The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-04-10


| Zurka when one is asked TO.
We would laugh at the idea of making a
! sculptures, poeteSs or painter of our daughter
unless she showed a decided talent in that
| direction, but of course she can learn to
play-other girls do. So we buy her piano.
1t costs $500, perhaps. We give her eight
| terms of lessons, which, with her books and
music, cost 500 more. Now she is fitted for
society. You call on her aud ask her TO play
| She Is sure 10 have sore finger, a bad cold,
or is so tired of her old pieces and don't
know any new ones, or perchance is entirely
| out of practice. After a deal of persuadiDg
| YOU perhaps get her TO dash of waltz, with
the poor belated notes chasing in pell-mell
| pursuit after those in advance, and now and
then one is entirely left out in the cold.
But she finishes in grand crash that makes
you involuntarily hold fast to your chair,
and whirls on the stool and is ready for your
compliments. You are bound now TO set
your part of the farce. You must say, "Oh,
that's beautiful; what is it?' even If it be
the first tune you learned to whistle when
| a school boy.
1t seems to me music is looked upon as
| certain insignia of rank-a proclamation or
| education, passport to matrimony. If not,
why do so many girls play and so few wives?
Matrimony is held up to our girls entirely
too much as the only aim in life. Our
| mothers are too apt to inculcate the idea,
| our works of fiction to confirm it. So when
marriage is over the curtain drops-the
| play is out-and then when life Is but really
| beginning, when the time has come to dis
play her real womanhood, she sits without
energy, her piano strings rust of, her dress
| is no longer neat and becoming, for any
thing will do for home, you know, and the
adoring lover but too soon finds his idol
clay. clay, clad in greasy wrapper and curl
papers. No wonder the home grows tire
some and domestic unhappiness creeps in.
Teach our girls to learn nothing that is not
| good for life. Teach them that all the win
some ways OF girlhood should not be dropped
| at marriage, but that life should grow
grander, purer and better as ii advances.
| There is nothing more bonny than dan
delion in the spring grass; but you can
never make rose of dandelion. You can
change the rose-make it grow more double
| and lighter or darker, according to the food
you give it. But it is a rose.
II q person has not the natural talent for
music no education can give it. If they
| have it, 1T can be trained. / know hundreds
of performers. / know two or three musi-
| clans.
Would one of our young ladies think OF
falling back on her music as means OF sup
port in adversely? No, indeed. It's only
surface polish. Would it not be better to
take the 800 and expend it for an education
that would fit them to take care OF them
selves if they had no talent for music?
Too many fathers are like the oil million
aire at Saratoga, who SAID Come, Sal. and
play us your two thousand dollar waltz
"What do you mean?' asked gentleman
present.
why. 1 bought Sal thousand dollar
piano; L gave her lessons, and sent her to
Europe to finish you know; and after all
she can only play one waltz. But | try to
take deal of comfortout of that, he added,
philosophically.
l know a young lady who has taken les
sons ever since she was old enough TO span
an octave, and who has had every advantage
money and good instructors could give, but
who to-day can not play piece so as to give
listener any pleasure. Her scales are mar
vels of rapidity; her execution is fine-only
she has no idea of time. That is natural
gift denied her, and so her music loses all its
rhythm.
know lady of finest culture who can
not keep step 10 march to save her life,
while on the other hand good old Quaker
gentleman, who believes all music an inven-
ton OF the devil, can hardly keep his feet
from dancing jig every time he hears
| fiddle.
If you have no talent don't take lessons
just because its fashionable. / suppose if
fashion should smile on sculpture all our
young ladies would soil their delicate fingers
with clay. If on poetry the dictionary
would be taken from its dusty shelf
and nice words that rhyme be taken
down in lists. If on painting easels would
be found in every corner and brushes and
paint pots on every window ledge. But the
| tickle goddess smiles on music, so our young
ladies must hammer and thrum away on
their pianos from two to four hours day.
A Chinese woman once said to an English
lady: II have suffered everything with my
feet. / used to wish | were dead, but now
| they have become quite numb, and only
| pain me when the bandages are changed.
But, you know" she added, solemnly, my
mother did it all for the best, for l never
should have gone in society unless l had
small feet"
Some of our American mothers display al.
most as much zeal in the manner in which
they martyrize their children by making
them practice hour after hour and day after
day. Nothing is more irksome to one who
does not love music, and no punishment
could be more cruel. Especially is it 50 tire
some as our common piano stOels have no
rest for the back.
Every country village now days has its
bscore of pianos, and hundreds of dollars are
spent annually for lessons, tuning and mu-
sic; yet there Is no public library. Admit
ing the refining influence of music, would it
not be for the general welfare to spend part
of that money at least for books. l know
homes where the book self affords scarcely
anything beyond the dictionary and alma
nae which yet sports its piano.
When some persons sit down to play you
naturally feel your nerves grow tense, and
you wish it over. And when it is through
you sigh with relief, and only hope they
don't know what failure they have made,
and most generally they don't, for they pos
sess no natural standard by which to judge
their performance.
How much more agreeable it is to hear a
young lady say frankly she does not know
how TO play than to attempt it and make a
failure. 1t makes you ashamed If she fails,
and doubly ashamed to think she does not
realize it.
One thing remember: II you can play, do
so at once, If asked. Don't hang back, with
a thousand excuses, as If desirous to see how
bad your friends want you TO play, but get
up Immediately and do your best to give
hem pleasure. Northing shows affectation
more certainly than to wait to be coaxed.
But what shall we do with the medium
class? you ask. II you have plenty OF money,
il you have plenty of time and want to learn
to play, do so, but not at the expense of your
mother. Take a daughters place In the
household, help bear its burdens and never