The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1895-07-06
TANNING POWER OF MUSIC.


Pinssors Produced by Children OF the
Home and Library Association.
The main room was filled with little
vacant idlers who could make up their
minds to nothing but noise, until, AZ
the end Of the evening, they were gath
cred to the piano; then, indeed, the
marvellous power that music has Tor
them was made plain. At first they
were unwilling to be silent; they
romped, they scrambled, they Jibed IN
masses, drowning the players accom-
paniment; it seemed "a hopeless bedlam.
Yet the music went ON. A little Eel
low was induced to sing. he sang
many lyrics of an extreme and-to
him, must think-utterly incompre-
hensible pathos. One Ill particular
which reiterated Take back the Ell
gagement ring" followed by lugubri-
Gus waltz chorus, seemed quite lncom-
patible with the emotions OF thirteen
summers. Yet il was overloaded sen
timent that they desired to hear, and
they listened and joined with feryor
and solemnity. Steadily the noise and
skylarking were forgotten; they
watched the musician intently and the
spell was obviously at work. Why
they should wish melancholy songs,
and moral where virtue is eproach-
full and magnanimous, | cannot clearly
guess; suppose the melody and half.
comprehended words make some dim
appeal to that spark of the divine
which is implanted somewhere III all of
them. At any rate, 1t was this charac-
teristic of theirs that brought Pinafore.
Music could keep them attentive; they
should be set to learning music, and
words that went with it.
The first trial, Pinafore, was some
thing at which the mere contemplation
staggers. They would not learn the
lines. They assured the leader that
they could not possibly remember all
that stuff. To give them books
would have disbanded them ON the spot.
Teaching began orally, word by word.
They listened for two minutes, marched
out Of the door, and roamed the town
for several days. They were made to
know that plenty were ready to I'LL
their places, and this brought them
causally back to SEQ what was going
on. They saw the indomitable leader
standing at the piano, striking the
keys with one hand, waving the other,
and shouting melody to the chorus,
who shouted. I'VE sail the ocean
blue in response. Then the recall.
citrant sat down once more, and sue.
ceeded in committing some lines To
memory. This was the only argument
used to them: You said you could
not learn anything by heart. You
have learned that, and therefore can
learn some more. Again some OF
them went away. but returned. to find
the leader eternally shouting by the
piano, and the chours replying, Sir
Joseph's barge is seen " BY this time
the music and possibly the drama, be-
gan to interest them. and they caught
at the sentiment of Fair moon, to thee
| sing" Pinafore was now creeping
from chaos, when u sudden twist in
the boy nature cropped out and threat
ened To tangle the whole enterprise
The big boys Of IL would not sing with
the small boys Of IL. They could not
submit their dignity to this afYront.
80 they sat in corner together and
looked ON cynically. The worst Of it
was that this first set Of boys had not
been long enough under the influence
OF the Home To acquire any sort Of in
dependence. They herded with their
leader; and if Jim came in and SIN
cerely wanted to sing, but discovered
that Jack had decided not to sing, he
too forsook the troupe and sat in the
corner. IL was explained.to them all
that little boys are necessary, because
only they can sing treble, bat this tech.
nicality had no weight with them.
And then Josephine and Little Butter.
cup struck ON the issue of petticoats.
Still the leader stood by the piano,
week in and week out; and at length.
in the spring. Pinafore was actually
given. To say it was astonishing is
pale comment The audience VI po-
lite "grown-ups" that came to hear it
went home entirely amazed. BIZ. the
best Of Pinafore was that it established
two fundamental precedents. They
knew now that they could learn and
remember out Of book, and the chorus
who finally sang made their first step
in Independence. When the Pirate.
Of Penzance came there were jim.
ready to sing, whether the Jacks re-
fused or not. -Owen Wister, in Harp.
er's Magazine for July.