The Portland daily press., 1879-04-29
Shall She GTake Lessons 81

Almost every parent having q daughter to
educate is pretty sure to be confronted with
this ques ton at an early period of the finish
| ing process. Aud in speaking of taking les.
sons" the piano is of course understood to be
% instrument in question:; for its hold on the
popular favor is so strong as practically to rule
out all others 10 the great majority of cases.
So much does the piano stand for, in estimat-
ing the social status of community that IL
| conveys very intelligent idea of the character
OF village in the newer settled portions of our
country, to speak of it as "a ten-piano town, I"
or "forty-piano place.
Ability to perform on the national instru-
ment has therefore been one of the first things
sought for by daughters in well.to-do families;
and as step up and out of the unlovelv and
often hard conditions of common life, it was an
ambition to encourage. That we have so much
home music in this land to-day, and have seen
within forty years so rapid and wide an in
crease in the popular knowledge of really pood
music, is due more to the piano than any other
instrument; it might almost be said than to ali
others.
The first thing to be considered iu answering
the question, Shall she take lessons? is whether
she wants to- This idea will probably be- now
to great many parents, who act as though
they suppose that lessons are all that is re-
CURED to make musician. We have not
enough considered 10 this country the adapts-
bility of children to their ayocatiOns: and so a
large share of the round holes in our industrial
and professional activities are filled with
square pegs, and yice uerso.
1t girl has no special liking for the piano,
and particularly if she be manifestly deficient
IN the natural gifts requisite to its mastery,
why should she waste her time and you your
money in vain attempt to learn IL? Perhaps
she could learn the organ better, or the violin,
or some other instrument. Or if her ear be
Gull for tones, her sense Of time deficient and
ner physical and mental sptitudes are uusuited
for the loving and successful study of music in
any foim why not accept the fact, and permit
her to ascertain and follov her bent in other
directions? Every being that Can live can do
something; this let him do" says gruff but
wise Thomas Carlyle. The girls cannot ali
play the piano, but they are not therefore shut
out OF accomp pishments. Let them sing. or
paint. or embroider, or make and adorn their
apparel, or lavish their art instincts on cock
ing.
A great deal of this futis forcing of the in
citnations comes from a desire to "have some
music in the house," and very laudable wish
it Is; but why don't such parents set a son to
painting, though he may be color.blind and un-
able to draw straight line with the aid of q
ruler, oecaose they want some pictures in the
house,? 1t would he quite as sensible a pro.
ceeding as the other. Good mechanical music
can b. had much cheaper from a music-box or
. crank-organ.
IL Is " oe remembered, also, that piano.
playing is aa art that Can be retained only BY
continual exercise. Even the great masters Of
the Instrument depend upon + ally practice for
the preserva vation of their skill. If girls stu
alton in life is not likely to be such that she
eau retain her practice, either for profit or
pleasure, it is folly, and often a cruelty to
teach her an accomplish meDt and perhaps
give her source of delight that she must SO
soon abandon.
The question of providing music lessons for
the daughter, except IN cases where she is so
clearly gifted as to make the course plain, is
therefore, in our view, largely one of policy
Ii 700 can afford the money, and your daugh-
Ter the time, it is often worth her while 10
learn the little that the majority of pupils ac-
quire, as matter of discipline, and for :be
pleasure she may feel and give to others, in
being able to play the sprighty measures that
enliven tee social circle, or the simple accom-
panments for home songs. But if pursued in
this way aud for this purpose, the course Of in
struction should not discourage aud burden the
pupil by its tediousness and severity, as is too
often the case. Ii takes parents and teachers a
long time to tiDd out that what children study
with freedom and delight are the easiest aud
bsss things for them to learn.-Golden Rule.