The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1919-09-08
MUSIC IN SCHOOLS
IS DEFENDED BY
Superintendent
Prof. w. J. .Capllnger Defends Music
In the Public Schools and Gives
History of This Study Here.

Owing to the resignation or Prof. j.,
w. Young and the election of Mrs.
Reese, formerly Miss Hanselman, the
question Of music and music super
visors has been discussed somewhat
both by the public and press and as 1t
Is usual, one hears a number of ru-
mors that are either groundless or
very nearly So we feel that 1t Is adj
visable to state the attitude Of the
schools clearly before the people.
Some of these rumors have 1t, that we
admit that music Is a failure in the
schools, that music should not be
taught in the schools, ETC., etc. To
avoid any extravagant praise we wish
to say frankly that we have had some
music supervisors who are more sue
cessful than others, with equal candor
we shall have to admit that the same
Is true with Third Grade teachers,
Chemistry teachers, and school super
intendents, however, we are not will
ing to admit in any sense Of the word
that music has been a failure in the
schools of Maysville, neither do we
think that music should be dropped
from the curriculum of the schools.
Some Of us are not as much interested
in music as others, some of us are
not as much interested in some kinds
of music as others, however, we should
have sufficient breadth to recognize
the fact that hundreds of people are
not only very fond Of music, but that
music is absolutely necessary in the
national life of any country. We doubt
If these great United States could pos
sibly exist as a government for ten
years If music was banished from our
midst.
John Ruskin has said, that, Every
one should listen to good music sever
al minutes every day."
One of our Cincinnati papers in an
editorial says:
Music is language. Through it
we express and receive thoughts
which cannot be resolved into words
AS the world advances the trend is to-
ward refining influences. Music ranks
topmost among the thing that uplift
and eXalt. 1t reaches within and fet-
ches forward the gentility and nobil-
ity all of us know is there. An even
ing of good music is like having some
one read a good book to you. 1t de-
velops the creative part of your mind,
you translate sounds into thoughts,
you are inspired Your imagination
takes bit in teeth and runs off with you
into a fantasy of dreams that leave
their benefits in new formed views on
the little every day things of life"
Since music is an universal lang
uage ennobling and uplifting, it has
been the problem of the ages to bring
it within the possession of the great
mass of people. This has been solved
by the cities of the world through free
instruction in public school vocal mu-
sic. The cost of Instrumental music
instruction has always been met by
the payment of private tuition or spe-
cial music fees. This custom has arisen
no doubt, because of the fact that the
creator has supplied us with the in
strument, "vox humana", for vocal
music and philanthropic man cooper
ating with the Divine plan has sup
piled free instruction, to rich and
poor alike, on the contrary however,
with instrumental music the great
mass of poor people cannot afford to
buy the instruments and those who
can, have found means some way of
paying for the instruction.
We have been maintaining, in this
city, instruction in music for a CEN
fury or more, but in 1911 instruction
in vocal music was put in the schools
of this city as the city's free gift in
this ennobling and uplifting propa-
ganda to every child that comes with
in the walls of our schools. Ask peo-
pie who like music, who know music,
who trained choirs, and last, who are
cultured people whether or not this
instruction has been In vain. We some
times imagine because we cannot mea-
sure music in terms of dollars and
cents, that we are not getting results.
We state positively that there are none
of the best things of life that can be
measured by that standard. That is
the trouble with the l. w W. the Reds.
the Bolshevisists today.
AS to the relative merits of our var
ious music supervisors, we do not care
to make even a comparison, but we
do wish to state that Prof ]. w. Young
has been very successful in the In
struction of the Boys Band for the
short time we have known him. We
further wish to state, that Miss Han
selman for five years made most eff
hcient supervisor of these schools, Not
only did she do the work so success
full Tat our own people appreciated
the results OF her teaching but when
II is recalled to your minds, you must
remember that In our contest at the
State University, Maysville High
School ranked first In music over all
OF the other Hlgh Schools In the State