The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-12-19
Music III the Home.


In these days of discovery and in
vention men are finding cures for every
evil under the sun, and lately an anti
dote was suggested for one of the
worst moral diseases with which hu-
manity is afflicted, that of social scan
dal. 1t was given in these words:
"I never knew of scandalin family
that loved music, and wherever you
find musical family there you will
find happy family where no breath
of scandal ever reaches. In all my
experience I never knew divorce case
to occur in family where the hus-
band and wife with their sons and
daughters gathered in the parlor when
the day tasks were done and let mu-
sic entertain them. I know Of many
such families in this big, wicked town
and every one of them are happy
families. The speaker then went on
to name a. number Of prominent New
Workers who were in the habit of
spending their evenings in this way,
many of them men who are chiefly
known to the world for their wealth or
great literary talents. He said that
in every case especial pains had been
taken with the musical education of
the children so that they could, and
often did, have in their own homes
concerts of very high order of merit.
And as he enumerated them his
speakers we're forced to confess that
in no instance had any breath of scan
dai touched the family life Of those
he named.
The quarrels, jealousy and geaeral
i'll feeling commonly reported as ex-
listing between professional musicians
forbid ones attempting to lay down
as rule that music has in all cases a
refining and elevating effect upon
human beings. 1t is possible. we
know, for singers to produce the most
enhancing harmonies with their voices
while they are as far as possible from
being personally in accord with one
another; but at the same time it is
reasonable to suppose that when
husband and wife have such a strong
bond of sympathy as a similarity OF
tastes and accomplishments they are
less likely to disagree than when their
talents lie in opposite directions. If
a man sings well and is fond of music
it is an additional attraction in his
home to have wife who can accom-
pany him upon the piano or who can
sing with him, but if she can do
neither he is very likely to spend
good many of his evenings with those
who can; and, Of course, the same is
true with regard to one whose talent
is for instrumental music.
The world is becoming quite too
critical with regard to music in these
latter times. In the far away days Of
our youth tastes were simpler and the
knowledge of music by no means so
general, but we question if the enjoy
| ment Of it was not all the greater be-
cause peoples ears were not so quick
to detect every false tone as they now
are. In those times opera bouffe was
unknown, and the country was not
quite so overrun with travelling con-
cert companies as it is now; and SO in
country places the opportunity to hear
music of any kind was not often given.
In consequence, singing schools, prac-
ticing for church singing and music at
home, were about all the musical train
ing people had. Naturally this was
not music of very high order, but
there is no question about the pleas
ure it gave, and in spite Of its faults
and crudities we cannot help thinking
there was more real devotion in the
congregational singing Of those simple
country folks than there is in listen
ing with critical ears to the we'll
trained and well-paid church choirs of
to-day.
There was pretty custom, too, in
those old times, for the mother to
gather the children about the piano Of
an evening to sing ballads with her,
and there are certain songs which can
never be heard without such sweet
and homely scene rising before the
minds eye and the ear seeming to
catch again the faint tones Of loved
voices that have long been still. But
it is most of all with the old familiar
hymn tunes that these associations
are connected, because most Of them
were heard for the first time from our
mothers lips. Those dear old fash
ioned mothers did not leave the re-
ligious instruction of their children to
chance or the haphazard teaching Of
the Sunday School, and part Of their
system was the learning of hymns,
both words and music. We do not
mean to claim that the sons and
daughters they brought up we're one
whit better than the children of to-
day, or that they grew up to be more
Christian men and women than these
may be, but at least they had through
all their lives sweet and tender
memory chat these young people will
never know.
1t has yften been asserted that the
custom Of family prayer is dying out
even among persons who are very
exact in the performance Of public
and personal worship, and in these
families where it is still observed the
singing Of hymn is commonly omit
ted as a superfuous part Of the rite.
Every year we drift farther and far
ther away from the simple patriarchal
idea of family life, and of the father
as head of the house hold in things
spiritual, as we'll as in the ordinary
affairs Of life. The picture Burns
paints in his "Cotters' Saturday
Night" of the sweet old custom of
family worship-than which there is
nothing finer in all his writings-may
still be true in some parts of his ma
tive land, for Scotch people are pro-
verbally slow to forsake old customs
or the religion of their fathers, but
we know Of very few other places
where it could now be found.
1t is, of course, chiefly in the power
of women to decide whether this bond
of family union, found in home music,
shall exist in their families or not.
Whether the wife be musician her
self or not, she can do much to en-
courage love Of it in her children,
and if her husband enjoys it, or can