The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-12
M E N, w O M E N
 A ND T HIN G $

am outclassed when it comes to treat ing music from the standpoint of art, pu' think I can safely claim that when It comes to it's monetary worth to a com munity that the fact is easily established. It has made good in trade.
 Granted that it is putting one of the arts on low level to surround it with the atmosphere of cohnmercialism, but i'll this land of ours where there are no kingly subsidies for the fine arts, it fre- quently happens that before city can advance in musical way it has to get men and women of means to stand be- hind the artists.
 am glad that in many of the large cities in America that pubIic-spirited cti- zens have made it possible to have the best in grand opera and in symphony or chestras. I know of nothing which will tell the outside world more forcibly that we are reaching out for the best in all lines than for it to be herald ed abroad that the Birmingham Orches- tra association is going to function.
 It is a matter of local pride that here in this new city of ours from year to year the circle of musicians grows larger and the status of the artists becomes bet ter. I mean by the latter that the great est of them can feel that there is growing public which will understand and appreciate their best efforts. It's necessary to have both financial and so- cial backing in order to win the larger public.
 advancement which may come either
 through the efforts, of the city fathers
 or by the aid of public-spirited private
 citizens. It takes both municipal as well as individual support to put over
 worth while musical programme for city the size of Birmingham. Many peo- pie gauge a city's culture by the way in which music is treated within it's borders. Let's see to it that our home town shall stand the acid test
 dIH SSiZlHS tue dppcfrdHCc Ol lHc NAhi- neapols Symphony orchestra at the Jeff ferson theatre this afternoon and even- ing to try and drive home the value of such an organization to Birmingham It has been fully tried out and more than made good in its home town, as it is now entering upon it's eighteenth season. daresay that when it came into being only a few of the visionaries had any idea that fone day it was to take rank as one of, if not the greatest of it's kind in America.
 During all this time it has had but one conductor, Emil Oberhoffer, known as the Poet Conductor" and acknowledged by the leading musical critics as one of the foremost musical directors in all the land. It has grown under his artistic and energetic leadership from rather small be eginning to an acknowledged place among the great musical organizations in the United States. It is for this reason that it's performances here have been so eagerly awaited by a large circle of music lovers.
 Emil Oberhoffer occupies unique po-
 sition in the musical world today, for
 he alone of the master conductors can feel while directing that his musical baby has grown under his watchful care from
 pulling infant into a lusty youth. It's a remarkable fact that the genius of one man has been able to weld lot of tenn
 peramental artists into one of the truly great symphonic bodies of the entire world. Without question he is one of the strongest personalities at the head of a great orchestra in America.
 MT. Oberhoffer has, under his baton, a body of players which includes many artists of the highest rank, and the per- sonnel of the orchestra throughout, man for man. will bear comparison with that 1 of any other orchestra before the public. Practically all the members of tho Min neapolis orchestra have been brought
 from the leading musical centers of this of the orchestra. like that of the other important orchestras in the United States, is extremely international
 in the personality of it's musicians, and while originally they came from all parts of the world, condition of their
 acceptance in the organization is that
 they be naturalized American citizens. l But unconsciously I have been led to try and appreciate the art side of the Minneapolis Symphony orchestra when l
 set out to emphasize it's commercial value | to it's home town. That Minneapolis is fully awake to this and the orchestra 2 worth to the community is shown by the
 size of the guarantee fund annually sub
 scribed by the citizens of that progress sive city, the amount having grown from
 $1o0oo. when the orchestra was organized | 17 years ago, to $&.ooo at the present
 time. Of this amount the guarantors ars
 called upon to pay from @ to 90 per cent
 annually. and the fact that the guaran-
 tee list shows no changes during the lass
 IT years, except in it's increase of the number of names. proves that its sup
 porters consider the investment paying
 one. The individual guarantees vary
 from 50 to slooo and carry no privileges,
 such as free tickets, each guarantcr pay ling for his season tickets to the regular
 series of concerts the same as other sub
 scribers
 This organization. which is supported by a, guarantee fund subscribed by the people of Minneapolis has an annual