The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-10-03
A MUSICAL ELIXIR OF LIFE

A MUSICAL ELIXIR OF LIFE.
Mr.. OViedo NJ. Bostwick, an authority
on microbitic science, assures us that
music is conducive to longevity. For
fear that the reader may not compre-
bend the full force of this statement, we
hasten to remark that the science re-
ferred to is the art of prolonglng life.
At least Mr.. Bostw!ck. so assures us in
parenthetical explanation following
| the use of the term.
|, Mr.. Bostwick has fault to find with
! those who are endeavoring to reach the
century mark by the materia medica
| plan. The mental route is more
promising. According to Delsarte, he
says the. human body is arranged in
zones-the vital, the moral, and the
mental. This classification ignores the
fact of cold feet, which properly should
be classed as the frigid zone. But that
has nothing to do with the subject.
Mr.. Bostwicks theory concerning the
usefulness of music in prolonging life Is
exnlained thus: The musicians work
4 Ills willingly done because it has great
variety and the end is always believed
by the musician to be beneficial to the
human race. That which tires us of lie
is monotonous drudgery in some occu-
patton which we abhor, but which from
pecuniary reasons we are compelled to
pursue. Music Is such sublime art
that its devotees have generally risen
F1,et ot,a Ne 10 fTr. a
greed of wealth. 1t is characteristic of
musical people to live in an atmosphere
wholly their own; to be apart from the
mad rush Of the commercial centre,
4 which by the enormous business pro-
iects. carried on at the present day,
necessitates closer application than ever
before and is undoubtedly shortening
4 the lives of an innumerable army of
4 toilers.'
1 Mr.. Bostwick assures us that musi-
clans are not afflicted with poly
pragnosine--thati is to say, they have
/ not the unfortunate spirit of restless
enterprise" We cannot agree with Mr..
Bostwick in all that he says upon the
subject. For instance. we find 1t hard
to believe that musicians are immune
from polypragmosine; that they are
free from the spirit of ''commercialism,n
and have fine disdain for money. Our
I observation has been that from the or
gan grinder TO Paderewsli they want
money and charge all the traffic will
bear. Why not? Neither can we ac-
cept the suggestion that musicians as a
1 class have no pecuniary motives in pur-
suing the art divine. The organ grind
er's motive is always in evidence.
Bands and orchestras belong to unions
which fix scales as well as play them
If they do not get their price, procession
and balls are like unto Sir John Mores
| funeral. Ill.,,
i Now, it may be as Mr.. Bostwick de-
4 clares, that music prolongs life. We can
| imagine some ways in which 1t might do
so, although we have not observed that
actuaries figure musicians as preferred
risks. If music Is conducive to longey-
! ity, 1t must be because some members
Of the profession are tangled up with
polypragmosine, get paid for their work.
and consequently eat three meals a
day. We know of nothing so conducive,
SO absolutely essential, to the prolonga-
1 ton of life. as food, and If food be
obtained in exchange for music or the
cash received for music, then we may
1 truly say that music prolongs life.
| 1t does not follow, however,that
music always prolongs life. As al, off,
4 set to a bunch Of octogenarians and
4 better, cited by Mr.. Bostwick, we might
mention Nero, who fiddled while his
4 town burned, and who died young. We
might also mention the thousands who
have died in time to ride in a white
hearse, because the family next door
had a piano and Katy, the prodigy, per-
sisted in practising is hours per day or
because of the proximity Of a con-
servatory. The conduciveness of food
to longevity has already been spoken of
but there Is another side to the story.
When we give up five hard learned
American dollars for the privilege of
| witnessing one of Mr.. Paderewski's
gymnastic performances we enable him
to Drolong his life and his hair, but If
we have adopted the o-breakfast cure
in order to accumulate the dollars, isn't
lit patent that we have shortened our
life in order to shorten Mr.. Pade-
rewskis? Isn't it plain that there are
two sides to the question?
Mr.. Bostwick counsels everybody who
would live to ripeness to study music.
He might have clinched his argument by
suggesting that none but musicians will
be found in the New Jerusalem, and
that possibly the reason why there is
eternal life in Beulah land is that lis
Inhabitants are harnistS -GaJveston
News.
1.-THE doctor told Bulger he must take
Irregular exercise, and he has decided to
walk four blocks every morning before
breakfast"
-Four blocks? Humph, that isn't