The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-09
EDUCATIONAL DEPART E.
MUSIC AS AN EDUCATOR.
+ By MRS, MAY HOWARD BRUCE.

= low erS, and then OUT country Is SAFE III
the great 1ove we bear it. The true
song Of the fatherland comes from the
strength Of a nations life" Have we CIV
en- due thought to the fact that every
where nations have been and are writing
In tone the story of life?
I'm the Bible music enters thoroughly
into the life of the people; there Is the
description of the children's dance IN Joo
'.They send forth their little ones like
flock, and their children dance. They
take the timbrel and harp and rejoice at
the sound OF the organ. The trumpet
is to be sounded not only in going TO
wars but ''also in the days Of your glad
ness, and in your solemn days, and IN
the beginnings OF your months. men
Jepthah came to Mispeh, to his nome.
"his daughter came out to meet him Win
|, timbrels and with dances" There is al
| ways meaning in these Bible dances.
they are used to celebrate domestic events
as we'll as rejoicings commemorative OF
victories and religious observances.
Miriam and the women with her cele-'
brated the victory over Pharaoh at the
Red Sea with timbrels and dances. The
women danced as they played upon their
timbreis. When David returned from the
slaughter of the Philistine, the women;
came out of all the cities of Israel. sing,
ing and dancing with timbrels, with joy
and with instruments OF music. In
the service of the temple at Jerusalem
many musicians were employed. In the
time of David four thousand men en-
gagged in the service In the Psalms,
everywhere are to be found references
to music. The word Psalms means
..Songs set to music and this book was
originally the hyrnn-book of the jewish
| people Can child or youth study the his
tory of the Bible and omit the music OF
the: Bible?
! Take the history of the Egyptians and
| note their fondness for music; there were
songs for rural occasions as well as the
entertainments of the wealthy classes,
and instruments of many KINDS We're
used There is said to have been found
| on a tomb the song sung by the peas
ants while the oxen were treading out
| the corn Egyptian children We're
| taught songs appointed by law in adj
| dition, to their letters, and when they
went to school nothing but beautiful
forms and fine music should come before
! them, The Egyptians used many KINDS
| Of instruments, and in their orchestras.
the harp was employed as we use the Vi
/ olin, twenty sometimes being in one or
| chestra-
The Greeks attached Importance to the
! study of music, and gave serious thought
| and attention to this art. In Sparta,
L when boy was seven years old he was
|
| care of the government, the strictest dis.
I cipine was exercised, he was allowed
! little food and clothing and was made
| to sleep on hay and straw from seven to
| fifteen and after fifteen he must sleep on
! reeds which he had gathered. Boys were
| taught to be truthful and simple, and to
respect their elders But music was not
forgotten in the homes and schools. In
! the schools of Sparta boys were taught
| to sing alone and in chorus and to play
| the kithna and flute. Later when the
| boy became a man he provided music
| to charm his guests at his entertainments.
At certain times little attention was
| paid to music by the Romans. At other
+ periods boys and girls were taught, but
never as thoroughly as in the. Greek
! schools. The Romans cultivated music
for pleasure alone. With them it was
never of the highest order. 1t was con-
/ fined chiefly to the theatre. On the stage
! might pc found orchestra, actors and
| cIloruses. "All the worlds mlnstrelsy
| was there Chorus singers came from
! Greece harp and listrum players from
Egypt the dancers from Syria.
When the children are told OF the early
! Christians who were forced to leave Jer-
| usalem and came to Rome, let them
/ learn, too how they brought with them
the hymns used in the temple service;
how these songs were Transmitted from
father to son orally, and long after the
first coming the hymns were collected
/ bv st. Ambrose. Then they should know
of st. Gregory and the addition he made
1 to the collection, and also of the service
/ to music rendered by him and by St.
! Ambrose when they arranged short scales
"as the basis of musical composition.
To preserve music some means of nota-
ton must be found. For many years eX-
| perinents were made in writing music,
4 -eI1 1va a n L.
/ sic has been written within three CEN
turtles.
! Milton in his treatise on Education
! of Youth, suggests that Convenient rest
before meat may, both with profit and
delight be taken up in recreatinG and
composing their Prevailed spirits with
the solemn and divine harmonieS of mu-
/ sic heard or learned; either whilst the
skillful organist plies his grave and fam
cied desoant in lofty fuges, or the whole
I symphony with artful and unimaSinable
touches adorn and grace the well-stud-
led chords Of some chronic composer;
sometimes the lutte for soft organ stops
I waiting on elegant voices, either to re-
ligious, martial, or civil ditties, which.
if wise men and prophets be not extremely
out, have a great power over dispositions
and manners, to smooth and make them
gentle from rustic harshness and dis
tempered passions. The like, also, would
not be lneXpedlent after meat, 70 ASSIST
and cherish nature in her fresh concoc-
ton, and send their minds back to study
in good tune and satisfaction
In our place of education to-day we
cannot give the child his heritage with
out attention to history, and can we
give the story OF nations, the compre-
4 hensive picture of life, and omit the
story of music?
If we examine the schemes of educa-
ton drawn UP by the great things of
the past, and compare them with SIM
liar programmes arranged by the wisest
men of to-day, we find strong similarity
in the aims set forth ard in the means
employed in order to secure the achieve
ment of these aims.
SIN what we seq about us to-day
there is written all the story of the past.
In things as they are we find reflected
things as they have BEEN Also we must
remember that "Inheritor of a glorious
past, each generation is a trustee for
posterity. 10 preserve. protect. and
transmit its inheritance unimpaired. is
L -. u. ~