The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-20
MOVIES TELL HISTORY
OF FAMOUS CHORUS
Show Far-Reaching Influence Of
League Island Sings Under Albert
n. Hoxie.

With a record crowd In attendance
and great burst OF enthusiasm, the
widely famed League Island Navy
Yard sings came to an end few
days ago with the Official termination
OF Song Director Albert n. Hoxie's
work under the commission on train
ing camp activities. The occasion
marked the end of the great choruse's
second eventful year and took the
form of an ovation to Hoxie. who is
one of the outstanding figures In the
mass singing movement that has
spread so rapidly through the coun-
try. So many good results are treace-
able to the navy yard sings in Phila-
delphia and so far-reaching has been
their influence outside that they will
probably be continued under other
than war department auspices.
About 350.ooo mon In the service
and workers in the shipyard have
participated in the sings. This, how
ever, represents but a small fraction
of those who have come under Hox-
les leadership. az 1t does not include
tn, thousands OF visitors and rela-
tives who have come TO League Island
every evening for the past twenty
four months. Nor does II include the
vast number of Philadelphians who
come TO sing under Hoxie in Hunt
ing park or anywhere else he may
take up his stand He has led alto
gether nearly 1000 sings in stores,
factories, clubs. schools. parks and
at the navy yard in a little more than
two years. has reached some 100000
people, and is perhaps the most popu-
lar man in the Quaker City.
An offspring OF the navy yard
chorus. also under the leadership OF
Hoxie. In the Liberty chorus Of 1000
picked voices. which has received
such thorough training that II has
given public performances Of Tho
Holy city" 'Stabat Mater" and other
oratorios, beside knowing by memory
IT'S songs.
Among the other musical move
ments In Philadelphia whose inspira-
tion II not origin has been the League
Island chorus. are the Block sings,
sixteen or twenty OF which are some
times held on single evening in the
city's streets: Elee clubs and chorusas
in a number OF the leading mercantile
and industrial plants; and Christmas
Caroling from door To door when the
Yuietide season comes around
A moving picture history OF all
these activities was given as fea-
ture Of the navy yard celebration.
This exhibit is now travelling through
the country.
Song books containing the selec-
tons dear to the heart of the League
Island chorus have hecn given as per
soral gifts from Hoxie to all the serv-
ice men he has led, and these little
echoes from home have travelled in
their pockets ali over the world Five
thousand OF the book lets have recent
ly gone to Siberia. Sunday news
psperS in A number OF cities have also
issued reprints Of them to their read
ers as supplements. and In this way
alone over 100000 copies have been
distributed. Other newspapers arc
n aiming similar action. so that half
the families in the country may soon
possess copies.
These are some OF the ways In
which the influence of the League
Island chorus has spread and been a
factor In developing that community
singing which has become so typically
American an institution and so frn~
portant an element In civic life.
Probably the boys themselves who
have been trained in the chorus are
the best missionaries OF It's ideals a.
they return to their homes, They
have seen what 1t did for them while
they were In uniform and they want
these benefits TO reach the home
folks, too. rs It any wonder that our
country Is fast becoming the singing
nation Walt Whitman dreamed OF?
The frst recorded move toward pro-
hibition was an act by the English
parliament in 1859. limiting sale 81
liquor to certain places, The first pro-
hibiticn propa ganda In the United
states appeared In 1902 in hook pubs