Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-03-23
MRS. STANLEY AODlCkS
On POPULAR Music

vi TOpuldT
THE influence popular music has on man
i ners and morals is discussed by Mrs.
Stanley AddickS. musician of ability and
one of Philadelphia most ardent lovers OF
music in its highest manifestations.
There is quite a discussion going on in
the women'S clubs about the music our young
people buy" Mrs. Addicks said.
They speak of music IA being good or
bad in the sense of ethical values; as if it
had the power TO express definite ideas OF
evil or show us the way of salvation and
teach us tho amenities of polite society.
And finally American parents are besought
to waken TO their responsibilities and teach
their children how to be refined and cultured.
Without the use of words. music cannot
express an evil thought: without the contor-
tiOnS of the body, music cannot portray an
Objectionable dance II is the glory and
limitation of this particular art that the
emotion it evOkes, though to many OF MS the
prOfOundest expression of our souls, Is in
capable Of definition and has no concrete
significance.
'It may be-. none the less, the most real
thing about us
'Music cannot draw with the certainty OF
paint or speak of the veritleS in the grandeur
of verse il cannot house the poor or build
temples of worship; il cannot thunder the
judgments of outraged humanity against
vain and frivolous world.
1T may, perhaps. do more than this: II
may touch powers in US that are the very
fount Of our highest thinking the eternal
symbol of what we feel in our little jour
neys into the infinite where words or sight
cannot follow. Now what is the matter
with popular music: Mrs. Oberndorfer the
chairman of music of the General Federation
of Womcns Clubs. says:
WHEN one knows that in one of Chi
rago'S biggest and best high schools the stu
dents bought 20OO popular songs in one
-seek and that the committee Of students
appointed by the school found only forty
which it considered fit for boys and girls
10 sing together, don't YOU think that some
thing should be done to wakPn American
parents TO their responsibilities
And she adds:
" In the Middle West, where ! had been
giving talks in which | attacked the evil
popular songs ! said to the manager of
music shop that / hoped had not hurt her
business She replied: "lf ! could help
you in this campaign | would give un every
thing in rhr world She iold me that -
per cent Of the pupils bought trash and
blushod when they asked for it,
"Now It seems incredible to me that there
are 1860 bad popular songs in the world.
| went to the largest music publishing house
in our city and unblushingy asked for the
very worst songs they had for sale. and they
gave me three that they considered not very
nice. The rest were songs from the musical
comedies that were popular last year and
those that were new this season.
II found them very charming. talented
and with considerable harmonic inventive
ness. Such comedies as % Boy Leave II
to Jane % Look Mary and Irene
consider superior to anything Sullivan evw
wrote with the exception of The Mikado.
THE music is meodous and the words
reflect the thoughts and ideas of the young
boys and girls in Il manner they understand
and like.
Trash Bought in All the Arts
AS to the pupils buying trash. most peo-
pie buy trash in all the arts that is, if we
pieces. And that is as true of one generation
AS another.
THE reason is that culture is a far more
difficult thing to attain than We suppose, and
taste is II matter of opinion.
That some popular songs are vulgar
admit, but they are not specially harmful.
because vulgarty II not immortality and re-
over the splendid qualities YOU discovered in
some coarse soul and how very unpleasant
your refined friend could bcg There is an
element in human nature that we call char
acter, and it is not dependent on any exter-
nal thing we know,
What do we mean by vulgarity? Is il
the way a man eats or woman laughs?
IL il the grimy figure of the miner going
down 10 rescue his buddy from DEATH Is
it the woman Of thirty who makes wicked
lightnings of her eyes? Or the blase man
of forty who grasDs at youth to despoil it Of
its flower?
Perhaps 1t is the young boys Of forty or
fifty and the old men of eighteen or twenty {?
None of these, you say. l know: IL is
that boy and girl who, cheek TO cheek. in
the delicious glamour Of youth and strange
bodies around in unreseryed delight, TO the
y boom and. tbuuln Of the iazz baudi while o,,.,