The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-22
MUSIC AS A ClvILiZER.
lts Practical Use In Lumber Camp In
Kentucky.


Kentucky.
"Music hath charms to soothe savage,
10 rend rock and bust cabbage" quot
I'd the hotel clerk to the guest from the
mountain region Of Kentucky as that in
iividual dropped q nickel IN the tin cup OF
Ia bella Italiana organa grindera.
"Well," he laughed, "here's a cabbage
II can bust every time 1t hits It, and I'm
glad of It. I'm great believer In music
md its power over the tutored and the un-
htored mind. OF course there Is a margin
II poetry In 1t, but Its practical workings
are no less. As an instance let me tell
gou my experience. am, as you know,
in the lumber business In the mountain
region of Kentucky, and, as you are also
aware, that particular section Is not en-
;irely inhabited by Quakers.
~ had employed at my mill about
dozen men who were fair average--that
Il to say, as long as they were not drink
Ing they were not shooting, but when the
wine was in the pistols were out and CIV
Ilization was not greatly advanced by the
subsequent proceedings. Among my men
were two who played the fiddle, and 1t oc-
CURED TO me after reading something
about what Professor Somebody had done
ON my people So called them up and
talked to them on the subject, suggesting
as a kind of inducement that the company
would pay for the Instruments If they
would organize and hire teacher for a
brass band"
The clerk put his hands up to his ears.
"Oh, that's all right, laughed the tim
Der man. ~ know that brass band prac-
intv icut for xNla htxt 20 N
good deal safer and more agreeable than
shooting chunks Of lead around town, and
our brass band was introduced as public
soother. SO to speak. At first our musicians
were disposed to shoot up the town be-
cause some indiscreet persons made re-
marks about what brass band sounded
like, but put the wiokedest man of the
lot at the head of the band, for he was a
leader wherever he was, and I told him
how necessary discipline was.
"He caught ON at once and as all the
young fellows were afraid Of him he soon
had them as well trained az soldiera The
teacher was city man of courage and
gentleman as we'll, and his influence
helped, too; 30 that within six months you
wouldn't have known my people or our
little town. They worked nearly every
soon as they could play piece fairly well
they went on exhibition with It, and when
summer came l furnished the material
and they built public music stand, where
they played every evening for an hour or
more. never saw such an improvement
In men, and IL extended to their friends
and the whole community. m m
AFTER time tthey were playing well
enough 10 % TO the psAohboriSG places TO
play a lpcal oOslshsatiops. and enes they
played thses dAyssst ,aseouptv tsis and
made Quits . )istas sum sf moasy.e Whsn
thsy wsnt AWAY on. thsse tsipA whlcb were
Dot numerous enough 70 iptssfsrs With
thsjr work, their conduct wss ssmsthing
70 be- proud Of, and they would - soon
have thought Of getting drusk or raising
row as thsy would of throwing their In
strumepts In the river. a.. ssog sts ~.
"They stopped their nightly gambling
and saved their money. and after two years
of that band I wouldn't have parted with
1t for a 26 p, cent dividend Of our COM
pany. ."-Washington Star.