The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-11-12
BRITISH Think
ARTISTS SHOULD
Get EXEMPTION
Lloyd George Speaks of
Soothing Influence of Art
and Music.

| Aoyo SCoI sc LII I0CcHI speech
spoke of the soothing and sustaining
influence of literature, music and 9TH
er arts in time of war. In. the follow
Ing article in the Pail Mall Gazette,
Edwin Evans the distinguished Brit
ish critic, discusses the advisa bility in
the national interest of imposing mill
tary service on the artist.
Whenever the question has been
raised of the relation of the artist to
military service it has invariably been
| treated as one concerning evasion"
on the part of the authorities. Nat
urally enough, artists and their friends
have been quick to resent this as
casting an unjustifiable slur on their
| patriotism. They gave ample proof
| while military service was still op-
| tiona1, that their sense Of national
duty was equal to that of any other
section of the community, and their
roll of honor Is long enough to per-
NIT of this question being examined
dispassionately without arousing ill
| considered protest.
So far as I am aware, 1t has never
| been properly considered from tho
only point Of view which really mat
ters-namely, that of the nations
bes' interest. From that point Of
view the question whether an artist
should be sent to the trenches de-
ponds, not upon his own willingness
or unwilhngness to serve there or
upon the sentimental consideration
whether it is fair or unfair that he
should be protected when others are
not, but solely upon the relative value
to the nation of his services as sol
der and as an artist. If the latter
is the greater, not only should he not
be allowed to go, even If he demand
ed the privilege as of right, for in
these matters the claim of the nation
overrides that of the individual.
In varying degrees the elementary
consideration is recognized in all the
countries having prolonged experience
of the practical working of conscrip
ton. They differ only in their meth
cd of meeting it. Where there is a
Minister of Fine Arts the question is
one naturally appertaining to his
functions. Where there are court sub
sides, as in Russia under the old re-
gime, the recipients are technically
court officials. In either case there
exists machinery of more or less Of
fetal character for dealing with the
case of a man whose art is deemed of
greater value to the nation than his
services as a military unit. In Meth
er case does the decision rest with
the military auth critics unguided by
competent opinion.
Now let us turn to the most demo-
cratic government in Europe-that
of New Russia. In May 11-A the
Council Of Workmen's and Soldiers
Delegates passed the following reso-
s-I- Il
two days later in the Reich: Taking
into consideration that the enlistment
of artists threatens with collapse art,
music and the drama, the executive
committee of the Council Of Work.
mems and Soldiers Delegates has re.
solved that no artists liable to mill
tary service are to be enlisted Tor
sent to the front without the special
authorization in each case of the
military section of the executive
committee, which will report on each
case to special committee formed of
representatives of all sections of labor
and the army. To this special COM
mittee all the unions representing
the artistic professions will be invited
to send delegates with the right to a
consultative VOTE
'It Is humilitating to think that in
the value we put upon our art we are
behind all the nations of Europe, in
Guiding those which until yesterday
wee were apt to regard. conscious Of
our superior development, as back
ward races. In our haphazard way
we have exempted some artists and
refused exemption to others, and the
decisions, if compiled, would Illus
trate the extraordinary confusion that
prevails in our standards of artistic
worth. Obscure organists have OBJ.
tanned exemption on the plea that in
injury to their hands would deprive
the nation Of their valuable services
and we are about to send to the front
the greatest violinist England hal
| produced within Lying memory, and
the only one capable Of stemming the
fashionable cult of the foreigner.
eff our authorities possessed little
more Of that psychological sense
which they so literally deny to our
enemies, it might. who knows, have
occurred to them that, in the present
attitude Of Russian opinion toward
us, Albert Sanmons and William
Murdoch might conceivably be doing
better service by playing John Ire
lands sonata to a. Petrograd audience
than by individual acts of bravery.
the opportunities for which are, as
every soldier knows, the rarest of the
| fortunes of war. At present even
our best friends believe, however, re-
luctantly, that we fail to value ar.
tistic inspiration because we our.
selves are impervious to- it, and can
not therefore understand the solicit.
tude Of others
The United States is in need Of
$500 radio operators. They. will be
taken from the draft.