The San Francisco call., 1910-10-13
TRICKS OF MUSIC
QUACkS EXPOSED
Charlatan Teachers of Singing
Continue to Ruin Voices
and Even Lives

The quack medicine vender. after all,
takes care to sell nothing actively in
furious lest he find himself in the dock,
says NJ. A. P in the Washington Post.
But the musical quack, particularly the
fraudulent teacher of singing, con-
tinues to ruin voices and even lives,
with impunity Why is this?
Well, IN the first place, there is the
fact that any one can call himself a
professor of music"
Doctors. lawyers and other classes of
professional men have to pass examin-
atfons to be registered, and they are
governed by a controlling body. which
has ample penal powers.
But the professor of music" need not
pass any examinations, unless h wishes
to take a musical degree; ne is not
registered and is subject to no discip-
linary body.
This encourages charlatans, and will
continue to do so until it is made as
much an offense for an unqualified man
10 practice as professor of music as
it is for an unqualified man TO pose
as a doctor or solicitor
Now, the musical Quack is favored by
the almost incredible gullibility of the
public. Here is an example. A few
years ago a rascal established himself
advertising largely, he got hold of many
ambitious young singers. He had an
instrument rather like a flute, which
was filled with oil, giving forth a
strong aroma. His pupils were told
that the instrument contained real
Italian air, specially imported, and that
by breathing in this air they would
acquire voices of italian power and
compass.
Incredible as 1t may seem, the pupils
swallowed the bait and paid heavy
fees for breathing the aroma" of two
penny worth of oil.
OF course, this was clear case Of
fraud, but. like al, swindlers, this one
relied upon his victims being unwilling
to prosecute when they discovered that
they had been done" This rogue
realized a tidy sum and then cleared
out
Cases have come under my notice
where professors" of singing made
their unfortunate pupils lie on the
floor and perform breathing exercises
with heavy books piled on their stom-
achs.
One charlatan, until forced to bring
an action for libel, did very well by
guaranteeing to produce voice even
where none existed-in a musical
sense. This miracle was performed by
a series of jaw exercises. The quack's
victim is often advised to have his or
her tonsils cut. The quack recommends
a shady doctor. who charges an extor-
tionate fee, half of which he after
ward returns to the professor.
Or the pigeon is advised to take use
less courses of physical culture-use-
less so far as the voice is concerned, to
buy expensive and useless apparatus,
books and so on, the quack again earn
ing secret commissions.
To teach singing is one of the most
difficult of arts. 1t is necessary that
the instructor should himself be sing
er of the front rank. The average pro-
fessor of singing in this country can
not sing; how, then, can he possibly
teach others how to produce the voice
when he can not produce his own?
Now / come to the most serious as
pect of the case-the large number of
young women who are brought to
moral ruin by musical quacks. Case
after case of this kind has come under