Josephine the Songstress

Indeed, as of late she's even intensified her attack... whereas before she was content to pursue her objective merely through verbal means, just through words, now she's starting to expand her repertoire, extending her fight into domains that she believes may be more efficacious, but it's our opinion that her new tactics are more likely to backfire right back in her face and prove to be more dangerous for herself. There are many of us who believe that Josephine is becoming so adamant about this whole escapade because she's beginning to feel old, that she hasn't all that much time left before her voice will start to weaken and, thus, it's high time that she enter into this last decisive battle for achieving the recognition that's due. But I don't believe it. Josephine wouldn't be Josephine if this were to be true. For her there's no such thing as "getting old," and her voice will never weaken. If she's demanding something so what's behind it all are inner principles, she'd never allow herself to be swayed by any external considerations. She's grasping for the highest wreath not because it so happens that it's momentarily hanging a bit lower, rather simply because it is the ultimate-if it should lie within her powers she'd hang it higher yet. Such a noble regard for the spiritual doesn't, however, keep her from stooping down and using means that are most base. Her right to do just as she pleases, this is something about which she's never had any doubts. What difference does it make which means she uses just as long as she's able to obtain her objective-and, indeed, partic-ularly when you consider that the way she judges the world there's simply no way to get 'there' if she were to restrict herself to doing things in the ways that are respected. Perhaps it's even for this reason that she's switched in her tactics and no longer pursues her goal merely from the realm of song, that rather she's shifted to an arena that is less dear. Her circle of admirers has been letting it be known that Josephine has a definite feeling that she's able to sing in such a manner that the entirety of our folk in all of its divisions, and even right into the most entrenched opposition, everyone would find real pleasure in hearing her-and she's not meaning real pleasure in the typical sense of our folk, our folk has always asserted to have found pleasure in listening to Josephine, rather she's mean-ing pleasure in a sense all her own, pleasure in the sense of her striving. But, she's quick to add on: since there's just no way that she might ever prove to be false to that which is highest, nor could she possibly stoop to a level that would flatter the commoners, well, matters are simply going to have to remain just as they are.