The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-19
SOME REASONS
Why Music Should B. Taught in the
 Public Schools.
By Jennie Irene Mix. Her far The niaDafch.

By Jennie Irene Mix.
 Written for The Dispatch.
 Music-the one art universala; the one art that reaches the very heart of the people; the art most beloved; the art most popular.
 The one art based on mathematical de- ductions-inculcating daily lessons of the beauty and grace contained in law and order-whose disciples are forming hab- It's of cheerful submission to the sternest discipline.
 The one study that becomes immediate ly useful on leaving school. The growing need in the churches for singers who read music readily-cffers a means of living to a large number of proficient readers. Why should 60 universal a crav- ing of the human mind be denied satis- faction except to the privileged few? The langua ges higher mathematics, and kindred studies are alE of importance, and
 music deserves an equal place among them. It has a most refining influence on
 a growing boy or girl. The evidences of | this statement are plain to all who care | to observe.
 The writer calls to mind a boy whose na- | ture was naturally very cruel. Even his little sister often suffered severe physi- | cal injury at his hands. He had the sav- ing grace of thoughtful mother, who, | seeing that the boy was continually try | cided that he should be taught music. | The father laughed at the idea, but the | mother prevailed and the son was given music lessons. the case being candidly | explained to the teacher. After the boy had taken a sufficient number of lessons to show that he had some real interest in them, his school work was so ar-
 ranged as to give his music an equal
 chance with his other studies. It is five years since that time and the beneficial result is clearly manifest, for music has
 had a most refining influence on that boy. He Is now IS and, while he has no inten- ton of making must: a profession. he is studying and growing to love it as one might any other branch of learning. Some there are who claim for music that it has a degenerating effect. This leads us into a phase of the subject that admits of much discussion. It cannot be denied that an art which depends upon the emotions for interpretation may lead in some cases to phases of emotion that it were better were left undeveloped But these same emotions are also found de- veloped in all their strength in those who know nothing whatever of music. It Is doubtful whether those who are often cited as examples of the emotional effect of music prove anything. It must be re- membered that the lives of great men are revealed to us in minute detail, while the lveS or the COuli1lOn peOple IcHdii hidden from the searchlight of publicity. The private life of Liszt is continually
 held up in criticism before the public as an example of the demoralizing effect Of
 music Such a judgment is unfair From the standpoint of their private lives there are as many Lszts at the carpenters
 bench as at the piano.
 The tendency of music Is to elevate and
 refine. The cultivation of music helps to
 promote kindlincss and prevent crime. Count the bankers and the musicians
 who are arrested for crime and see the result
 The public has been inclined to look upon professional musicians as ignoram-
 uses in all things but music. Such be-
 lief but shows the ignorant prejudice of the believer. Musicians are. as a rule,
 men and women who are highly culti- vated You will find them warm cham pions of the beautiful and the elevating They are not business men and women neither are your teachers in any line, your writers of books. your ministers or the Gospel, your physicians. your SOL diers nor sailors, your Luthers nor Saw onarolas, your Edisons nor Marconis. yet,
 would you have none of these? Why sep arate the musician from them?
 A parent injures a child upon whom he forces a musical education, but he Is doing a greater injury to the child from whom he withholds tftat education when it Is desired
 May the day soon corne when music will be looked upon as an education rather than as an accomplishment.