Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-04-04
CITY'S MUSICAL PLANS
GIVEN GREAT IMPETUS
Continued from First Page.l


When DIR. Muck. of the Boston
Symphony Orchestra, declined to
play the Star Spangled Banner
because it is not a classic, he made
the mistake of his life. The Star
Spangled Banner expressing the
soul of democracy, transcends any
music written by whatever COM
poser, dead or alive"
This was the electric, galvanizing
message brought to Harrisburg last
night by John c. Freund, a big man
of big vision, who called out sup
pressed emotions from a representa-
tive Harrisburg audience at the
Civic Club. 1t may be said that
Harrisburg hugged DR.. Freund to its
bosom like a mother welcoming her
long-lost child. He had the punch.
He woke up everybody to the neces-
sity of finding his voice. He linked
good singing with patriotism and
| the brief pointed speeches of a
dozen men and women of Harrisburg
all touched on this feature. If he
had his way the people of Harris
burg would assemble in our beauti-
full parks and bay Justify even if not
scientifically in the winds that sweep
down from the mountains. He
can see the day when this gay
metropolis will have symphony
orchestra of its own, and when the
poor folk herded in the alleys will
come out and let loose their emo
tions in wholesome fashion.
A Quick Response
No new activity ever introduced
in this community had such quick
response as this, Community Sing
ing. 1t had the Liberty Loan, even,
standing STILL Whisked from the
station, Pioneer Freund, who in
some ways suggests Ben Franklin
with a dash of General Pershing,
was dined at the Senate by members
of the local committee and later
guided into the harmonious sane
tum of the Civic Club, where the
tables were decorated with sheaves
of hyacinth and pink-topped can
dies, flowers and green's. 1t was a
curious, inquisitive, buoyant crowd
of citizens, many of whom have long
been looking for Moses in the Mu-
sic Desert. Harrisburg, by all
tokens, is a music-loving city; eager
to respond If shown the way.
The welcoming reception to the
man who knows was delightfully."- in
! formal. Music is going to help us
some way or other. seemed to be the
sentiment, and DR.. j. George Becht,
executive secretary of the State
Board OF Education, who presided,
made fine start by narrating that
| he was some musician himself. He
had three lessons on the old organ
| at the age of eight and seven les
sons in vocal singing, costing his
| parents the sum of S1.50. Chairman
Becht fell to meditating about a
] NNaA rsTrI.f al nRV h hn
had a wizard Tyre, but he got sort of
mixed up in the spelling of that
word and called on DR.. Charles F.
Hoban, superintendent of schools at
Dunmore, Pa, to help him out. You
may never have known there was n
! town named Dunmore, but 1t is time
that you awake. Dunmore's Welsh
| singers are so famous that an Eng
| lish touring party some years ago
returned to home cline and reported
that the only real music they heard
| in America was at Dunmore. And
this place was stirred by DR.. Freund
| originally. DR.. Hoban brought
! touching and inspiring messages
from Dunmore. Here's one: Most
momentous event ever took place
in the Lackawanna Valley was DR..
! Freunds visit" Some testimony,
that.
Music i'm Camps
The idea of this uncommon well
come TO stranger in Harrisburg
was to get comment from all strata
of local life and activity. 1t was
quite fitting, therefore, that the press
should be called on for response in
the person of L. ]. Stackpole. The
guest of the evening. himself, APP
peared to take no little pride in call.
ing himself a newspaper man, fol
Dr. Freund is editor of Musical
America and a trained Journalist
Mr.. Stackpole whisked the subject tc
Army camps and told of the effect
produced by thousands of young
brave American soldiers chorusins
that military and religious Tilt OF
Coward Christian Soldiers" ut mill
itary camps where he recently Wis
tied.
Richard NJ. Ha Wharton, repre-
senting the News and Patriot
pledged the influence and enthu
siasm of the Harrisburg press as
unit for this worthy cause, and DR.
f. e. Downes. superintendent o
schools, called up the story OF Dun
more as an example for HARRISBURG
and it's schools.
/ The Philippine campaign suggest
| ed several two-minute stories bear
ing on the valuc and pleasure o
music to Captain Lumb, of the Ro
tary Club. He told a vivid story o
American troops marching to mast.
: attack, with everything depressinl
until the boys suddenly started tina
same inspiring hymn "Onwart
: Christian Soldiers" wherewith th'
expedition went through in a jiffy.
u Bishop Darlington was inclined Z
, I'm lgn Iou rnt
! view of the introduction of com
munity singing into Harrisburg. !"
believe Mr.. Freund looks upon it il
this way" he said and upon conclu
sion he called for a standing toas
to Mr.. Freund, himself. This was, in
deed. hearty.
when l see the whole city out II