The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-01
tssa--sTxTEEN PAGES

this famous individual, and in true
American fashion ask Does it pay
to be honored with such visits? Well,
let US see. In our little town in the
the choicest corners of couple of
thousand homes are carefully placed
as many pianos of all grades, from the
wheezy tin-panny out-of-tune instru-
ment to the magnificent concert grand
in perfect order. representing q money
valuation of from six to nine hundred
thousand dollars, as such instruments
cost from two to eight hundred dollars
or more. Possibly an average of one
performer to the instrument Gas in
some homes two or three play, to make
up for the mere ornamental ones left
in peace daily seek to make some use
of this capital invested. We will sup
pose one-half of this number take les
sons at say one dollar per lesson,
or about fifty thousand q, year, paid
out to endeavor to bring pleasure, or
torture out of the idol which fashion
(cftener than love of music) has
thrust upon us in our households. We
do not begrudge this luxury for we all
| realize that to live is not merely to
move, struggle for something to eat,
and then eat it, that we may have
strength to struggle for more to eat
We realize there is a higher self to care
for, and that this music is a wonder
full feeder of this something higher
than consolidated vegetable. So even
in our practical Americanisn we dis
dain to count this aforementioned mon
ey as thrown away. But what has
this to do with throwing away two
whole dollars just to hear a man play
for one evening? Just this: 1t is the
essence of all things we are after; we
swallow tons of useless matter to OBJ
tain a few grains of life-giving es-
Sence contained therein.
The two thousand piano "strummers"
pound and pound daily and pay for
the privilege that they may get some
of the essence Of music. Many of them
unwilling listeners less, and why? Be-
cause a perfect ideal has never been
set as an abiding mirror before their
struggling aspirations. Herein is the
secret of growth. AS the glorious
sun makes all living things rise toward
it by means of the rays it sends to
earth, so the genius who indeIlibly i'm
presses on the soul of his listeners a
perfect ideal which will haunt them
and become their model, raises unfail-
ingly the standard of the progress of
all following in that path. Is not one
such a lesson worth a whole years
some one sarcastically remarking, "OH
course everybody will go home and
play like Paderewski after hearing
him." As we'll say to the wheat sower,
''Of course you will expect crop
ripened by tomorrow" But the one is
as certain as the other 1t is those
who serve as ideals that SOW the seeds
of progress and blessed is the land
that receive their visits.
The impressed listener returns home
to find that his rude touch of the key
is offensive after a higher ideal has
been impressed upon him. Instinct
prompts him to modify that rude touch,
and tone nearer. tho far from the
ideal is reached gradually, and thus
imperceptibly we rise. The many
teachers who have the guiding of these
many hands, and feet for the pedal is
most important, indeed it Is the part
of the piano that redeems it and makes
singer" of iD are even more deeply
impressed, and become the cultivators
of this expensive growing crop. Two
dollarsl Why, it is the best and least
costly investment a music lover could
ever make. Ten, twenty, would be a
trif1e compared with the amount aim
leSsly thrown away on music yearly.
Let Salt Lakers thank the fates that
they are on the continental highway.
where such seed of artistic growth
may be so cheaply and effectually
soWn in their midst.
E. STEPHENS