The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-18
Music Supervisors Duty
 To American Composer.

J an important part of public school education. It is so in Bir- mingham and in certain other south ern cities, but the complaint is heard ] in northern cities of the larger class that too little attention is given to American composers.
 1 o. E. Robinson of Chicago has con- tributed an informing and animating 1paper to the Musician, which is re- printed in the Chicago Music News. It should have wide reading, for all the authors points are we'll taken. Mr. Robinson begins his article by quoting from Harlow Gales article on Musical Education. MT. Gale takes the view that musicians do not know music as the English teacher knows English literature" This con dition, he says, is due to the teachers having learned an instrument rather than the literature of music. Sing CTS and teachers of singing, of all musicians, he continues, get and give the least esthetic values.
 l MT. Robertson does not attempt to dispute Gales assertions. There may lbe, he says, more truth in them than most musicians are willing to admit. But that is not the question he wishes to discuss. It is evident, he remarks, lthat Gales entire line of thought is 3based on the premise that the music of the German composers constitute practically all the musical literature of the world. The only American Gale refers to is Mcdowell and he lis mentioned only casually. "This, " says Robinson, lis not as it should lDe, anu Ilc IS IiSHt.
 America may have been somewhat slow in coming into its own musically, Ibut it has arrived" and every child should be made familiar with the names of American composers. MT. Robinson says:
 The lack of knowledge on the part
 of the average high school pupil con-
 corning the big musical events of this l country is rather appalling, to say
 nothing of the pupils in the grammar
 grades. The majority of our high
 school pupils have never heard of Mcdowell, John K. Paine Horatio
 w. Parker or George w. Chadwick | It is true that the patrons of the ! symphony concerts have an opportuni l ty from time to time to hear works I by American composers, but the vast
 majority of high school pupils do not
 attend these concerts. The supervisors of school music are in a better posi-
 ton to reach the masses of young
 people than persons engaged in almost
 any other field of musical activity.
 It is urged that the fact be i'm. pressed upon boys and girls oi Americas place in the musical world We have many composers who have written good music and who will write a great deal more. By the way MT. Robinson fails to mention John Powell, born and educated in Vir. ginia. He has already written sev- eral works of permanent value, and being yet a young man, he gives promise of large achievement.
 One of the former Kaisers motor cars in Holland was daubed with mud to hide its identity. That isn't circumstance compared to what has been done to the Hohenzollern name.
 There is note of defiance in many o1 Fritz Ebert's utterances. It should bs  borne in mind that while the new Ger. man chancellor is a socialist. he is also a Prussian
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 A great many persons are now clanior. ing to go to Europe who stoutly claimed exemption when they had a chance tc make the trip at Uncle Sans expense. Genera, Foe, is rspidiv X H .ecumu,.t,r, new decorations. He may find it i'm possible to wear all of his medals just to obiige an insistent photographer.
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 At last we are permitted to know what Great Britain's submarines did to tho Germans. It was an ample sufficiency.