Evening star., 1916-11-26
Music Is Not Merely Entertainment:
1t Is Also Medicine

I LIKE grand opera music, and dislike grand opera
In the first place. grand opera costs too much
In the second place, it seems to hybrid art
Acting and singing more belong together-for me
than reading and dancing. The acting of play the
der myself to the illusion identity myself with the char
acters and forget everything in my interest in their
affairs.
But it simply beyond me to feel any illusion concern
ing love scene between two supposedly passionate
young lovers, when the parts sung by buy Italian
and burly Italian woman both over forty years
old and more than forty stone in weight.
The only way l enjoy the acting of opera is to
close my eyes.
Furthermore, like to be able to start my opera and
stop it when want to- to smoke if like or lie down if
like and, finally. to be able to leave when get ready
without feeling that am losing any money by doing
In other words, like my opera machine.
Music is not mere Fly entertainment: it is medicine.
Pythagoras, who lived many hundred years ago, dis
covered that. He able to work wonders in of
violent insanity with no other remedy than soothing
music.
acts most powerfully on the physical and moral nature
and | use it constantly in mental disease. 1t soohes
and cams the patients mind, and, though it may not
cure, 1t most precious agent and ought not to be
neglected.
Gladstone attacked by his occasional periods of nerv
exhaustion. would have his avorite hymns sung to
him.
Herbert Spencer, when neuralgia laid him low, would
lie down and order soft music played, and invariably
obtained relief
And l. in my humble fashion, have the same expert
like go home in the evening before dinner, and lie
down for half an hour and listen to my favorite music
If need stimulation, there stimulating pieces: if
relaxaon there selections that relax if sleep, there
songs that carry one pleasant pastures and lay
him down under fragrant apple trees to peaceful sumber.
Music is mental and spiritual massage, a bracing
cold shower bath, according to what you select per-
sonaly do not to take my spiritual massage in the
Metropolitan Opera House. any than | would
to have my hair cut in Madison Square Garden
Every child should grow up in home where music
is constantly played Every experience of happy
youth should have some particular song bound up with
it, that the playing of that song in after life will
awaken that experience and it to be lived again
never hear Handels Largo without living
of the quiet Sundays of my boyhood because it
played in our house almost every Sunday.
"Sweet Alice, Ben Bolt" brings back memory to me
that is peculiarly intimate and peculiarly sweet There
hundred favoriteseach calling its particular
bit of grand opera back into my memory-a fragment
of the opera of my own life.
Do not deny your child the blessed ministry of music.
1t is of the rarest gifts of God
Sweeten his soul with it. Perhaps you may even be
able to teach him to love opera. If not, you at
least teach him to love music in his own home.
And he will be in good company That is the way the
prophet Elisha liked his music OF him it is written that
when driven to utter WEAKNESS by the perpexties of
his business, he would cry: