The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-12-08
Letter from SebagO.
Paying off the Workmen-The Music of Moneu
and Music IN the Public Schools

Paying off the Workmen-The Music of Money!
and Music in the Public Schools.
LAKE SEBAGo Dec 7th, 1871.
Mr.. Editor.-Did yon ever see gang of
hands paid off? If you have, you have seen
many smiling faces and joyous hearts. 1t is al
ways gratifying sight to witness capital pay
ing labor. We have many times and often
heard it said that the laborer is worthy of his
hire, and it isas true now as it was centuries
ago, when Solomon was building the Temple.
Yesterday was happy day for the men who
have been at work on the P. & o. Railroad.
And If any laborers are worthy of their wages,
those who dig, shovel and make our railroads
must be reckoned among them. The hands
who are working on the Ogdensburg road were
paid off yesterday, and happier fellows are sell
dom seen on any occasion. They were stand
ing about the depot here and saw an extra train
not far behind the regular morning train.
'See that" said one young stalwart son OF the
Emerald Isle, pointing to the train and jump
ing almost out of his brogans, NOW for the
greenbacksp' And sure enough he and many
others thrust the little packages into their
pockets. 1t was pleasant sight to see SO
many made happy.
1t reminds me of scene 1 witnessed some
twenty years ago on the American shore of
Lake Superior among the miners in that region
of copper ore. The celebrated Pittsburg mine
had just got under good Roadway, and the Ger
mans and Welchmen who were working it had
not received any pay for period Of nine
months because they would not take paper
money. They were not used to that kind of
circulating medium and demanded the specie
which was carried up on the schooner, "Napo-
leon' in bags and boxes. There was a good
pile of it. took passage on the same vessel.
The vessel sailed into Copper Harbor' which
is not much of harbor. There it was landed
and carted some three miles to the mine where
the silver and gold were handed over to ssitch-
ing palms" At midnight large company of
miners came down to the harbor, and the first
thing we heard in that forest was the music of
many voices. was encamped with gentle
man from New York, and we were awakened
at midnight by most excellent singing. Thew
could all sing and sing well too; for thew
had practiced the art from their how.
hood. L have heard some good music
in my day, but thought then /
never heard voices harmonize so well az
theirs did on that occasion. 1t was a
mild evening in June, and 1 remember
that then thought Yankees could not make
such mnsc as echoed over the sparkling waters
of the Lake at that midnight hour And why?
Because music is not taught in our common
schools. These miners had learned music from
their infancy, and expressed their JOY in the
art that has but one language and that univer-
sal. Surely they were happier for thus being
taught. Then why not introduce music into
our common schools and make the next gener-
alton more happy than we are? We have mu-
steal talent enough, it only needs cultivation.
1t these Irish laborers had been musically edu-
Gated in early life as the Germans and Italians
are, they could have expressed their joy as the
miners did on the shore of Lake Superior. and
sweet music would have foated over the CRYSTAL
waters of this Lake.