The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-12-19
Husir Department.
FOR the Farmer and Mechanic
III sic--P Critical ard
Progressive.
CONFINED FROM LAST wEsk ]

Progressive.
CONTINUED FROM LAST wEEk
Lsmentable as Is the general lack OF
true vocal culture il is far better for
the voice, as vel as for general health
that it be left wholly to the guild
ance OF natural instincts. than to be turn
ed over to the rulnous mauipulatioDs of
stolld ignorance swaggerinr under the
guise o. pedagogic assumption
Song is at once JOY inspired az d JOY
inspiring but it wouli argue ignor
ance Of real life to say. or think, that
those who habitually cheer Il cir work
with song can evade vexatiors, or are Who'll
y free from sorrow and depression il i
reasonable 10 suppose however that those
who are never moved L sing. are seldom.
or never, happy; that 10 rays of rea'
gladns 81 ever penetrate their ung. NAL
fiiuty and morosely selfish hearts: in
short, they are delCciivclv form ed feings
disaerceable alike to themselves and
others. The conn lete. well balanced
human being is. by ear eye ard limbs,
keeDly susceptible TO the subtle power Of
true meIody and measure. Indeed it is
difficult to imagine state Of physical in
frmity and mental deficit which renders
one insensible To the inspiring power Of
musical music; for, in all com rlete human
organizations. the memory, involur tarily
'erdS Itself TO the service of music, re-
ceiving with passivity and retaining with
fidelity, into it's store-house, ali PLEASING
strains Of melody ready fer spontaneous
performance, without even the trouble Of
summoning them; but they simply we'll
up impulsively IN utterance Of pure
hearted gladnesS. out-Gushing like
fountain or the song Of bird as the un-
conscious expression of that real harpi-
ness that the Creator has provided for
all his symmetricaly gifted creatures. in
this world of dead sea fruit and tribu-
lation All other things arc feeting or
variable; but tunes may lie, long buried,
in the D. emory, yet they never die nor
moulder, but come back fresh and charm
ing ever. Music to be sure, cannot
make us more prudent nor practical, she
neither teaches ethics, nor appeals to our
reasons, our prnciI les nor our honors
bit, she can make US more romantic and
and less care worn, and that is what is
more wanted. in these III )ney grabbing
times, than anything else.
That class Of mOrtals who effect con-
tempt for music, and vauntinely dab
themselves hard scrse, practical, men.
are the champions and advocates of ex-
elusive devotion TO the u ilities Very
many among them contine the term, utili
ty, To the mere animal necessaries and
comforts of lie, and to the means CT pro-
ducing them Ii is true that all studies
may be disl ensed with, but such as act
on matter, to turn it to our use. Happi
ly the Creator has endowed us with tastes
that cannot be sati-fied with this grossly
narrow utility. \ large aud increasing
proportion of mechanical skill and labor,
especial designed to minister the neces-
sites. is given to the qualification Of ele-
CANT taste The art of building would be
simple, indeed, if entirely confined to the
erection of comfortable shelters! No
passion unfolds itself sooner than love
Of the beautiful and ornamental even a
child is more pleased with the beauty
than the uses of its clothing. If a man
should consult comfort only in his war
drobe. his social relations, even the lowest
circles, would soon have 20 cease But
enough of this for it is too much like
trying to prove that which is self-evi-
dent.
All should make as much money as
they fairly can, as means towards the
attainment of two main ends. rational
qualification and prevident independence
But what can be thought of those ultra
utiltarians who make massed money the
end only sought, as many Of them appa-
rently do? That money can be made and
boarded By certain course of action, is
hoct
favor. certainly do not advocate music
for the money that is in it nor as pro-
fesslon for the properly qualified music
teacher gets proportionally by far the
most meagre returns If music offered
no better claims than that it affords op
portunities to, otherwise, utterly useless
characters | should let it 90 to the dogs
\ profession that is profitable only to
those who follow it, and injurious to all
others, is unworthy of adoption.
Now had it pleased God to SO order it,
the world might have been created with
out music, but things would have been
very differently ordered from the condi-
in which we find them. As matters stand,
| think that even the most rigid utiita-
rians will hardly say-however he may
live-that God created man simply to
exist; to eat, to drink, to propagate and
die Pigs do as much as that Now, no
one will pretend that music is one of the
necessities Of life. in the same sense as
food is, in sustaining life We can only
hear it; and if it is good, and we are per-
fectly organized, we enjoy it.
| will end this article with short ex-
tract from discourse by Rev. Or. Clark:
Some ask what is the u>e Of music
They might as we'll ask, what is the use
color, or anything which makes the
world a glory and beauty. All THAT ap
peals 10 our inborn love of the sublime
AID beautiful, cannot be despised with
ont casting contempt on the Author of
all things. Music, above all, r. fines, ele-
Yates, spiritualizes, widens the range Of
vision and binds this existence to the eter
nal. Articulate language may be needed
10 longer, after We have done with the
body; but the essential elements of mus
zeal expression are eternal
w. II. NEAvE
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