Connecticut western news., 1911-01-19
MUSIC IN THE SCHOOLS
 AND ITS LASTING VALUE
LContinued from page II

of musical talent as little better than the practice of magic. During the early years of our New England Colonies the art of notation was we'll nigh lost-I mean, of course, among the Puritans themselves. Only psalms might be sung in the meeting house, and in process of time it came about that the good brethren who sang with the spirit and not with the understanding, made even that sim pie effort at musical worship a scandal and by-word to those of sensitive ears.
 The early country singing schools in New England. of which any one who chanced to pass his or her childhood days in our country districts has recol- nature. were an attempt to rescue church music from the lowest state that perhaps it had ever reached since the origin of the Christian Church. For more than a century they hourished and more or less was accomplished for the art of music.
 In most cases the teacher was without musical education, as we speak of it to- day, but the fact that he had more ability and talent than any one else in the con- munity placed him at thelr head. From singing schools came church choirs, choral societies etc.. and there has grown up in varying degrees of rapidity in diff ferent sections of the country an appre- citation of music and some understand ing of its real worth to society and the individual.
 But the Puritanioal adherence of music was only an episode in the history of the art. As an art it will stand first and women have for it. It relieves the Firksome study in the school-room; many 8 child dislikes to be absent on the day of special lesson more than on other days; it brightsns and refnes the home; it speeds the hours in happy flight in the social circle, and finally lifts the soul from the clay of earth to commune with the divine.
 Music is 8 comparatively new stady iu our schools, and 1t has not received that attention which the more common and established branch of study have. People do not yet take music in the schools very seriously.
 There is general feeling that It IS good thing, pleasant but not very use- ful, 8 happy means of relieving the monotony of necessary studies, and on the whole not objectionable if it does not cost too much. It has not been un- usual for some worthy people to express the fear that if children, especially boys, learn to sing they might become unfitted for the serious duties of life like selling merchandise or keeping books. What shall we say to this semi-contempt in which music is held by many excellent people? Nothing-argument will only convince them, that they, not you, are right. What they need is wider and more comprehensive vision, a deeper in sight into the significance of all educa- tion. It is not easy to admit that our ignorance is ignorance even if we know iG and many people do not know it.
 About seventy years ago Dr. Lowell Mason and few Boston principals or head-masters of schools, succeeded in gaining the consent of the Board of Education of that city, to the teaching of music ill few of the Grammar schools. Dr. Mason gave h1s services for time. The experiment. met with such success that music was introduced into the schools of the city generally. and special instructors appointed. do not know what city first followed the ex- ample of Boston, but the larger cities of our country have had music on their lists of studies for many years, and at the present time there is scarcely city or town of any size but has it's course in music and special teacher or teachers.
 In behalf of the special teacher may I present an appeal that music be placed among the required studies in which teacher must pass an examination to SC. cure 8 state certificate, and not accupy a place upon the optional list? Music is in the schools, it has been popular with NOoSAOASB pAE1Ao oA4O p1AOAbS anu 1b IS III the schools to stay.
 
 First of all no singing should be per mitted in the school, which does not have due regard to quality of tone. Ay there's the rub-whether we shall pre- init the children to howl or not to howl reminding us of Johnnie who was at the opera for the first time. The cele- brated soprano was in the middle of her solo, when he said to his mother, refer ring to the conductor of the orchestra, "Why does that man hit at the woman with his stick ?'' "He is not hitting at her, replied the mother, Keep quiet" ''Well, then, what is she bowling for ?"
 We sometimes wonder whether it is 1 hetfar tO trv and sto,n tho oF