The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1909-12-30
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ALLEGED TROUBLE OVER FOLK.
SONGS, IS PURPOSELY .ExNN
y - AGGERATED. =.
NO: FORMAL PROTEST
Against Plantation Melodies Nor
Was There any: semblance OF the
Rebellion Made so Much Of by
Daily Press but Denied by Faculty
and Student Body. -.

Rebellion Made so Much Of, by
Daily Press but Denied by Faculty
and Student Body. *
{ Thorapson's National News Bureau
Washington, D. c., DDec. 25.-For
two whole days the town was on edge
over the ,rumor that there was trou-
BILE at Howard University. Then the
truth was told. The alleged Trouble
turned out to .be but small-si1ed
tempest in teapot, and all was
over. Now peace reigns in. unllas,
puted inajesty on "The Hill", and
the souls; offthe, student! body and fac
ulty are happier because the invader
never. reached the inside OF the cas-
, tie walls. 80: -. E..
A, recent interview in a. morning
paper with an anonymous individual
claimed that there, was among the
studshts, Of Howard University a
spirit of rebellion; over the, regent
singtAaesss .o OF ss9mat9f the !".folk-eongs;' ;;
or "plahtation melodies" at the chapel
services. 1t was represented that the
spirit of opposition was SO great
that. the students were on the eve
Of revolving against the urgent sup
port Of the. President Dir. w. P.
Thirkfeld, in behalf OF these folk
/ songs. of the Negro race.
| Through the press this has been
given much, wider currency than
the situation warrants, and, in the
Judgment Of the authorities, this
tends to do the University positive
harm. This has led to the issuing Of
! official statement of the. facts In the
case by. the President and faculty, to
. the end that the exact truth may be
known to. the. patrons and friends
Of the school, who are scattered over
the length and breadth of the land.
t.. The Facts In the Case.
2 In recent weeks, the authorities
state; the 'n4ale yglee club has rendered
on several OCCASIONS a number of the
= folk-songe or - plantation melodies.
In the great University mass meeting
under the auspices Of Bethel Literary
and Historical Association at the
Metropolitan A. M. e. church on M
street, these melodies were given by
the glee club and won encore after
encore. At two or three recent chap
Ell services, at the request Of the
president, and under leadership OF
Prof. Brown, two Of the choicest OF
these melodies have been sung, the
great majority of the students Joining
in the singing voluntarily and hear
lilly. =. -
| No Formal Protest Ever Filed
| Against Songs.
! While few students have expre ss-
ed themselves as doubling the wis
dom of the general use Of these mel.
odies in the public services, there has
never been protest against them,
nor even an organized request to
either the president or dean Of any
department against their USE The
attitude of the student body over the
gross misrepresentation of them az
| being tn q state Of ferment rrabel.
lion Is voiced in the following action
taken ON their own motion and unan-
tmously by the presidents and Off.
GERS Of the classes in the several de-
partmepts on the campus last Sunday
Immediately following the publication
of the anonymous interview, claim
ing to represent them. This action
states the facts as to the spirit OF
loyalty, In the student body and is as
follows:
'In the Sunday issue Of the Wash.
ington Post there appeared an article
"Balk at Folk Songs which was
written, as has been learned, by q
student of one Of the professional de-
partments not In accord with the
spirit of the student body ON the
campus. The reported interview Ia
entirely out of harmony with both the
spirit and content Of several address
es of the President of the University
on the subject Of the Negro Folk
Song"
True, Meaning of tho Folk Song
Friday" continued the statement
Of the students, "Dr. Thirkfield made
strong plea for the preservation OF
the noblest and most sacred of these
melodies; that the best of them
Should DO az dear to the race aS
we're the psalms to the people of Is
rael,- 81 they were the expression of
the religious spirit and aspirations
OF race wrung from suffering hearts
during slavery. He quoted Dvorak,
who said that in these melodies was
found the only basis for an original
school Of music in America, and that
he hoped that some day he might
have here conservatory where the
choicest OF these might he brought
TO their highest expression, and, un-
der some leader, like ColeridgeTay-
Tor, might be developed into orato-
rios and symphonies. SO far from
speaking of their use for the amuse-
1 -