Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-24
Music


very much. Every time she listens TO
some profound music she can not re-
frain from shedding tears. She wanted
me to advise her what to do In order to
overcome the emotions, as she called
them. l asked her whether she ever
was or Is now subject to melancholy
and she replied no. asked her a few
other questions, and she gave me a
frank answer in every instance.
My advice to her was to try to con-
troll herself and IL she cannot succeed
in overcoming, not the emotions, but
the feelings that music set UP in her.
she should make the best of 1t. She in
sisted, however, on more substantial
answer, rather advice, which would pos
sibly change her nature. But 1 could
not give her any, for the reason that
music, certainly some kinds of 1t, is a
method by which infinity tries to COM
mune with us.
If we study the makeup of human
beings we find that they are dual in
their character. On the one hand the
individual is, as 1t were, an unevolved
god in miniature (spiriO and on the
other hand piece of clay (matter) still
in process of formation. In other words,
the human being is still developing
physically and evolving spiritually.
Hence, while human beings are able to
commune with one another by physical
means the Infinite resorts to music as
one of it's methods of communication.
Shakespeare, than whom no other NOR
tai knew as much about human nature,
said: HE who has no music in himself
is fit for treason, stratagem and spoils.'
This can be accounted for easy enough.
An individual devoid of music is devoid
of human feelings, and one devoid of
human feelings is in a sense made up
of one thing only, namely, clay (mat
teri. The spirit being absent from mis-
makeup, it does not move him. Such
individual Is very much like his ances-
tors in the woods, or only very little
removed from them.
A person whom music moves or af-
fects, and hence feels something un-
definable within him, is the opposite of
the one who has no such feelings. This
for the reason that the spirit moves the
former. The former is truly more near
godlike than the latter. Nay, one whom
music affects and hence the spirit
moves, is unfit for treason, stratagem
and spoils"
1 believe there is also popular say
ing to the effect that a man or woman
is both an angel and a devil; and this
saying is certainly true so far as the
genus homo is concerned. 1t is one of
the popular sayings that have a valid
excuse for existence, and the person
who first said it must have either COM
muned with the Infinite directly or was
infinity himself or herself
But aside from this popular saying
or the religio-scientific explanation of
the human being, we know that a man
or woman is good and bad at the same
time-god when there is occasion for
the exhibition of that character, and
bad when the physical senses are
dominant. In the former case the in
dividual certainly is an angel, so to
speak, while in the latter a brute
(deviD.
Now, which one of the two charac-
ters or natures would the reader rather
exhibit. the former or the latter? Per-
Sonally l would prefer to exhibit the
former; although, frankly, it will take
a few million years ere anyone of us
can hope to attain the perfect angelic
nature. None of us should, therefore,
regret that music sets up feelings that
move us to a condition which to the
uninitiated into the ways of the Infinite
seems silly or foolish.
Those who have studied the histories
of great composers know that these
geniuses have been almost godlike be-
ings-beings who were In constant COM
who could, as it were, harness the ideas
of the infinite just as inventors harness
the forces of nature. In proof of this
we have only to witness that no matter
how great musician may be, yet he or
she is unable to harness a single idea
of the Infinite If not a godlike being.
For to compose music, that is, to feel
the ideas which the Infinite attempts
to convey to us, one must commune
with it.
Music. whether instrumental or vocal,
is nothing more than vibrations, and
vibrations are the chief characteristics
of the universe. Again, vibrations are
spiritual in nature, as witness that the
most solemn music is the most inspir-
ing. Once more, inspirations come from
the Infinite. And the character of the
vibrations Is not at all altered, no
matter how the musical melodies move
us, whether to be lively or sad.
Anyone who knows the character of
music can so place himself in tune with
it as to understand it's language; for
music is a kind of language, not, how
ever one that mortals can understand,
but only those whose predominant char
acter is spiritual.
There is no subject in the whole
realm of knowledge that is as refining
in its influence or has such power for
good as music. Music can and actually
does work wonders. A musical indi-
vidual can assume any mood be 1t
of great love, passion, courage or spir-
ituality. There is no doubt that one
can let music affect him or her un-
naturally, but generally speaking no
harm will ever come to the individual,
no matter how strong a particular mel
ody affects one.
BY careful observation of an indi-
vidual when listening to music one can
come as near telling that individuals
character as anything 1 know of.
True, that character may not be the
dominant one, but so long as music
affects the individual he or she is, as
it were, "in tune with the infinite"
can recollect no name of a single
composer who was not thoroughly inn
bued with the spirit of love-the one
great power in the universe. No mat
ter how unhappy they may have been;
no matter what degree of starvation
they may have suffered; no matter
how pessmistic they were, they were
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