The Express.
London, England, 1858-11-04 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY

the free action of the prase—in remarsjp. the class i
prejudices that now No =happily prevail, Penni=
patriotism may find an ample and fruitful told fon ,
its exertions. Such labours u these are far rows
*Session( for the well-being of a casein than any

ascent of

declam.ktionce ►btnot

priaaiplas, ce philosophic delimitation of privileges
:alai rigida.- :WS Iris► all the sweetie that it may
dame itt tbs Bev Ministry of Prince ROUEN-
swam annuancolor.

Art D the many distinguished Associations, literary,
ecientifie, and social, that have recently amombled in
state deliberated before the world, and separated
amidst a flourish of trumpets, it is scarcely surprising
that a cooperatively Meson Coaferenoe, which met
last week, and of whisk we lave a further report
to-day, shauld have altogether soaped notice. We
refer to the meetings of the Took Sol-fa Aimaistion,
for the promotion of vocal music in schools se a
branch of elementary amnion. The title of
the Amoriation, indeed, sounds very much like
a joke, and those who know little of it bo-
red the name may naturally be disposed at
first to laugh at the whole affair. The real
enemy which such Associations have to encounter,
however, is not ridicule, but indifference. Had the
Conference been larger and mars influential, being
devoted to seek a skeet, it woad scarcely have
seemed anything like general roooguition. For,
wills mugs is the only one at the fins arts that works
es
&living power among all clammed the people, it is
at the sane time the cal; ens to which public jeer. I
iamb, moil entice, and popular Monsen never
refer. Of mete, indeed, as a fashionable amuse-
meat in the shape of operas, concerts, and festivals,
we leer a great deals but of its deeper power
mow the people as en instrument of education
and means denial program, next to nothing. Our
smell refiring' have not a weed to say about it.
Amon the Art-eduestional papers read at Liverpool
ma nn found so pleas. Lord Baouonnt, in his obi-
bentod maim de eareelsse retie et grandam Wile,
paned it ever In Amos. While referring to the other
arts—to sealptar% painting, and poetry—whisk
have cemparatively litW ISAOIIIIIO9 on the mass of
the people, he said nothing of the is. art which is
their Masan recreation and delight, whom benefi-
cent power is growingly felt even in the humblest
homes. In the same way en article which
a distinguished contemporary recently devoted to
Leeds, after elaborately enumerating several points
of &Mediae, each as the royal visit, the
meeting of the British Association, and Mechanics'
Institute Soiree, carefully omitted the one point
on which the town chiefly prides itself, its new
Musio-hall and first Musical Festival. The former is
a splendid building, and the latter was a great sac-
can, the most successful festival indeed that hos been
' held for some years past. And themes of Leeds Dam-
rally thought that their spirited exertions to make of
their town a masks! as well as assaafacturing centre
would rank first in any enumeration of its recent
claims to distinction. It was the more important to
satire this effort, tee, because it is not an isolated,
but a representative feat. Music-halls are rapidly
springing up in all the large mennfactaring towns of
the north, obviously to supply a want which
their special craft greaten The modern asseeiation of
music with power loom, is but an extension of the
old union between the solitary shuttle and national
song. From the earliest times weavers have been
singers. The Lollard', who chiefly belonged to this
aloe, derived their name from the fact that they
always sung in a low voice while at work, throwing
' the Munn to the best of sere favourite air, end
moving the Menke to the well.known words of
some sacred psalm or patrinle song. Hence Palatal'
exclaims in his distress, " Would I were a weaver, I
" mold sing psalms and all manner of wings." Jolly
Sr risky BekA knew a catch that ,Tordd " draw three
" soulseat of ens weaver;" and Nick Bottom, of that
soft, had " a reasonable good ear in music,' and
warbled so angelically that Tinian woe enamoured
of iris note sad preyed him to sing again. But the
solitary loom has bosom a gigantic machine, and
the modern weaver weeks amid a deafening erewd
of =dosed and jeering noises. At the close of the
day he needs, thee re, all the mere the relief of
mein which is dada him at his work. And the
modern muric-hall is to the old weaver's song what
the modern maasfastery is to his aneieot work.
This may help to explain the love of music in
manufaeturiag districts, bat the rapid spread of the
art is not by any mesas confined to these localities.
Not only is the seinen of industry, marked oat on
the hornsu by blazing furnaces and crowded chim-
ney-steaks, bat in quiet pastoral valleys and old-
fashioned agriealtaral towns, the inflames of musk,
is gnawingly felt. Ths blacksmith at his forge, the
wheelwright in kis shed, the waggoner on the road,
sad eves the ploughman in the field, have each his
nag. The mining may be very ends, as it often is,
bat the wog serves to beguile the time, and gives
diem, both alms and in company, a cheap wares of
kennels reereatios and sensument. In proportion
to tbelr practise! knowledge of singing, their com-
mand of the art and delight in its =maim are these
*lasses raised above the coarse and vulgar type of
natio character. Thom who live mach in the
esuntry know this well by experience. They have
no
the good moral and social effect which
the ealtivation of movie in a rural district has
oedema, whether among children at the local
schools, or among adult' in evening classes. It bra
famished a piseeent occupation for leisure hours
that would probably otherwise have been spent in
idleness or frivolity. It gives a sew charm to social
intercourse, end insensibly reins the tone of feeling
and standard of madact in every circle that mass
under its influence. While in villages the revived
musical activity is chiefly felt in the improvement
of local monody, in country towns it is net mfrs.
gamily manifested in the formation of " Madrigal
" Societies." The vales of these societies is very
great. Few art exercises, indeed, are nobler in
their inflames than the constant study and practice
I of these fine old aim, so full of genuine English life
and pare English feeling.
It is not marpririag that these who have seen the
good effects of a little musical training should bo
anxious to extend its influence se widely as pastille
by making it a branch of elementary education.
There is us reason why seek a sheep and innocent
annuement ea singing should sot be placed within
the reach of all. Nothing is sweeter than the human
voles, and it need scarcely be said that a•
masked instrument Is so widely diffused. With
stood training even a poor voice toes weenies,
and is able in time to give pleasure not oily
to the singer himself but to others ea well. A
practical dexterity like singing, when acquired I.
childhood or youth, is rarely neglected or forgotten,
since the practice, being in itself pleasurable, tends to
develop and perfect the acquired power. Every child
in • school, it is true, cannot be made to sing will ;
but those who lave been engaged for years in the
work of teaching find there are very few who do not
pick op some knowledge of the art, sad even these few
feel its good effects, both moral and physical. They
enjoy the recreation and exercise their lungs, and the
mere physical Influence of regular training in vocal
mole is not to be despised. One of the speakers at
the recent conference, Mr. WHITE, a teacher of some

standing,

gave aeon.. Wanton* oa this impfl.
#he had ibu himself or tile scholars.
as Sled he had roeouret to *aging, and
" the -uniform Nish was that they store refreshed and
anigorsOsit. It was eamaehable that twang years
" ago, when he began to teach singing in Spitalflebls,
the children in that locality seemed to have soaroely
any voice, and spoke in a feeble and contracted
" manner. One effect of tha practice of singing had
" been to create a gradual improvement in that ra.
" apect ; in fact, the children of his school would now
" bear a comparison in vocal strength with children
" generally."

The chief point mooted at the late meetings re-
ferred to the best method of teaching singing in
schools, and it was to disown this important question
more hilly that the first conference was adjourned.
Mr. WHIT; the speaker jest quoted, said that, after
haring tried many systems, he foead that of the
Association beet suited for his purpose—that of
school chearfalleatios," es he variously phased
it. The extension of a particular system of teaching
is, however, /sr lees important than the diffusion of
weal sees* however taught, as a branch of ele-
mentary education. It not only strengthens the
lungs and educates the ear and the voice, but, by
addressing the affections and the imagination in the
purest form, helps to supply that moral element in
which our systems et primary instruction are chiefly
deficient. We, thsradme, heartily wish the Associa-
tion all mosso in its work.