The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-03-14
THE PATIENT r

" 1litlDW W uDu bldb Inc SDtdkBI W DIS lti
own little daughter. Madge was a bright,
active girl, with lovely chestnut hair, blue
eyes, and red cheeks. 4 pet at home, and
a fayorite at school, it was not strange that
she was imperious; she enjoyed music, but
she ''hated practice
Mrs. Gordon looked thoughtful. She
desired Madge to become an accurate
musician, and she felt that Professor Dart
rum was a judicious teacher. A moment
later the parlor door was pushed open, and
Madge stood there. There was a look of
defiance in her deep-blue eyes.
sLet us hear all about it." said Mrs.
Gordon, making a place for Madge and her
two young friends on the sofa. Then fol-
lowed a brief narration of the very strict
rules, and the torture to which she was ev-
cry day subject:
"Miss Craven is not half as strict. Say
I may take lessons of Miss Craven, mann
MAJ Madge concluded.
Fol- answer, Mrs. Gordon said, very
gently, Before we decide, let me narrate
something that | have read of a young girl
whose teacher was far more exacting than
Prof. Dartrum."
THAT could never be- exclaimed
Madge.
Twill you nave the story?'
Eyes, yesl' cried three voices in chorus.
Gas l shall leave you to guess the name
of the young girl, you will need to pay
particular attention. continued Mrs. Cor
den. "The sleepy old place in which cur
heroine lived possibly had something to do
in fostering the love of music in her breast
Until it burst into a flame bright enough
to illumine two continents.
fsThis town had a t~lleater, where the lit
tie girl was accustomed to go with her
father. He was a flute player in the the
atre, and organist in the famous old cathe-
dral. At last from following the musicians
so closely, she longed to play herself. The
flute did not suit her small mouth; but the
violin,-yes, she would have a violin.
ga violin! nothing could be more
Caroline insisted that her father must not
indulge the child in this way; only boys
played %violins.
"How ever, this girl kept on asking; and
at last, her father brought nome the small
est violin that he could possibly buy.
"And now for lessons! NJ. Simon, the
teacher, lived a good distance way. 1t
did not matter. Three times a week ste
took that long walk through the Rue Volt
aire, across the crowded place where the
theater stood, till the gray towers of the
old chateau came in sight.
First, she must learn to stand-how to
rest on her left foot with the right partly
in front; then how to hold her violin-how
it should rest on her shoulder, and how
to grasp and support it. Hold it perfect
" still for ten minutesi Then lay it down
for a few minutes rest! Take it up again,
aud hold it firm!
Patiently now she bent her small fin
gers over the strings, as if to touch a cord,
head erect, left arm bent and brought for
ward so that she could see her elbow under
the violin. Then she must stand perfectly
still, with her right arm hanging down ma
turalIy. No bow, Of course. She must
first learn to sustain the weight of the vio-
lin, and accustom her arm TO its shape.
In silence and motionless she held the in
strument.
''For two or three weeks she did this and
nothing more.
s.Then the bow was placed in her right
hand. Now rest it lightly on the strings,
and draw it down slowly and steadily.
Not a sound, No, there was no rosin on
the bow, and 1t slipped over the strings in
silence.
'Two hours every day. nothing but posi-
tions and dumb motions-nos even finger
exercises. Simply to learn to stand, to put
the fingers in TIE right place. aud to make
the right motions with the bow. Very
often her poor arms would ache, and her
legs become stiff with standing. Then her
teacher had a temper, and was at times
fearrully cross. Tears stood in her eyes,
but no word of complaint ever was uttered.
She was going to play, and this was the
way to learn.
'sAt home the same thing was repeated.
Three hours practice every day with the
dumb violin, and this for three full months.
.Now she has rosin OF her bow. The
exercises are all written out with a pen by
her master-long sustained notes by the
hoar. The bow hardly moved, so slowly
did she draw it up and down. II she
obtained nothing else, she would have a
strong, clear tone, and learn to make a
grand full sweep with her bow. Slowly
and patiently she crept along, sometimes
in the morning, sometimes late at night,
listening to instructions and playing owe
the exercises.
s'Seyen hours every day Scales in every
key, running passages of every imaginable
Enthusiastically a year of dry scalesi
cone day a famous musical di rector put
up at the Hotel de France. Would he listen
to her playings Yes.
s'She sat in her usual place in the orches-
ira all the evening and then, near midnight,
with her violin under her arm, called at the