Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-10-30
Sing to Your Bah,aa.

Singing is learned by imitation: am
voice or what is called . natural gin for
singing is acquired by, imitation: but 1T
must be acquired In infancy or early child
hood. Because that Is the time when
children aie learning to initiate others In
learning to talk and the ear aud vocal or.
gans are in the best condition to receive
sounds and initiate them. Few persons
have any ides how hard a hing it would be
to learu 10 talk were 1t not for tbs Special
susceptibility in the ear and vocSi organs
at this period Probably there are very
few people who could ever learn to talk af
ter they had arrised at the age of twenty
years.
I Now if child has no opportunity to
learn to sing before or during the time it is
learning to talk, it is not at all strange if IL
never learns. With no better opp,rtuui
Ties Tor initiating speech il never would
have learned TO talk. have often noticed
that singing mother will raise a half doz-
ell children every one of whom will be
singers, while their father cannot tell one
tune fiom another. And have also often
seen mothers who were not singers raise
large families not one of whom could sing
though their father was an excellent sing
er. But on the contrary | have never
known mother who could not sing, raise
large family of singers. This, nj first
thought. would seem TO indicate that chill
dren inherit their singing ability from their
myth "-.--'
LOCATION or uo...-
l."tr. but II l. inucn more probable that
all child inherits from either parent is.
ability to perceive sounds and initiate them
And this ability probably the girl inherits
from her father and the boy from his moth
er. That j., If the fathers imitation be great.
his daughters will be the same; and if the
mother can be quick TO perceive the differ
ent shades of sound so will be the sous
OF course some children inherit much
greater ability to initiate than Others do:
but a all have sufficient imitation to learn
to talk, so all have sufficient imitation to
learn TO sing if they hear singing sufii.
GENTLY often in childhood. And here is
the reason why singing mothers are SO
much more likely to have singing children.
FII>t. they give to their sons their imita-
ton a an inheritance, so that the male child
learns TO sing readily. Second. by constant
association the daughter learns to initiate
her. though the natural ability to initiate.
inherited from her father may have been
very small But the father has no such
advantage. Though his daughter NAV
have inherited his imitation; still the time
She can spend with him in infancy compar-
ed with that spent with her mother is very
small. And though the son may spend
more of his childhood with his father than
the daughter does. still he has inherited
from his mother but a small degree OF ..ni-
tation
Another proof that children sing by I'M
nation is seen in eases where neither father
nor mother nor any of the older children
can sing; but the younger children, those
born after an organ or piano i in common
use in the family are often good singers.
Now there are several reasons why it i
desirable thA children should sing. First.
singing is a harmless amusement and Keeps
them out OF mischief. Second. it is
source of real enjoyment and he who loves
music can enjoy more than one who does
not. and in times of trouble music may So
alleviate affection as to make life tolcrable
where without that alienation person
would become victim TO insanity or sui
eide. Third, it is frequently passport in
to good company when away from home
Fourth, ifone is proficient. it may be made
pleasant and lucrative business.
Certainly these are sufficient reasons why
~; r s, s;;,, ,her the father ar
servants should sing. But if neither can
sing. then the best substitute is amusical
instrument. Il. l.. GRINDLE.