The Van Buren press., 1897-02-13
THE CHARMS OF MUSIC.
A Lumber Camp Band Proves Public
Blessing.

Blessing.
s'Music hath charms to soothe a
savage, to rend rock and burst a cab
bage,' quoted the hotel clerk to the
guest from the mountain region of Ken
lucky, as that individual dropped
nickel in the tin cup of la bella Ital-
ianna-organ-grindera.
WELL" he laughed, there's cab
bage it can bust every time it hits it,
and I'm glad of it. I'm great believer
in music and its power over the tat9fed
and untutored mind. OF course, there
is margin of poetry in it, but its prae-
Teal workings are no less. As an in.
stance, let me tell you my experience.
/ am, as you know, in the lumber busi-
ness in the mountain region of Ken
lucky, and, as you are also aware, that
particular section is not entirely in
habited by Quakers. ! had employed at
my mill about a dozen men who were
fair average. Tint is to say, as long as
they were not drinking they were not
shooting, but when the wine was i'll the
pistols we're out and civilization WAS not
greatlyadvaneed by the subsequent pro-
ceedings. Among my men were two
who played the fiddle and it occurred
to me after reading about what Prof.
Somebody had done in the Chicago
slums with music to try it on my peo-
pie. So | called them up and talked to
them on the subject, suggesting as
kind of inducement that the company
would pay for the instruments il they
would organize and hire teacher for
a brass band"
The clerk put his hands up to his ears.
"0h, that's all right laughed the
timberman; Il know that brass hand
practicing isn't much for pleasure, but
| it's good deal safer and more aefeea-
bic than shooting chunks of leadaround
town and our brass band was intro
dueed as public soother, SO to speak
At first our musicians were disposed to
shoot up the town because some in
| discreet person made remarks about
what brass baud sounded like. but |
| put the wickcdest man of the lot at
| the head of the band, for he was
| leader wherever he was and | told him
how necessary discipline was.
"He caught on at once and all the
| yeung fellows were afraid of him. He
seon had them trained as soldiers. The
teacher was city man of courage and
/ IL gentleman as well and his influence
| helped, too. so that within six months
| you wouldn't have known my people
| or our little town. They worked near
| ly every night till nine o'clock at their
| music and as soon as they could play
| a piece fairly we'll they went on exhibit
ton with it, and when summer came
| furnished the material and they built
| public music stand, where they played
| every night for an hour or more. |
never saw such an improvement in men
| and it extended to their friends and the
| whole community
| "After time they were playing well
enough to 90 to the neighboring places
| to play at local celebrations, and once
they played three days. at county fair
and made quite a little sum of money.
| When they went away on these trips,
| which were net numerous enough to
| interfere with their work, their conduct
was something to be proud of, and they
would as soon have thought Of getting
drunk or raising row as they would of
throwing their instruments in the river.
"They stopped their nightly gam
bling and saved their money, and after
two years of that band | wouldn't nave
parted with it for IS per cent. divi-
dend of our company."-Washington
| Star