The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-20

i Professor Leo Rich Lewis. Tufts
college. Medford, Mass. in the Chris
tian Science Monitor: 'Shoo, fly;
don't bother mel" is what many
musicians would like to reply to the
/ question: What do yeu propose to
do as to the study and performance
! Of German music2" Perhaps, indeed.
some musicians think that a shoo-fly
remark viii be sufficiently strong
ar1nor against all attacks, logical and
illogical, gaseous and solid
But let them not be too sure OF
anything. For instance, no one in
the United States would have sus-
pected year ago that cities. and
even whole states, would Danish Ger
man from all curricula of study in
their public school systems. One
would have supposed at least that
there would be some discrimination
on the basis OF the individual utter
ances or opinions Of the authors
But no; even Schiller and Goethe.
both Of whom show positive utter
ances against the ancestors OF Prus-
sianism, have been gathered along
with the rest into the avenging and
scavenging scoop.
| Every week adds defniteness to the
intention of the United States to
make an absolutely thorough job Of
| this war, and we doubt not that every
musician will grow stronger in his
support Of that intention. But he
| must not suppose that the search
lights which are playing over our
entire civic organism will fail to rest,
sooner or later, ON music. Then
along will come some one who will
say: What are you going to do about
German music?" And that some one
viii have to be answered. The fly
will decline to be shooed.
Again, the queStioner Is quite likely
to be a person who has little mu-
steal knowledge and no musical per-
spective. The best answer, then,
would seem to be: 1--WE have done
something about it already"
The problem is large, and obviously
organization Is essential to solution
of 1t. At present there exist local.
state and national associations of
music teachers, national and sec
tional conferences Of music super
visors, various smaller but notice
able associations and fraternities,
and the Musical Alliance of the
United States. OF all these. only the
last seems adapted to prompt action
unite all interested in music and in
musical industries for CERTAIN specific
aims" With membership such as
might easily be attainable. it would
have money enough to f.Aance big
propaganda 1t is pledged, eighthly.
ito urge that g. department of fine
arts be established in the national
government and a secretary of fine
arts be a member of the cabinet"
The first thing which musicians
might hereafter be glad to count
among things already done, is to join
the Musical Alliance and to urge its
officers to move with the utmost ex-
petition toward the realization of Its
pledge number eight. A secretary OF
| fine arts and his assistant secretary
| Of music will provide a definite Off
cial center of influence and activity.
And American musicians absolutely
| need such a center at the earliest
possible moment to collect, classify
and adjudicate demands and pro-
tests.
| At best-which today means at
quickest-that will take time But a
beginning needs to be made at once.
Professional men, widely dis
tributed, can act only through loosely
chosen representatives Business men
can, If they will, organize promptly
and choose specific agents. 1t would
seem to be incumbent on the larger
publishing houses to organize ma
tionally; or, if they are already so
organized, to choose committee to
outline plan for making the United
States far more self-sufficient than
at present as to publicational activi-
ties BY federation of effort as to
- -;,I orIyc np
various epochs and nations Ameri-
cans might at last be freed from the
generation-old humiliation of having
| to take a German edition of standard
masterpieces when seeking an edi-
ton that Is both cheap and reliable.
Twenty years of federated, non
competitive attention to the issue of
] standard works would give them a
comprehensive national equipment:
and even one year of concentrated
activity, with close cooperation, with
merging of business activity wniCii-
war experiences ought to make in
| finitely easier than hitherto, with a
pooling Of already published product
| in the international non-copyright
field, with publicity which could
easily become nation-wide-even one
year of such activity would show an
| SIOup vi "olnS wAi@A
have been long since in the public
/ domain.
| And this activity need not be mere
| ly duplicative of past Teutonic effort,
! as so much OF our previous activity
| has been. The result need not be
merely a product which, by superior
craftsmanship or by working racial
animosities, can be exploited in this
or that section of the country. An
American international edition, pub
ilished comparatively by twenty pub
fishing houses in the United States.
could embody In its issues liberal
supply OF older masterpieces Of Eng
! lish, French, italian and other origin,
which have found small or no recog-
milton in German editions; and it
could mercilessly cut out the Teuton-
ization of non-German works which
has been natural and not unsuc
cessful procedure of kulture propa
ganda.