El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-01-31
ARMY TRAINING
IMPROVES MEN
Orchestra Director 0berhof-
fer Talks Interestingly
About Life and Work.


Il am an American" said Emil Ober-
noffer, conductor of the Minneapolis
symphony orchestra. Il have lived in
this country so long l am fully IN &C
cord with American ways and American
life, and | have no other country l was
born In Munich Bavaria, and my peo-
pie are mostly living In that nel9hbor-
hood still. Ny wife Is an English
woman, and seven or eight of her rela-
tives are fighting with the allies The
war Is not tabu in our house. Both
Of us are able to look at the thing
broadly. my wife Is liberal minded, and
l suppose ! am as nearly neutral Is men
generally become; at any rate. can
discuss without undue partlsanshlp the
course OF all the nations involved, and
l can see and acknowledge the errors
of the central powers as well as those
Of their antagonists.
"From nv knowledge Of the German
people. l cannot believe many or the
stories OF excessive bitterness and hate
that are published against them The
Germans have no feeling or hate toward
the French or the Russians There Is
French cult. as there Is an English cult,
in Germany, and l have been told that
Shakspere's plays are being given reg
ufarly in Germany during the war.
from France and England
The Russian People.
The Russians are great people. The
Germans have the deepest regard for
Russian music, literature. and art The
Russians are highly imaginative peo-
PIE. full of sentiment, deeply mystical
They are brilliant in creative work.
though perhaps in a somewhat superb
cial way at times, as IL seems TO for
eigner. But Russia and Russians are
not hated: neither are they feared
Germany feels the need Of national self
defence at all times against certain men
aces that are fOstered by officialdom
among her neighbors. But Germany
cherishes no feelings OF spiritual and
intellectual antagonism to her CONT
mental neighbors.
Value Of Military Training.
This is my first visit to Texas. and
the same is true OF most Of our men.
We have been wonderfully Impressed
We are all anxious to make an annual
tour through this region Our recep-
ton everywhere has been most friendly
and appreciatiTe.
Speaking Of military training and
preparedness, 1t seems to me that we
Americans as . people would profit by
having introduced somewhere in the
scheme Of education and training
somewhat severe discipline. to the eI-
tent that men shall be made to realize
the community value, the economic
necessity. Of implicit and explicit
those properly in authority over them
This applies 10 business life, in indus
Try, trade. and transport, as well as in
military matters. or in the line with
which I am Of course most familiar,
musical organization
american citizen soldiers are mag
nificent fellows as men, and I have no
reason to suspect that they are lack
ing in discipline. l was much struck
lly their uniformly high standards Of
nd
came through Texas on the train and
saw these boys everywhere at way sta
lions and in little camps on the hill
sides and at every bridge and culvert I
] felt as If ] wanted TO do something
for them. They seemed lonely, and :
they poured out OF their tents to watch ]
the train go by rs IL they craEed /
companionship with the outer world !
] should like 10 have distributed car
load of cigarets OF something 10 show I
goodwill
American IndeBendenee.
an the orchestra am sorry TO say,
We have found il almost impossible TO
get Americans who would fit into the
organization and remain in IL as eff
cient but necessarily subordinate units 9
We have tried again and again TO build /
up the American membership Let me
tell you something The American, at
least those musicians that we come IN
contact with. is q little too reSentful
of control from outside. After a time, I
the American musician. no matter how
efficient he may be as an individual, !
seems to take this attitude 1 know
how this piece ought to be played and
1 viii play it my own way or not at
all: 1 viii not LOOK at the directors
baton and will not obey his orders or
his signs II goes without saying that
an effective orchestra would be i'm
possible If any considerable number OF
such independent spirits were kept in
IL
They Do Not @Dexenerate.-
Ny men are mostly men Of mill
tary training. The largt majority have
served in the army of some country
Some of them have had u or Il years
military service / have found your
American army training TO be of serv-
ice 10 musicians for men who have
passed through this course have been
impressed with the necessity Of strict
discipline and instant and unQueSton-
ing obedience TO a command.
1T is folly to sly that men mill
fariIy trained lose individual initiative
and degenerate into mere machines
They ares simply made more efficient
humans aud that added efficiency viii
snow TO The good no matter what 90
cupation the trained men may follow
after they have been through the army
course I believe in it from a variety
Of reasons, and quite apart from any
political purpose that may be served
Dy universal training no one who has
watched the development Of European
recruits from stOop Shouldereds flabby,
sndecisive youths into upstanding,
self respecting, vigorous. ambitious
men can ever doubt the wisdom OF
some form Of military training as part
OF the general educat ional course OF !
training men 20 fulfil their part in the
life 9"