The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-13


possibly our boys?
Just now the one noble fad, II fad
can be said To be noble. Is a literary,
philanthropic and semi political cru
sade which is certain to wipe from all
American cities the disgraceful profes-
slonally bad restricted districts.
ii school music can be shown to
have a distinct and unquestioned pos
tive or preventive moral force, Its
universally and It's permanency are
established beyond question.
What IS morality? There are TWO
distinct and pronounced views on this
subject The one Is that "by their
fruits We shall know them" Everyone
Is moral until you catch him In some
immoral act and even then he is
moral II he has the money 70 retain
lawyer, keen, enough to discover a
technicality which lets him out OF
legal clutches. The other takes into
account Of the tendency Of life and
thought
Education has to do with the latter
phase OF the subject
1t is no part Of teachers business
as teacher to engage, directly or In
directly. in a campaign against Vice
in New York, Chicago or elsewhere,
but rather with the tendency OF life,
with starting children right;
purifying ripple of the water Of life.
the eliminating vIgor Of pure air in
us and over us and about US But
there Is music and music, Just as there
are water and water, sunlight and
sunlight. air and air. A sunstroke is
contaminated air means an epidemic
Educatio and the civ!liza tion Of
education are eliminating disease so
rapidly that II is now entirely certain
face of the earth some day, This
means that malignant waters and ma
larIal atmosphere will some time be no
more.
Morally there Is music OF the lower
world, the ragtime OF the street the
voluptuous new swing OF the dance
hall. These are not music In its
sweetness and purity. In It's nobility
and vitality. any more than smirk
Is smile. or tnan siggling is laugh
ing. or the idiots grin is the joyous
illumination OF fathers greeting OF
his first born.
One mission OF the school is to
throw over every child's life In school
years all that is best purest, noblest
In music.
know an orchard nelghborhood
that Is wasipg an expensive war
fare on the blue Canadian thistle.
and 1t looks like hopeless struggle.
A few miles away there arc 40 acres
OF the worlds best orange orchards
and not a blue Canadian thistle is
lnsre. Inc proprietor Knows lCll well
that this particular pest cannot thrive
in soil that is not aciduous and he
tests his soil several times a year
for acid. and when he finds It. on go
the chemicals or fertilizers that make
it alkaline
Ragtime music is symptom II is
a revelation OF social or individual
soil conditions. You might as we'll
fight the blue Canadian thistle with
resolutions in kindergarten conven-
tion as 10 campaign against raetime
by enunciation In a church prayer
meeting or d Christian Endeavor con-
ventioD.
School music Is not for the teac
ing OF facts about the stan and
clefts, pitch and tone. sharps and
stopping there it is as characterless
and hopeless as deserted mining
camp with a lot OF deoris-tilled cell
lars abandoned before anything was
built thereon.
Appreciation Of good music Is worth
infinitely more than the ability TO
read the notes technically and lifc-
lessly IN an exercise
Discrimination between the noble
and ignorble In music Is walking
along the highways of tho Celestial
City,
When a teacher OF music saws to
her class, I'VE will sing ON page IS
know what to expect. When she
Eays. we VIII Sing jHAIllas dfo
the class turns TO q instinctively, !
know: that ! am in different world,
But when Mrs. Parsons with her
seventy boys in the polytechnic high
school OF Los Angeles, does neither.
but merely touches the keys OF the
plano. and every boys face lightens
and brightens as I've turns 10 the
song. II Is entirely certain that there
is music in the air
Music must be lifted heaven high
above the multiplication Ia BILE and the
smelling book before America can rent
tho social ard moral effects OF the
possibilities OF the ethical power OF
school music.
Morals are but the lruitaSe OF man
ners II YOU see anyone cleaning bis
flngernails IN public you know the
quality OF his manners. isn't IL oet~
ter 10 clean them ~ public than 10
have them go uncleaned?' Surely.
but whoever cleans them only when
he sees that they need il. cares more
for his reputation than for his char
acrer. Every personal matter is for
private attention, and public atten-
lion is vulgar Morality. ike ma :
ners, must be habit OF mind. and
must De established in the mind
ha bit forming years.
Apprecia ton OF masterpieces IN
music vocal OF instrumental. make II
as Impossible for one ever to seek
pleasure In a dance hall as for one
trained in gentle manners TO sit With
his hat on In a private psrlor,
New Orchestra Plans.