New-York tribune., 1917-07-11

q
Sir: Major General Bell. wb.
urgent request for singing BY III. ,o,H Z
his Plattsburg speech, has given hi, '" . q
to the publication Of the inclosed l.,,.. '-'''
ten after my experience in thi, wo,r VI.
Plattsburg camp. ARTHUR PARwr,," !"
New York, July 9, 1917.
Major General J. Franklin Bell. Conr
Eastern Division United STATE, ,
Governors Island, n. Y.
Dear Sir: made visit 10 N. n.
Reserve training camp at Plattsbure a, :,
1f-21, inclusive, of the present ys., "
tried few experiments in mas, :. -
among the men at the recently bull, ,-.,
theatre. The results were OF the 80.
ways to be expected when such an a..
is made without a course Of prepara,,,-
tivity and without procuring very n.,,,.
conditions.
Because Of your expressed intere,, !. !.
subject, in your widely quoted pl,,,...
speech urging the companies TO hav. .,'F
marching songs, ! write to put befo,.
the reasons why company or mass s,!
in the army is impossible and impra,,i.'y
at the present time, TO show how dss,l. \
problem is rooted in the universally p,.,.
lent American condition as regards 49,
munity singing, and to make il plsir a
without a special course Of sctiyi,v -
wanting in all but a very few of Ii. ca.
the result for which you have a,k,S
without hope of realization.
Wasted Vocal Ammunition
As to the conditions of singing at p,...
burg, the spirit of song is eyervI'.
throughout the camp. The men ca, !.
magnificently; they want to sing. an \
But all is disconnected and sporadic. Sr,4.
OF hearty song are heard at every tu,, !,
only a few men in a company will !,
through even single whole stanzs. |, j.
mass the response to a given song Will, ;,
thusastc, will come only from iso-yy
groups. No one song is known 10 w.,
tAan a few. The idea, the vision OF ,,y
! singing together, the power and Joy o,
has never come TO these splendid and a.,
fully inclined men. They can sing irt,i
but they cannot sing together. One 4.
the presence of an immense, an aweson. 4,
half revealed power of song going 70 v,s
for lack of concentration and orderirs
community song leader in Plattsburs Is
as a general would feel who had unlina,
quantities of men and ammunition, bv,
means of coordinating or directing them.
This condition is no fault Of the ne,
the camps; neither can it be remedss
tfa ~, ba ttri4L 4Lnrr i've
experience shows il is simple and prsc,i,
tC do) certain new customs, and being az:
in producing the particular and definite 70
ditions under which alone mass singing
become successful. The condition deserss
arises from a fundamental deficiency
American life. deficiency now both nyess
ard challenged by this great need Of L
army. Americans have never sung in !.
mass nor learned how TO do so and whs, 1
requisite conditions are. Unlike Europss,
they havC' had few foiksongs, near to Z
hearts of all, to prompt them to such q
tom. They DO not know the words ever
TIE folksongs they have, such as Dixie a
MY Old Kentucky Home" They hire m
and orchestras to play these tunes for tea
they whistle and applaud, but they q 70
sing. This is why so many Of the Pats
burg men whistle on the march ingai
singing. Not twenty-five men in ticsw
can repeat two stanzas OF The Sg
Srangled Banner" Our popular sonr u
used chiefly for dancing, not for sng,I
They are sung on the stage and BY s-i
groups about a piano, but they have rs'
been made the basis of mass singing
short, We have in America no large group
mass singing as a national custom, or d
not until the issue as a whole was met
Gently by the rapidly growing "eonmg' '
chorus movement. Now, then, shall
amy find itself suddenly and spontsasc.'
capable of doing that which elsewhere
been made possible only through the ger
OF inspired leaders, whose vision has P'
trated the cause of the disease, and VI
through supreme effort have worked osi 2
beginning of the cure?
Successful Mass Singing
To sing successfully in anything abo"
small group about a piano certain prs'i
conditions are demanded, at least until
custom is established and the songs n''
Among these conditions as they apply
army are: A good song leader, the hsY
of the printed words in hand b. every "a
wholly satisfactory Lighting, a band as |
lutely and necessarily under the directi''
the song leader q. e. during song V''
music for the band in the proper ny
mems voices, the right music and "
regular periodic exercise In singing '''
these conditions. Il is a very wlcesp''
fallacy that all crowd OF people as'
do to sing is to get UP and sing. EVER
porionced song leader knows that u e'l
be done. Company singing is a dihereh' a.. ~
ter from mass singing, but that IS a p'0''~
that could easily be worked out, esl"Ss
if mass singing were made an esta0"A
custom. But before the above deser'es y.
d.tions can have any value wnats0e''"
even become possible. 1t is neeessNP
have the full sympathy Of the military "
ttorities in this uphill pioneer "o'+
their aid in all movements, such as 'hs
o. the War Department CommlsseD
Training Camp Activities. looking to Inh :,
There is no doubt in my mind that ihS -,
give them enthusiastic cooperation "n'a :. :,
once clearly understand the nature "
situation.
Are VIC going 20 meet German en''S.- c.,-c
a,p,e ,,,i.L Ar,crican efficiency and Osi~