The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-26
Significance of Money Outlay

Il showed that the significance of these
| flguI es lay in the fact that with the item,
| of musical education combined with the
next largest amount, for pianos and some
| 100000 for sheet music and smaller
musical Instruments, we led all nations
| in the amount of money spent for what
| may be called music in the home To
give further significance to the figures
/ showed that we spend on music here
| as much as we do on the army, navy
and postal business combined. while
Germany, concededly the most musical
nation in the world, spends ten times as
much on her army and navy as she does
on music.
Il showed that we spent nearly as
much on music as we do for the greatest
crop we have-not corn or cotton, as
many think-but the hay crop.
Now, with this vast expenditure, the
lquestion naturally arises. why do so
damn us for our lack of clilture-for they
do 1t, and it IS one of the main reasons
Why SO great a prejudice against us in
matters of art and especially music, ex-
lists in Europe, particularly in Germany.
''Why do these artists damn US?
Because our standard has risen so high
that only the very best are wanted and
only the best succeed"
ITO give you some idea of the European
prejudice In such matters, especially with
regard to music, let me say that not
long ago Mr.. lgnaz Waghalter, conductor
of the Charlottenbnrg opera house, the
second largest in Berlin, was in this coun-
try on brief visit. In an interview he
bitterly assailed our lack OF musical
knowledge and culture and wound up by
declaring, II the Wild animals, the lions
and the tigers, the elephants, the wolves,
are susceptible TO the influences of music,
why not the Anericans2
This statement of Mr.. waghalter's Is
significant because It represents the at
titude of the average German, In Ger
many, to all matters of art in this coun-
| try
"The German press continually attacks
| our prime donne and only recently Nine.
tTemstad a born American, was bitterly
assailed in Munich by the newspaper
critics principally on account of hef
nationality. You will hear these charges
on the ocean steamers, in foreign hotels,
and in the homes of Europe. The people
there say: You Americans are all for
| business, all for the dollar. You are a
| lot of materialsts.'
'Whereupon | declare, No No.
.'They come back and say, The French
patronize their own composers, the Ital-
ians theirs, the Germans theirs. and the
English theirs, but in American you seem
ashamed of your composers your singers,
y y
"'You send them to Europe to get
their musical education. You refuse to
accept them, unless they come to Eu-
rope to get the necessary prestige so
they can return to you to win success
or even a living.'
"This wholly false conception of the
intelligence and culture of the Ameri-
can people is one of the reasons that
in my old age, at my own expense [
have taken to the road to speak to
the people, to arouse them, to tell them
that the time has come when in de-
fense of their own good name, they
must stand up and be counted.
As to the Fault
Let us be honest and admit that
much of the fault is with ourselves we
do not sufficiently encourage our own
composers. our music teachers, our con-
ductors, our singers and players. DO
you know that at public dinner in
New York a year ago, Henry Russell
the managing director of the Boston
Opera house, declared that the debut
OF talented young girl would crowd
the Scala Opera house in Milan, but it
would empty the Metropolitan Opera
house in. New York.
"Why should this prejudice exist?
eve have in this country today bet
ter music teachers. better and safer
schools and conservatories. than they
have in Europe, and we certainly have
a. cleaner life for our young girls and
young men who study music
why should we not have better
schools and teachers?
"To this country have come the best
brains and musical talent of Germany,
France, Italy, England and Spain. Did
these people who came here, to teach
us, lose their musical knowledge, their
love of music. their musical taste when
they became American citizens? When
the foreign press assails us for our lack
of. culture our lack of musical know
ledge, Is II not assailing its own coun-
trymen?
Nov there will be some who Will
soy and with perfect Justice that many
OF the foreign musicians and teachers
- ha come to us are fakes [
will frankly reply there are such. The
proper way. however, to meet that is
sue is the passage of state laws max
ing it as necessary for the music teach
er to pass an examination and takes out
a diploma as 1T is necessary for the
lawyer and the physician.
"Now, what is my plea? Let us en-
courage American musical talent of
merit. not because II is American, but
because It is talent Or merit, and mor
than that. let US discourage the crueR
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