The time-window within which Childs' collection were originally developed probably felt very modern to those living and singing in it. And I could hazard that they, too, mourned the disappearing view of the far past traditions which were fading out. The REAL traditional songs, to them, might have included long-forgotten paeans to Boadicea or war-chants from the Blue Belly Brigade dancing in Ashdown Forest or some such thing, but to those in the 18-19 c. window, these were the real stuff, now long forgot.

Granted, we have accelerated the rate of change by becoming a media-centric, networked civilization. But I do not believe the fundamentals have changed that much.

In my family, amongst all my nephews and nieces, "Jamaica Farewell" and "The Strawberry Roan" are traditional songs because they are remembered from their childhoods forty years ago when I sang them to them around Gramma's fireplace.