Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1915-07-01

bone over the other side of towr
to play the duet, etc, and when
the concert is over that town
feels that it has advanced into q
new class-that of a live town.
The community has taken its
second lesson and likes it. Com
munity pride is the title of the
second lesson.
True there are many discords
and blur notes there, but also
very true that 80 per cent of
those listening could not dis
tinguish them.
Now a few public spirited citi-
zens square their shoulders,
talk about our band with pride
and arrange to help the boys
along, take up a subscription,
get IL bandstand built; the boys
give concert, with the assistance
Il loci talent, get ID little money
for more music, get a job at a
neighbOring town for the Fourth
of July, work hard and soon an.
nounce the closing concert for
the sumner, at which very mer-
itOrious work is done. The au-
dience knows it is very merito.
rious, for they have been close
observers and listeners since
the first blur note was played in
tina village up to the present
time, and that community has
progressed unsteady in proper.
ton to the progression the town
band has made and will continue
to do so ad infinitum. That
means step three and is the first
sign of musical culture.
That community is now ready
and anxious to hear other organ
izations, and they feel they are
able to discriminate. They have
heard their band in certain Sc.
lections and their appetite is
whetted to hear that same selec-
ton by some other organization.
The Lyceum and Chautauqua,
ever alert TO help and uplift, has
many organizations that are Sc
cured in the usual way to fill
this desire. This means more
progress, for we are now setting
up musical standards.
Is there a financial side to this
question?
Yes: two of them.
We all believe in advertising
our town. Look at Chicago.
Her public spirited citizens
finance not only grand opera and
symphony concerts for the win
ter, but also an immense big
band for the summer. One of,
the reasons they do this they
say is that Chicago may be ad.
vertised and placed in the front
rank.
Well, if a band is good for Chi
cago, as an advertising or tinan
cial reason, why is it not good
for the smaller community, and
| believe it is, Judging by my
own experience. l have lived
midway between two towns;
one had a band, the other had
not. The town with the band
enjoyed concerts two nights in
the week. l was at that town
twice every week. What mer.
chandise and supplies were
needed came from that town.
This habit became a custom, not
alone by me, but by many of the
neighbors, and the engagements
that band played in the sur.
rounding towns placed their
town just a little ahead,i the es
timation of everyone, as a live
town. That is business.
Now what is the other finan.
cial side?
If you agree with me that the
band is a good financial argu,
ment for a town, would it not be
a wise move to help hat band
financially?
We have shown in this word
picture that so far as the as
sistance the boys have received
has been from a few public spir,
tied citizens, whose hands are in
their pockets most of the time,
and as a rule they get the least
of the benefits from their expen.
ditures.
| know from years of observa.
ton that the local band is good