The evening world., 1922-04-10
Otto Kahn's Suggestion to
Convert Crooks by Sooth-
ing Melodies Approved and
Derided-Bari Says Music
Has Failed to Affect Impre-
sarios or Their Agents
Others Favor 1t.

Can New York's crooks be con-
verted by music?
Would sweet melodies stop the
crime wave from waving?
Would an orchestral conductor con-
troll the gunmen better than Police
Commissioner Enright and q Civic
Music Centre do more than Police
Headquarters to suppress homicdes
These questions are directly sug-
gested by n little dialogue held re-
Gently between Mayor Hylan himself
and Otto II. Kahn, financier, philan-
thropist and Chairman of the Board
of Directors of the Metropolitan Com
pany. Mr.. Kahn was delivering an
address at the City Hall in favor of
temple of art and musical educa-
ton in this city and said: "Some of
the recklessness, restlessncss and in
deed some of the crime Of the day
springs from a desire to give impulse
to this emotion of the soul. The soul
is always trying to get away from the
WEAKNESS Of daily tasks"
do you think that music might
| deter people from committing crime?''
| asked the Mayor. Mr.. Kahn replied
| that music would provide an outlet
for destructive forces. So there you
are.
Mr.. Kahn opinions on matters
musical are to be respected 1t was
Mr.. Kahn who brought the dis
| tinguished orchestra OF the Paris
| Conservatory to this country. as well
as the famed Diaghileff Ballet Russo.
But as TO how much thought or
| study he has given to the subject
| of the connection between music and
crime no one knows. 1t would GER
tainly be interesting to see what eff
| feet a performance of "The Love of
Three Oranges" or "Snegourotchka"
would have upon a man contemplat-
| ing a bank robbery, but Mr.. Kahn
has never entertained any hardened
| criminal in his box at the opera for
purposes 0f observation.
/
know a thing or two about music
themselves and probably from Yer"
different angle from that of Mr..
| Kahn.
| Said pretty Seonrita Bori with a
typical Spanish shrug, running her
hand the mean while through her
typical American bobbed hair. Mon
Dieu! You are not jesting? Why,
if music would have an uplifting in
fluenCe, then the people who are en-
gagged in the business of music ought
to be the most honorable people in
the world. But they aren't. There
are very few Of them who won't
Skin the life out of YOU If they can,
and | am very glad that l have a
brother VINO protects my interests for
me. Everybody who knows will tell
you that there is more honor among
thieves than among musical agents
So you can judge for yourselves"
Orville Harold. the statuesqut
tenor, admits that he hasn't as much
faith in human nature a. has Mr.
Kahn. He comments: "Y " can just
bet II l heard a burglar in my home
the first thing I'd do would be to give
, him a taste of my famous upper cut
After that | might try the Celeste
Aida on him, but I'd want to lie sure
of the upper cut first"
Jeanne Gordon, tn : handsome Amer.
lean girl who caused such "A sensation
at her debut last year, believes thai
Mr.. Kahn may be right Il have seer
men who looked as Tough they wer,
incapable OF any fine feeling weeI
when ! sang Dvorak's Songs NJ!
Mother Sang to Me- she said. "Now
. il does seem logical to me that If sucl
a man, at the tine ne was about t
commit a crime, were to hear such {
song it might bring back memorie
: that would keep him from going fur
ther. But" she added with a laugh
I "how are you going to get the song t,
o him at the critical moment"
e Mario Chamlee, tie rising younl
Z American tenor, was bit upset owe
the new idea. said lie: This throw
d new responsibility on the artist
r which is a bit dsconcertng. Here
e tofore, when we made up our corccr
y programme, our idea was to compos
q one that would be artistic, varied
g well balanced and IN musical goo
|. taste, but under the new order G