Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1835-05-21


of certain faculties in certain minds, may
be ascertained by the external form OF
the head. 1 shall not ask you to believe,
as l do, that a great musical faculty
gives a width to the forehead, and IA
roundness to the outer angles of it.
shall not ask you TO test these prognos-
tics by examining the foreheads Of the
best performers this evening All ask
is, that you will allow, that if voice and
ear will not make musician, the mind,
as whole, or some single lacuhy Of the
mind, must direct and control the exter-
nal organs. Grant, as you must, that
your children can distinguish sound OF
pleasure from one of pain, that they can
distinguish 10000 or more words from
each other, that they can speak and
read, and give every other indication OF
tho possession of the external organs OF,
singing, and shall hope to convince
you, that if you allow each to have a
mind, she may make tolerablo singer
Perseverance, attention, and practice,
may be necessary, but no more necessa-
ry than to learn any thing else.
This was my theory before introduce
ed music into this school. 1t is my belief
row. do not see one child Of all who
have attended the lessons Of our teach
or, that has not learned something. L
know Of no one that might not have made
more progress, il she had used all her
advantages. Some have been very at
tentive, and have excelled; some have
been Indifferent, and have made a cor
responding progress; some have been in
attentive, and have advanced no farther
than an inattentive person could expect
to advance. l sec no difference in this
respect, between students Of music, and
students Of grammar or geography nor
do | believe there is any.
But some parents, supposing that their
children have made no progress, have
concluded that they could not learn. 1t
is this conclusion which would prevent
by these remarks. In ono case, l recol
fect a parent wished his child to be ex-
cused fiom attending any longer to mu-
sic, because she said she knew nothing;
the parent did not pretend to be a Judge.
MIR. Mason, at my request, examined
her. She sang threo songs to him.
and ran up and down the musical scale
with ease. This is but one Of many cas-
es. But who Of you does not know that
within two years, thousands in this city,
have discovered that they could sing,
who supposed it impossible.
"But, grant," it may be said-"grant
that all can sing. What good will it do
for all to learn" Let us inquire for n
moment No one, think, will pretend
that there is my thing intrinsically bad
in music. 1t is common enough to hear
of the evil tendency Of a passion for mu
sic, and the danger Of being good sing
er. But whence does this danger arise
Good singers arc scarce-they please,
they are sought after, they are caressed, f,
they are ruined. Were singers more
common, the danger would be dimin-
ished. Were music as common as read
ing, and believe it may be made so,
there would be no moro danger in being
a good singer-than in being good
reader.
The misanthropic and gloomy may
pretend that the world deteriOrates, and
that new vices, new crimes, and new
diseases, are annually produced, whilst
the number of the virtues remains the
came. This may be true; but this does
not hinder the amelioration Of our condi
ton. knowledge has always beenpo,c-
er-it is beginning to be peace, which is
the chief element Of happiness. The
wider diffusion Of knowledge has abo-
lished many abuses which have hitherto
occupied much Of the attention Of man
kind, and given bias to education, re-
ligion, conduct. War, for instance, is
not the all-absorbing pursuit to which
every thing else must be made subservi-
cnt. But think you that all the excite
ment which war produces can be remov-
ed, and no substitute supplied 7 1t is un-
natural TO expect it. Increasing know
ledge will not only prevent war, but it
will furnish much employment, and
much excitement to supply its place, but
it will not do all that is necessary. We
acknowledge the effect of lectures, lyce-
ums, multiplied schools, and higher semi
naries; but there is still chasm, which,
it seems to me, that music-and music
alone-can fill, and should fill can fill,
because all are pleased with music, and
all can acquire competent knowledge
Of it, and should fill, because the infu-
ence Of music is unquestionably as inno-
cent as it is exhilarating. 1t is the nat
ural language Of JOY; even its plaintive
strains are never source Of pain and
in every form, it is adapted to soften and
elevate the human character.
OHIO AND MICHIGAN