The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-05
Y F Ready to Consider Conservatory Bill

succeeded in getting through the
 House his bill for establishing na- Itional conservatory of music in the
 United States, to be under govern Iment control, but as no member seems ready to father the measure it will probably go over until after the war. The musicians and music lovers of the country are in agreement as to the great educational value of conserva- tory such as Mr. Bruchner planned,
 but If it is ever to be more than a dream all the cultural forces will have to organize and create public sentiment that would induce legisia- ltion. Men of affairs known to be music lovers, like Otto H. Kahn, or professional musicians of wide influ- ence like Walter Damrosch and John
 Philip Sousa would at some propitious time be able to get a hearing and lcause favorable action in committee. Mir. Bruchner had drawn his bill lin exhaustive detail The proposed in- stitution was to be divided into four departments of equal standard, to be
 located one in the District of Colum-
 bia, one in the state of Illinois, one | in the state of New York and one in
 the state of California" | It was to embrace curricula of music in all it's branches, and also Ipainting and drawing. The idea was, i in short, to make 1t school of the fine arts. The President of the United
 States is named in the bill as the head of general board of regents.
 The board would have power to ap- point director general who, in turn, would select all the instructors, with
 the approval of the regents. Such conservatories are familiar in- lstitutions in Europe and this fact accounts in an important degree for the solid progress of musical art across the sea.
 s A magazine writer tells why Russian women took up arms for their country. There were various contributory causes,
 no doubt, but an old farmer sized ID the situation when he said the women of Russia became soldiers because they were plumb disgusted with their men folks"
 A motion picture of German prisoners
 of war being searched showed an Eng fish officer returning an iron cross taken from boche. Judging from the inGlf- l ferent way in which the German thrust | it into his pocket, it wasn't worth a mll- 1 lion marks to him.
 | The Chicago News publishes an article entitled, The Fine Manners of Pigs. Why They Have Been Cruelty Maligned."
 The only pig we ever saw whose man. ners were above reproach was hanging on a hook.
 1 If Germany carries out her plans, Great Russia will lose the fruits of 30U years of expansion. That will be another feather in the red caps of Lenine and ! Trotzky
 l Ambassador Francis is evidently de- termined to stay in Russia as long as there is room enough to turn around in i without pumping into German army. | Broadway is blazing again, except on
 Thursday and Sunday nights. That should be a great relief to chorus girls
 who were afraid to go home in the dark. ! x < $ 1 The allies may say to Japan, .'Dh, sure, sure. Go ahead and do what you
 think is best in Siberia" but they won't feel quite easy in their minds about it. * x #
 l Miss Anne Martin of Nevada has an-
 nounced her candidacy for the United
 States Senate. Miss Anne has seen 4 summers-and few winters. 1 Y < F
 Military movements in Great Russia have ceased" says a dispatch from Ber- ] lin. In the meantime the victory crows over prostrate Russia.
 * # a.
 l Old John Barleycorn doesn't know l where he's going, but as returns come i in from state legislatures re concedes that he's on his way
 ! It is said that diamond sales are in- i creasing, statement which can't be proved by studying the frayed necktIes of newspaper men.
 l # * *
 I The bolsheviki. in signing a hasty l peace, seem to have acted on the the
 ory that they'd better quite while t,.s quitting was good.