Word: vein
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About a century later, after 1830, the vein of the songs begins to change. Dancing and the musical theatre performance usher in a new type of frivolous song composition. Each year brings its quota of new "marches", "quicksteps", "variations", "gallops", "quadrilles", "polkas", "schottisches", and "mazurkas". Then, as dancing and the musical theatricals begin to show their influence, are found such titles as "The Harvard Quadrille, to the ladies of the Harvard sociables" and "The Hollis Hall Polka". Finally comes "rag time" in the early 1900's and even in this the University is by no means left...
Some months ago "Vanity Fair" satirized the decay of free institutions in America. Passed over lightly at the time, the satire is brought vividly to mind by the widely heralded trial of Gerald Chapman. The press reports are almost universally in a vein to create the hostile public opinion by which juries are so easily swayed. The "New York Times" even states that Chapman's diabolically superhuman mind has, since his capture, mastered criminal law so thoroughly that he is now directing his own defense, and will concoct the subtle lies that will be stated in his favor...
There is a parody, for instance by Charles Dickens who is usually connected with the high romanticism of David Copperfield of the serious vein of The Tale of Two Cities. He has taken the lines of Gray's immortal elegy and transformed them in very mediocre doggerel, into the tale of a eat and dog. Here, for example are the opening lines of his version of the church yard verses...
After putting on a play with a considerable amount of delicate charm, the Boston Stock Company pursues this week a higher and more widely popular vein, "Rolling Home" is just another comedy that will make people laugh if they are in the right mood for laughter, and will bore them if they are feeling tired. Such things as "Rolling Home" are written because most audiences crave amusement--they want to do their weeping somewhere else...
When a reviewer has said this much it would appear that he has worked out the vein. Such a vein of superficial criticism cannot serve long as a paying proposition. This does not. Whenever an antagonist meets the Lampoon he must meet it on its own playing field and under its own rules...