The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-13
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

nificance, but since met Mrs. Frances E. Clark I know personally that it is true. l I had a friend once who had a kes2 sense of humor and finding him at . great conference and on account of his prominence as a speaker, 1 inquired on what subject he was to speak, when he l laughingly said, T am not down on the programme, I'm simply here to help create a proper atmosphere.
 Well, that's the way I feel when l am present at musical meeting, or in attendance upon concert or opera, am just small unit filling space in order to give the musicians chance to have an audience. I pretend to know about Men, Women and Things, but if the things stands for music l am merely camouflaging, for I am absolutely igno- rant of even the elementary points.
 And yet, in spite of this confession, make bold to say that in my life I have gotten much joy out of music. It's true that it has been without anything like a | just appreciation, but I have sat through most of the popular comic operas and kept awake even at grand opera, and re- ! mained from start to finish at concerts, where only classic pieces were permit ted to be performed, and for this reason make my plea to be heard.
 But back o~Phillips Brooks and Mrs Frances E. Clark, for the great preacher iE lis discriminating plea that some peo- pie affected him like music gives me the opportunity to chime in with fervent amen! It is truly an inarticulate influ- ence It is incapable of analysis, and it does not communicate ideas, but it does create moods; but unless you met and heard the distinguished musical authority who was recently in our city, I am sure that I will be unable to set out her charm.
 l And she certainly occupies a position of power and influence in the great music ] clubs of America. I could enumerate long list of the positions she holds, but somehow there are people whom offices and titles are unnecessary, for in their manner and speech they convey the idea | of being the real thing. Such person | is Mrs. Clark, for she simply radiates I personality, and needs no fictitious aids to win the hearts of her hearers.
 l Every now and then we come in con- ! tact with some woman who stands out in class by herself. Mrs. Mathis is the in | carnation of the great farm women of our land Frances E. Willard was the embodiment of the temperance cause. Susan B. Anthony represented centuries of the struggle of women for suffrage. Dr. Anna Shaw typifed the power of pioneer woman to compete in the pro- fessions with men. SchumannHe calls to mind the great artists in grand opera. And so Mrs. Frances E. Clark stands for the best there is in the musi- cal world in Amer&a.
 1 People ask you to give an account of such peoples power over you, and you cannot Having come under their influ- ence you tell your story of the magic spell they wrought on you, and the dis tener with yawn asks, "Is that all?" And wonders if you have been hypno- 1 tized, or are getting the least bit child l ish. All that you can do is to try and bring them in touch with those who have influenced, and in this way make them converts. I'll let Phillip Brooks come to my aid, for he says: All influence of man over man, however rich it may be in the imparting of ideas and the awak- ening of the moral sense seems to be in- complete unless there is in it something of this musical power of creating moods. |"
 
 I believe that those who heard Mrs. Clark at the two banquets at the Tut wler and at the luncheon in her honor, given at the Southern Club will bear me out that she has the gift in a rare de- gree of being able to create moods If lrot. then she would never have been able Ito give me genuine interest in the work which is so dear to her, that of seeing to it that the children of America in the lpublic and private schools shall have a chance to be educated in music.
 A man can only speak out of his own experience, but it was a source of won derment to me that on entering the pub lie schools of St. Louis in 1881, that the children were taught to sing, and music was part of the prescribed course. Not being musical I shrked the periods de- voted 10 it. I cite this to show that too great latitude is given to boys and girls in their choice of studies. No one cared whether I cultivated my voice or not, and so I let a great opportunity go by. In later years. during my pastorate. l was often embarrassed at prayer meet
 ngs because I could not raise a hymn.
 I'll admit it was with a certain degree of perfunctoriness that I accepted an in- vitation to attend the Talking Machine Company's banquet to the visiting mem-
 bers of the Southern Victor Dealers As
 sociation at the Tutwiler some nights back? But when Mrs. Clark arose and began in her address to outline the edu- cational task intrusted to her in the
 schools of America was all attention,
 for I knew that she was engaged in a
 great work which would prove a bless
 ing to millions of children by training
 their voices and educating their ears
 not only to know the patriotic airs. the
 folk songs, the religious hymns, but the
 worlds classics.