the young Kate Bush, even Blondie, with nostalgia; I miss theirrnsweet voices, charming melodies, and apparent innocence.rnNow there are no more tunes and the voices are turned tornshrieks, and the absolute lack of any discernible musical talentrnis covered over with a thick mucous layer of MTV attitude. Forrnthis is the 90’s; the great era of the female musician. Sherncomes in three basic types: the fake, six-year-old, petulant, lispingrnDaddy’s girl, skipping about and singing in an annoyingrnwhine; the Madwoman of Chaillot complete with loose gesturesrnand rolling eyes, gurgling and howling like a Bulgarianrnwidow; and finally the Woman Songwriter with long dressesrnand combat boots, often wearing glasses and singing in arnself-involved monotone that belongs in a Soviet tank factory.rnWhich brings me finally to the female voice. Whateverrnhappened to it? When I watch old movies or listen to old radiornprograms I am often struck by the loveliness of femalerntones, from the peachy bass flute of Margaret Dumont to thern”lark ascending” of Deanna Durbin. For some reason, womenrncan no longer speak beautifully. The older ones usually cultivaternan angry flat delivery like a feminist drill sergeant, and thernyoung girls croak like frogs. The ubiquitous croaking noise thatrnissues from the throats of the young is an attempt to sound likerna stoner, an habitual drug addict. I suppose the girls think itrnmakes them sound sexy.rnOh, where have the women all gone? Was it only 40 yearsrnago that Jerry Lewis got stuck in a girl’s school in You’re NeverrnToo Young? I watched the movie the other night, and marveledrnat how innocent and honestly young those little actresses were,rnhow soft of voice, how gentle and kind, and how various—rnshort, plain, pretty, tall, plump, bossy, but all of them adorable.rnWatching their modern counterparts forms an invidious comparison,rnso many of them croaking, bitchy, simpering, nastyrntoughs obsessed with sexual politics. As they grow, they willrnmate with new men and breed snarling brats whose vocabularyrnconsists of the word “cool.” But where have the women allrngone? Where can one find those wonderful creatures whornused to be so . . . feminine?rnI may not be the only young person asking such questions,rnhowever. The title of this article is taken from a poignant songrnby an effervescent New York folk duo named Drink Me:rnHey there reference librarians.rnHey rare book antiquarians,rnHey there octogenarians, answer please.rnWhat will I do with these flowers and gems?rnTo whom will I recite these wretched poems?rnHow will I live in a world without them?rnWhere have the women all gone? • ernSHOULD CONSERVATIVES LEAVE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY?rnThis provocative topic was debatedrnby political strategists HowardrnPhillips and David Keene and is nowrnavailable both on video and audiorntapes. The June 3rd issue of HumanrnEvents carried lengthy excerptsrnof this charged event. But here’srnan opportunity to receive a morern. – A – J k ^ ^rn^^.-^ ^ ^^^^^gfgrnflMl’^^^V l^^m^^JH^Hrn>^wr_ji7^ iir^y r^ rncomplete rendering of the argumentsrnalong with the introduction byrnMichael Warder of The RockfordrnInstitute, host of the event. The costrnfor the video, including postagernand handling, is $24.95, while thernaudio is $9.95. You may order byrncalling…rn1-800-383-0681rnand using your Master or Visa card. You may also send your payment or credit card information with the order form below.rnQtyrnQty.rnD Video ($24.95) Shipping & handling included.rnD Audio ($9.95) Shipping & handling included.rnZl Payment enclosed. Please charge my: D Visa D MastercardrnCard number Exp. I l_rnNamernAddressrnThe Rockford Instiluie • 934 North Main Street • Rockford • Illinois 61103-7061rn28/CHRONlCLESrnrnrn