Omaha daily bee., 1919-10-05
By HENRIETTA M. REEFS.

Fl ~~s - - . - sSAs ANA~ASs
I'VE HEAR great deal abou
wv democracy in music thes,
days. There are some wht
who talk about the democratizine OF
good music, there are others who ask
what one thinks about "jazz," and if
one does not consider it in the same
class with the work of Chopin, he is
not considered democratic. If good
{ musician does not recognize poor
musician as being an artistics equal
he is not considered democratic, and
so it goes, until one wonders what
democracy really is, when applied
to music.
According to the dictionary, de-
mocracy is political and social equal
ity in general, state of society in
which no hereditary differences of
rank or privilege are recognized, but
II does not say that there are not diff
ferences of rank or privilege In a
democracy. however, as l. have al
ways understood it. merit is a fac
tor. The newsboy, for instance, may
become great captain Of industry,
or great musician or an inventor,
or even president of the United
States, and attain all the correspond
ing privileges, regardless of BIRTH
But the newsboy, to become great
captain of industry must know how
to increase his resources, how to
deal, with men, and he must have
persistency, over and above that of
the other worker, or he will not
achieve high place in his line To
be a great inventor, he must study,
and work things out He must have
ideas, and then have the persistency
to develop them. more remarkably
than the others in the same line. To
be great musician. he must learn
all about the science of sounds. the
technic of expressing them. and he
must know the most artistic way
of doing so. To be president of
the United States, well, that is too
much for this discussion.
unsteady every pupil who takes
music lessons has the same oppor-
tunites Of learning something about
the art. He has the same oppor-
tunity in the first place of choos-
ing a good music teacher. II. he
chooses one who merely looks fero-
cious. or who talks in generalities,
and does not clearly explain the
points Of the lesson, or does not
insist that these points be learned
and understood and other points
taken up, according as the pupil can,
he is not compelled to stay with
that teacher. 1t was his choice to
study with him, and when he finds
that he is not learning as much as
he is able and he recognizes that it
is not because he does not apply
himself. he is free to try elsewhere.
He is free to find his own. to work
out his own salvation.
Granted that all pupils are in the
beginning free and equal" as far
as their musical knowledge is con-
cerned, the vital point is that they
do not stay that way. Certain ones
have natural aptitude, persistency |
and a sensitivcness which makes
them respond much more quickly
than certain other ones, and then
no longer are they free and equal.
The poor ones, who do not think
or study. or who, even if they do
think and study, are for some char
acteristic reason, not able to see the
points which are perfectly plain to
the better ones, these are not even
free, for as long as they continue
in music, these points, like sins, will
find them out, and hound them and
torment them, and defeat them
their whole musical ex-
perience.
But many Of them do not see any
difference. They feel that this is a |
free country, therefore, just as they
are as qualified to be president of
the United States. as any one else
lacking only til money to run
campaign, so they are just as quali-
fled to be musicians. Preparation,
talent, ability, and resultant person
atty, pooh, they are all right if one
happens to have them, but not at all
necessary. Perhaps they are a
handicap, especially if one aspires
to wealth as a popular composer
They are free, just in the same sense
as the woman was free from the
laws Of grammar, who said, IF II