The Washington bee., 1910-01-01

| 10 the university positive harm. This
has led to the issuing of an official
statement of the facts in the case by
the authorities of Howard Univer-
sity.
In recent weeks, the authorities
state, the male glee club has render
ed on several occasions several of the
folk songs or plantation melodies. In
the great university mass meeting
under the auspices of the Bethel Lit
erary and History Society at the
Metropolitan Church, on M street,
these melodies given by the glee club
were encored, with much applause.
At two or three recent chapel serv-
ice, at the request of the president,
and under the 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 heartily.
No Formal Protest
While a few students have ex-
pressed themselves as doubling the
wisdom of the general use of these
melodies in the public services,
there has never been a protest
against them nor even an organized
request to either the president or to
the dean of any department against
their use The attitude of the stu
dent body over the gross misrepre-
sentation of them as being in a state
of ferment or rebellion is voiced in
the following action taken on their
own motion and unanimously by the
presidents and officers of the classes
in the several departments on the
campus last Sunday, Immediately fol-
lowing the publication of the anony-
nous interview claiming to repre-
sent them. This action states the
facts as to the spirit of loyalty:
"In the Sunday issue of a Wash
ington morning paper there appear
ed an article, 'Balk at Folk Song
which was written, it has been learn
ed, by a student of one of the pro-
fessional departments not in accord
with the spirit of the student body on
the campus. The reported interview
is entirely out of harmony with both
the spirit and content of several ad-
dresses Of the president of the uni
versity on the subject of Negro
folk song.
Plea for Perpetuation
Friday he made a strong plea for
the preservation of the noblest and
most sacred of these melodies; that
the best of them should be as dear
to the race as were the psalms to
the people of Israel, as they were
the expression of the religious spirit
and aspirations of a 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 we might have here'a con-
servatory where the choicest of these
might be brought to their highest
expression, and, under some leader,
like Coleridge-Taylor, might be de-
veloped into oratorios and symptom
les. So far from speaking of their
use for the amusement or enter
tainment' of the people, he has al
ways dwelt on their sacred associa-
tons and their serious religious
meaning.
"The address Friday was received
with rounds of long and enthusi-
astic applause.
"Never before in Howard Uni
versity has there existed a better and
nobler spirit of harmony than now.
There is a greater enthusiasm in the
student body than ever before. Since
President Thirkield has been here the
university has taken on new tone
and reputation"
Resolution Adopted
The faculties of the several depart
ments on the campus and the student
body assembled yesterday in the
Rankin Memorial Chapel at noon.
In behalf of the deans of the sever
al department, Dean Miller offer
ed a resolution which was seconded
by members of the faculty and by
score of young men all over the
chapel, as officers of the classes of
the College of Arts and Sciences,
the Teachers College, the CONNER
II Il