Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-11
ZEAL,

Comstock's break at Philadelphia in con.
~nection with immoral pictures subsidized,
ere Mr.. Gerry, OF New York, who is the
head Of the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children, comes to the front
| with a similar piece Of overdone interven-
ton on behalf of little 11-year-old Josef
Holman, the wonderful boy pianist.
Most excellent are the principles that lie at
the foundation OF the society Mr.. Gerry
represents, and much good has it accom-
nlished in r~escuing waits from slavery under
a padrone or a cruel circus acrobat. But
there is a vast difference between the tasks
set the latter class OF unfortunates and the
natural wonderful i'm. ulses Of young Hot
mann. 1t is seldom that juvenile acrobats
take to it from inclination. The children
OF acrobats themselves. or sold at an early
age to the slavery of one al it's MASTER,
they are subjected to almost inhuman
tasks, in attaining to proficiency in which
the whip is freely applied more often thar
not. But this treatment would not pro-
duce a musical prodigy. Such O child is
born with the wonderful gift OF musical ex-
oA W "a w VAlCA ~ VdhCS
to as naturally and with the same ease as a
duck to the water. All the close early
study that can be crowded into a child will
not make a musical genius of ono if it is
born in him; and all the suppression
to which he may be subjected cannot pre-
vent him from developing his talent with
the same certainty that water seeks it's
level. Josef Holman is one OF the boys
that appear with the rariby of angels !
visits to astonish and delight his hearers. |
1t was as natural for his baby fingers to |
seek the piano as for the child to draw bis |
Education, OF course, can do
much for such a child, but his talent is a
better educator than any teacher. All
such a child needs is direction. He will |
naturally discover the method to surmount |
technical obstacles that yerrs OF study will
never afford one less gifted. To most peo-
pie this is an enigma. That one so young
rs he should triumph over mechanical
mpossibilities in the way of execution can
one explanation-forcing, such as a
dollhouse plant is subjected to in order to
nature in advance Of it's natural time.
'oUIIIug is mUre mistaken than such an
dea. But these worthy people who saw
nd heard young Holman had no idea but
hat what they saw and heard was the
'roduct OF the same cruelty that forces
child acrobat to phenomenal feats of
gility, and so they besieged Mr.. Gerry
'lth communications protesting against
he tasks imposed on the child as being
reater thar be is physically able to bear
p under. They feared such forcing must
reduce paralysis, but when the pressure
I his hand was tested it was found to {
ave a firmness and an amount of muscle {
lsproportiouate for so small a boy. He
constantly surprising his father and
lends by the exhibition of new feats at !
lie piano that suggest themselves to him j
aturally. At the examination before I
ayor Hewitt that Mr.. Gerry was instru- a
entail in bringing about. urged by these q
but meaningless appeals for a
le soclety's Intervention in behalf of c
lmanity, the boys public performances T
limited to four a week until the result !.
a medical examination in the presence of ~ =
e Mayor is known upon which the final b
clslon will be based as to whether the o
Sc warrants interference. But that there II
occasion for one at all is evidenced by q
e fact that the lad has an appetite that a.
'uld do credit to a prize fighter and takes d
rt in childish games with as much en-.
usiasm as the healthiest youngster. Mr.. al
rrS 8 society has many worthier objects -,
intervention than the boy pianist and n,
well-meaning labors in the cause of W
mainly are more likely to bring dlscredit tn
it for ofticiousness than zeal for the +
Use it represents by it's action in this az
,e.