The sea coast echo., 1903-12-26
MUSIC AND MORALS.
The Effect Of Harmonious Sounds
Upon the Character.


Various persons have said good
deal lately about the "moralizing ell
feet OF music and the consequent neeu
of having It taught, and taught well,
in all public schools, says the Cni'
cago Tribune. Certainly this was the
view Of the pedagogical value OF mu'
sic which was current among the
Greeks. Sweet and harmonious
sounds were supposed by the Greek
philosophers to bring sweetness ana
harmony into ones character In
modern times this view has received
many shocks. Music has got away
from It's close association with math-
ematics as a form OF intellectual dis'
cipline. The mediaeyal "quadrivium
or course OF scientific studies, IN
cluded arithmetic. geometry, music
and mathematics. What school IN
sists on similar collocation TO-DAY?
To the average person music is 9
matter OF emotion. 1t might almost
be put down as an emotional stimulus
Hence II is that we have Tolstoi In
the "Kreuzer Sonata" denouncing mu-
sic not as q "moralizing" but as
"demoralizing" agency. And undoubt-
edly. to many persons who acquaint-
ance with the mechanics OF music Is
slight. the thing Is a great magic"
OF subtle. airy, Intoxicating power.
Falstaff's description of the effects OF
sherrie.sack might well pass for de-
scription OF the effect OF which many
people experience from Tschaikow-
sky symphony. ut ascends me into
the brain, dries me there all the fool
ish. and dull and crudy vapors which
environ It; makes II apprehensive,
quick. forgetive, full OF fiery, nimble
and delectable shapes; which, deliver
ed over to the voice, the tongue,
which Is the birth, becomes excellent
wit" To a person who does not un'
derstand the structure of music the
wonder Of II Is much like the wonder
Of Ineligible scratches on a piece OF
wood to a savage who does not un'
derstand the art OF writing When
music is not Intellectually apprehen1-
ed its effect upon the emotions is In.
tensified by its mysteriousness. The
rabbit, full of emotion, but not OF In
telligence, which stands rigid with
terror looking down the mouth OF the
hypnotic cobra, Is not more helpless
than the person OF acute sensibilities,
but OF complete musical ignorance,
who sits in ecstacy under the spell OF
the swaying bows Of the Thomas or
chestra.
This is the reason why In "The Mil
after that famous evening Of music
Maggie Tulliver was left strong to
do but weak to resist" The effect OF
music upon her had been simply to
intensity. She was stimulated. Her
powers Of doing we're quickened. But
her powers OF resisting, that is, of
reasoning, of judgment, and OF choos'
ing right from wrong, had been swept
out Of her soul.
What is the remedy? The remedy
Is in Just the kind OF thing which
Is being done now in the public
schools. People who have really
learned how poetry is made, escape
from a subjection to art into a mas
terry over II. They know how tho
great magic" Is accomplished, and
their enjoyment Of it becomes ration
al instead of animal. Tolstol's and
George Eliot's heroes and heroines
would have been differently influenced
by music II they had gone through the
kind Of discipline in 1t which Plato
commando In his republic.