The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-26

Dr. P. J. Grant In Musical America.
 s opera practically possible in America? :?
 Yes and mo- Possible, if we regard music as one of lifes necessities-just as necessary as food and drink and cloth Ing. Impossible If we are to look upon it, as unfortunately we have done in the past, as the luxury of the rich, a society function where Mrs. Railroad Magnate and Mrs. Porkpacker can sit well forward in their boxes and display their rich Jewels to the admiring or envious gaze of 2000 or 5000 of already arrived. nearly larrved or on the way-a society function from which 90 per cent of the decent minded American public are excluded-and believe purposely so-py the preposterous prices charged
 Opera will be impossible as long as we employ high-prced foreign impresarios who speak scarcely two sentences of our Language, correctly, who are not in sym pathy with either our ideals or our needs. Who. after a lot of high sounding bun come addressed to the admiring gentle men of the press about the "bea-u-tif-ful' American voices, offer the owners of these same American voices $50 per week, while they cable an offer of 5000 a night to an old lady whose voice flew up the fiue aeons and aeons ago.
 Many of these beautiful American voices were paid twice that amount for a sinEle performance in Germany-prophets in Ger many-the land of music, while here they are mere freaks. Admit it? No. They dare not You see they single units whom the foreign manager would trample into nonexistence if they dared to open their mouths. Whereas united they could kick MT. Foreign Manager into that oh- livion from which he never should have emerged.
 What would you say if tomorrow you found this advertisement in your morn ing papers,
 "WANTED-General manager for the
 New York Central: must be foreigner;
 one giving preference to foreigners pre-
 ferred."
 WANT TED-President for Yale univer-
 sity; must be foreigner
 | Or
 "Wanted'-but why go on? These two are sufficient for my. purpose. Can't you linagine what would happen, or rather can you? Can't you hear the howl go up, reaching from New York to San Francis co? Tn comparison King Georges tea tax would be mere episode. And suppose the foreigner did. through some freak of fortune or rather a sinister degenerate in fiuence, secure some such commanding position and proceeded to oust competent Americans and All their places with for eigners, insolently informing the public that 1t a private concern and there fore none of their business. Would we stand for it? Perhaps we have stood for a good many things, but hardly that.
 Opera will be impossible as long as it lis not given in the language of the people. You cannot persuade the great American public to take an interest in what it does not understand
 At the present time society goes, not be- cause it cares a red cent for opera, but because 1t regards it as a social duty, or because it wishes to see or be seen. It Is a part of it's social slavery, not an intellectual treat; not a great humaniz- ing work which brings 1t into closer touch with its fellow man and the beautiful things of life.
 As such opera is degreda ton. not an uplifting Can you wonder that the de- lcent-minded American will have nothing to do with it? Has nothing for 1t but contempt? And therefore far as he Is concerned 1t is a failure-does not ex- ist?
 Is opera practically possible in Amer ca? I wish I could find a word strong and emphatic enough to express my abid- ing and absolute belief that it is But before we can make 1t a success we must realize that the task ahead of us is not an easy one; in fact. it is a herculean one. It is a task that will require pa- tience, more patience, and then some more.
 And first there Is big obstacle which we must get out of the way: it is the word "art." It is word I am fast com ing to hate, not because of the word itself but because of the people who use it. They have been so engrossed with the let ter that they have entirely lost sight of the spirit They have made of 1t per verted holy of holies whose light is too dazzling for the eyes of the common peo- pie. within whose sanctuary their unholy feet must not tread. They have set them selves up as prophets, whereas they are nothing more than monumental asses whose stubborn hoofs bar the road to pro- ! gress.
 Let us forget for the moment that music lis an art. Let us try to look upon 1t as a gerat. big humanizing influence. an influence for better and holier things as necessary part of life as food. drink and clothing and work. And let me say lhere that I have taken opera because } 1t has the wider and more popular ap- l peal.
 But to get down to the practical side of the question. What must we do? }, Well. before we can have opera we must provide 1t with . home. and that home