The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1898-09-14
THE PIANO NUISANCE.
1t Plays Havoc With the Nerves and
Property Values.

Property Values.
We published some time ago a COM
manicatiOn from a victim of the piano
nuisance, protesting in the name of
nerves and property values against the
endless banging and stunning OF the
piano which goes on from early morn
ing until late at night near his corner.
Several persons, he says, have recently
moved away from the nelghbOrhood IN
order to get rid of the noise. He had
an idea Of buying the house in which
he is living, and viewed the situation
with complacency for a time, knowing
that that piano would depress the price
of real estate within Its sound, but af-
ter standing the torture for period
he has now concluded that he would
not buy the house at any price, since
it seems that the racket of the piano
is to go on forever with no hope for an
Improvement in the character of the
sounds it gives forth.
1t may be feared that our CORE
spOndent's eX-neIghbors, who moved
away in order to escape being tortur
ed byIpianos, will not greatly improve
their condition within the city limits,
and that if our correspondent waits to
buy a house until he can find one out
of earshOt Of the sOrcly misused musi-
cal instruments IN question he Will
live in rented houses for quite a while.
The piano fad seems to be one that
has become permaL emily fixed in our
domestic economy. Many persons
deem the instrument an ind spensable
article in every we'll furnished house,
and the great majority Of parents con-
slider it abs 0lutely necessary that their
daughters should take lessons on the
piano. 1t makes no difference what
sOever if the daughters are entirely
without musical talent; they must be
forced to sit for hours at the piano and
hammer out chords and disCOrds, to
their own and the neighbors' discom-
fort. Lack of talent for music is sell
dom taken into account; the child
must" learn to "play," because other
parents have their children to take
music lessons, and no young woman's
education Is considered to be complete
unless she has taken several years les
sons on the piano.
What does it all amount to? That
question can be answered by each
reader for himself or herself after a
moments reflection upon the large
number of acquaintance who have
taken piano lessons and The small num-
Der who ever derived benefit or pleas
ure from t themselves, or were able to
give pleasure to Others by their play
ing. 1t is probably not stating the
case too strongly to say that not one
girl in fifty is ever able to play on the
piano in such a manner that ANYBODY
cares to listen to her. People do list
en- to girls who play, of course. but it
is oftener through sufferance, through
a desire to avoid WounGlng the feelings,
than 1t Is from a desire to do so, or the
expectation Of hearing something
worth the time t takes.
And how many Of the girls keep up
their so>called emusic" after they
grow up ard become Wivts?Very few Of
them. The lessons which they were fore
ed TO practice were intOleratIy irk-
some, hence they drop the whole thing
Just as soon as they reach the age and
condition at which they can do as
they please. nevertheless, just as
soon as they have children of their
own, and the little ones are large
enough to stretch their fingers across
an ctave, they hoist them upon a
piano STOOL ana start them upon the
daily grind of lessons; trying to force
INTO their heads that for which nature
has rqade no provision. And then
there is the cost of the piano and the
lessons; is it not fact that many fam
lilies who are not able to afford either
go in debt for both; deny themselves
of things ii at are almost neces sary in
order that there may be piano in the
house and the girls of the house may
have lessons which will never pay for
their cost?
There is, Of course, not one word to
be said against the piano, considered
in itself, and not a word against culti~
waiting musical talent wherever it is
found, Music IS one of the charms Of
existence; the making of music is a
gift from The gods, and the piano,