Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-12-21
A Remedy for Brass Instruments.

10 order to be a great military
commander it is generally conceded
that certain amount of Indifference
to human suffering is requisite.
Grant would never have dealt his
terrible blows at the Army of Gen.
Lee, had he been constantly filed
with pity for the tattered and battle
worn Confederates, and our Presi-
dent could hardly have achieved his
present proud position as the great
cOnciliator of the age had his heart
continued to bleed for the poor negro
as 1t bled before the election. A like
callOusness of heart is a necessary
characteristic of the man who under
takes to learn to play upon musi-
cal instrument.
The sum of human agony caused
by the early efforts of players upon
stringed, reed, and brass instruments
is incalculable, and it is noticeable
that wherever musical ameteurs
abound the Universalist faith makes
no progress, and the Calvinistic doc
trine that a place of future torment
is a moral necessity finds multitudes
of believers. Many learned cOmmen.
tators have discussed the nature of
the insanity under which King Saul
frequently suffered, but it was odd
that no one has perceived that it
was due to the youthful DaVid's per.
sistent practice upon the harp. We
know that on one occasion while
David was playing an air, which
doubtless closely resembled "SilVer
Threads Among the Gold" Saul, re-
marking "S'help me Father Abra-
ham, this is TOO much" flung iaYe-
lin at the musician and drove him
away. Doubtless, the King was has
ty, but let us remember his extreme
provocation. As for David, not con-
tent with having already killed the
leading Philistine giant, he went
and played the harp to that unhappy
nation, with the view of demoraliz-
ing the people so that he could
make an easy conquest of them on
coming to the Israelitish throne.
While the javelin is probably q
specific for all suffering due to ao-
cordeons, violIns, eOrnets and flutes,
it is not a remedy which is available
at the present day. The most sue
cessful mode of treatment which has
been devised is that which was re-
Gently tried, with admirable results,
in the case of a young man resid-
ing in a Twenty-second-street board,
ing-house, who was addicted to the
French horn; and it is due to the
medical profession that the history
of the case should be briefly given,
The young man in question Occu-
pied the seeOnd-stOry front bali
bedIoom. He was apparently quiet
and well-meaning person, but under
a smooth and spotless shirt-bOsom
he concealed heart needless of hu-
man suffering. 1t would not have
made much difference where he con-
eealed his heart, for IL would have
been quite as ca'lous had he kept il
under his waistband, or inside of
his boot That he preferred to learn
the French horn rather than any
other and more common instrument
of torture, does not palliate his Of
fense; for although the horn lacks
the ear-piercing shrillneSs Of the cor
net, its tone has a wonderfully pene-
tratlng power, and is to the last de-
gree depressing to the spirits. I'm
fortunately, he was free from those
forms of vice which lead young men
N snsnd their evenings elsewhere
tban IN their rooms and TO lie in bed
49, ~ tha morning. Moreover, he
'o;d ' his room rent in advance with
pPnIJ P' .blooded punctuality. Hence, al
Ibo1gh he rose up early and sat up
late to practice the horn, his land
lady could not make up her mind ell
ther to request him to leave OF to
hint to him, by the direct method Of
helping exclusively to cold coffee
and bare bones, that his pressnoe ip
hsr house was undesirable.
The man who begins to play a
wia1,jnstrument employs the most
of his tiDe in what may be called
sighting sbots." For example,
when this particular young man de-
sired to sound 3 flat, it would take
him a long while before he could get
his wind gauge regulated. He would
hit three or four notes above b Hat
and three or four notes below u, 3
score of times before he would hnal-
Il make a bulrs-eye. Even wnen,
afier long effort he succeeded IN hit
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