ing in cold grease; and -above
all, that unpardolrab1e enormity,
strong butter." •
1 cup pitted dates, finely
,hopped.
2 tablespoons sifted flour
2 eggs, well beaten
BA cup sifted flour
Y teaspoon baking powder
1 cup white sugar
y teaspoon Salt
Combine chopped nuts and
dates and two tablespoons flour;
toss well; add beaten eggs. Sift
together three-quarters "cup flour,
baking, powder, sugar and salt.
Combine the t w o mixtures.
Spread the mixture in a greased
pan eight by eight inches. Bake
until done',: watching that the top.
does not become to .crusty. While
still warm cut in one -inch
;squares. When, cool enough to
handle, roll each square into ball
and roll in white sugar. Store in
tightly covered cookie tin.
NUT SQUARES
Temperature: 350 degrees
Time: •40 minutes
Part 1
1/4 cup ' bailer
34 cup :brown sugar
1 cup flour
Cream - butter, gradually, add
;brown sugar,.blend well. Sift in.
flour, stirring ayith a 'fork until
;mixture is crumbly. Pat into an
oiled pan eight by 12 inches;
bake for 12 to 16 minulee, watch-
ing
atching that eclgee do not blown too
much.
Part 11
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 -cup broWis sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla'
1 tablespoon corn starch
34 teaspoon salt
34 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup shredded coconut
34 cup raisins, chopped
34 cup chopped nuts
Mix together slightly -beaten
eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add re-
maining ingredients; mix well.
Pour over• partly baked short -
tweed foundation, return to oven
and continue .00king for 25 min-
utes, •, e 4
'NUT WAFFLES: add one cup
coarsely -chopped walnuts to
waffle batter before baking,
ALMOND TOPPING; add one-
half cup finely -chopped al-
monds to your favorite but-
ter icing.
Nuts, either whole or finely
chopped, can add a pleasant taste
to most of your baking favorites.
Sprinkle them on top or blend
them in, depending; on. your taste,
On Target
Who's man enough to beat a
three: centuries old sporting rec-
ord? The amazing thing Is that
any athletic record should exist
for so long. But back in 1798,
Sultan Selim, of Turkey, scoped
what archery experts. describe as
the world's longest shot with an
arrow. Linking his giant strength
with a giant bow, he sent an ar-
row flashing over 972.07 yds.
An American archer reoently
tried to beat this. He equipped
himself with a super fifty-four-
inch maple bow with a two hun-
dred and fifty , pound pull, and
settled down into his firing posi-
tion at Lancaster. Airport, Penn-
sylvania. He flexed- his legs
against the bow's shaft, stretch-
ed with all his might and un-
leashed what he hoped would be
a world beater.
Away -whizzed his twenty -five -
inch arrow, streaking over the
airfield'shalf-mile mark, but
plummeted down a total distance
,of 937.13 yds. away. He'd failed
bynearly thirty-five yards to clip
the Sultan's record.
He was too exhausted to try
again. Perhaps there's a descend-
ant of Robin Hood somewhere in
this country who will rise to the
challenge. He'll need, though, to
pull his bow like a mule.
WHAT'S1T? This is one of the clearest_ and closest photo-
graphs ever, made• of the sun.- The picture wets taken from a
balloon 80,000.fe,et'over Minnesota, using a remote-controlled
radio -camera. The black marks are sunspots, ..he la; gest about
30,00Q miles across.
f 14 C1,EES"? A hungry .nanon the moon eats his lunch. Hes a workman on a Hal y
v.< •et Pot the .tsw "Men Into Space television show,