Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-07
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

Now that the season is over and the SER
ious work of the year has been accom-
plished, the feeling comes over one that a
period of rest and relaxation would be the
thing to prepare us for the next seasons
work.
And perhaps IL would be a good thing TO
divert our minds from the consideration of
related keys. tone-values, E-string har-
monies, and all those other things which
hI our minds and keep us studying all win
ter, and turn our thoughts to a few contem-
p~lations in lighter vein which may help us,
! one and all, to enjoy the summer better,
and to feel the thrills of good will and
wel-wishing to our fellow man, remember
ing the words of the old twelfth century
Persian poet, Saadt:
Distress not with thy troubles other souls.
Since life hath thorns enough for all
/ With kind and tender heart and helpful
hand,
Gain strength by lifting those who fall"
And 50, here b%eginneth the first Of 8
series Of "Meditations. of the Good Old
| Summer Time" and these meditations will
appear weekly until such time as the read
ers can no longer endure them. and the
man who owns the mysterious blue pencil
gets busy.
Meditation No. lon the art Of keeping
| the corners of the mouth turned up l
! know that a person will smile when he or
| she reads this very unorthodox text for a
| meditation. And that is the design. Or
like the Irish guide to the tourist who was
| admiring the beautiful church, and said,
'Does not that beat the devil?" Yes" was
the quick reply, that's the intintion."
When you feel that the world is at cross
purposes with you, that your friends are
distant, and that you, generally speaking,
have gone into the trust business yourself,
and established a corner on the misery
Of the world, just go away of into a cor
ner of your own thoughts. and sit down
quietly. take three deep breaths, loosen up.
and ~then-turn up the corners OF your
mouth!
Perhaps the people whom you like are
saying mean. unkiAd things about you. per-
haps they are accusing you Of things you
never were guilty OF. perhaps they misun-
derstand you entirely and misinterpret
every action. Then is the time of all times
for you to just remember that such things
cannot harm you, unless you admit them
into your Utmost thoughts; that Jealousy
and envy and malice are ~falsities and hence
must devour themselves or ~evaporate.
Think good thoughts about all, and be
sure-oh be sure, TO keep the corners OF
your mouth turned up!
Are you discourag ed about a pupil, OF
are you dissatisfied with the way In which
your thought-seeds are being choked? Let
the corners Of the mouth be kept well
turned up, and especially when YOU are
with the pupil, and you will soon see a big
result. Do not forget II. Keep them up!
But, you say. the shams. oh. the shams,
OF the dayi on, the ignorance OF so many
people. and oh, the indiscretion and dis
honesty, and false representations of some
teachersl What do you carer Let them
be so. They will have TO answer for that
themselves. The question will be inexor
able:
The good souls hocked like hominR doves
and babe him clear the path,
And Peter tWirled the janglins keys IT
WEAKNESS and wrath, ~
thought" he said. and the tale Is YET
BY the worth OF the body that once We had
give answer-what ha' ye doneY'
So you just remember those words OF
Kipling. or those Of the old Persian:
God win not seek thy race,
Nor will He ask thy birth;
Alone He will demand OF thee,
What hast thou, done on earhy
Think OF these things. and be sure to keel
the corners of the mouth turned up. as tina
is conducive 70 right thinking.
And then. when you have gotten rid o
the pomps and v~anites. the strut and SHOW
OF this world, when you see how foolish vi
all we're. 10 take ourselves and every on
else so seriously, when you come TO tina
/ time. when we see that what we though
was real. was the unreal. and what "
thought hard, was easy, then you can lool