Evening star., 1925-04-09
THE NORTH WINDOW
BY LEILA MECHLIN.

cure an endowment Tot lts music
department and 1T should be success
full. Not only Is this music depart
ment invaluable as an asset to Bryn
Mawr, but a shining example TO other
colleges At a musical given in the
interest of this enterprise at a pri-
vate home in this city a fortnight
ago to an invited audience, the story
OF the founding, of this famous
woman's college was interestingly
told by an alumna. Bryn Mawr was
originally Quaker college; the
money for its founding was given by
young man Of that sect who iost
his sweetheart by acquiring col
lege education elsewhere, she being
left behind In the woods of ignorance
A great deal of water has run under
the bridge since then or there Woulo
be no music department for Whlcn 70
seek an endowment. Music nhe
painting, sculpture and the otner
beautiful arts, was in those now dls-
tant days, strangely enough, regarded
as an instrument Of the evil one, as
If the Creator Himself had not made
the world beautiful and seen 1t good.
had not given song to the plros anu
rejoiced in harmony.
When the time came that Bryn
Mawr determined to establish a de-
partment OF music 1t turned to dar-
ward for advice, because Of what had
been accomplished musically at Har-
ward among the students In recent
years. This was well. AS Miss Parks,
the president Of Bryn Mawr ex-
planned at the musical to which ret-
erence has already been made, Bryn
Mawr does not attempt to train the
virtuoso. 1t does attempt, ana
measurably succeeds, in making music
a part Of the life Of its students. u
provides recreation OF the best SORT II
broadens vision; it enriches those
who come within its influence; IL Is a
real beneficence which should be per
petuated. But why stop there
Having done so much. why should
not Bryn Mawr establish and main
tain a department OF art which would
be equally exemplary and no less
valuable? Harvard has already set
the pace" by not only establishing,
but endowing its department or art
and securing for II ample equipm ment,
under the conviction. as President
Lowell said recently, that art is more
and more at the present time oecom-
ing an integral part Of life, an es-
sential. When asked why Bryn Mawr
did not have a department or art
similar to it's department OF music,
Miss Parks said: I'VE have, we thlnk
an excellent history of art course
But would Bryn Mawr be willing now
to substitute for its department OF
music an excellent course in the his
tory Of music? And yet music is far
less related to life than art. 1t Is
not dead art that our college stu
dents should learn to know, but art
which is alive-art taught in the
same manner, not with the purpose
Of producing great artists but an
appreciative public. as the music at
Bryn Mawr is taught by Mr.. Alwyne.
X X y
Ct,riously enough, almost all of our
colleges lag behind In this respect.
Many have history Of art courses
good courses; some give technical
instruction, which is less signincant
except inasmuch as It introduces
the student to the artists way Of
working; a few, but a very few, are
instructing IN the appreciation or art,
yet even they, save In one or two in
stances, do not regard the subject
seriously or recognize its possibili-
ties.
The object of education IS avowedly
equipment for life, which does not
mean earning capacity, money-mak-
ing power, but something finer and
better-the power to give abundantly
in service and to secure the maxi
|
knowledge and appreciation of art
opens new avenues of untold pleas
ure. The student who takes advantage
Of the opportunities which the music
department at Bryn Mawr offers
learns not only what Is good music,
but how to recognize IL, and expert
ences a little thrill OF delight when a
composition lends precisely as 1t
should to accord with its beginning.
AS the ear is trained and the mind
opens, these little thrills Of delight
come more frequently, ocoasioned,
mayhap, by recognizing the repetition
of a theme or its reintroduction, the
underlying purpose of the composer,
and being able TO appreciate the ex-
Quisitely artistic way in which he
accomplishes his task.
This is quite the same in painting
or sculpture or any of the fine arts.
1t is understanding which opens the
door to appreciation, and appreciation
to pleasure. Furthermore, art opens
the eyes to beauty in nature, to a
fuller enjoyment of much that one
sees. And how large a part art has
in the common things of life-the
design of the home, the dress, the
china on the table, the decoration Of
the table, to say nothing Of the pic
ture on the wall. Almost every one
knows when a thing is we'll done and
when It is not but only a few have
trained perception and knowledge OF
principles without which creative
work is impossi BILE. creative work of
the simplest sort. Bryn Mawr's
founder gave up his sweetheart be-
cause she had not been able to keep
step with him intellectually; If Har-
ward is going to train its young men
to an appreciation Of beauty in art,
perhaps It may behoove Bryn Mawr
and the other women's colleges to do
likewise in order that their graduates
may not again be left behind on the
highway of life for lack Of COM
panionable qualifications
X X X *
Strangely enough, our Western col
leges seem more enterprising and
awake in this matter than those in
the East. A little college in Kansas
that has had the good fortune of hav-
ing not only an art department, but
at its head an artist with inspira-
tional power, has done much not only
to create q love of art among its
graduates, but through them to
leaven the educational system in that
part of our country around which
still clings the romance Of pioneer
days. What Birger Sandzen has done
In Kansas, at Bethany College, Oscar
Jacobson is doing in Oklahoma, at
the State University. and Prof. Chris
tensen is doing in North Dakota and
Prof. Grummann in Nebraska
spreading the knowledge Of the value
of art and communicating through
personal contact its appreciation.
Some Of the very best work in the
development of the native drama that
has been done was Instituted in a
college in North Dakota by Prof.
Koch, who is duplicating his success
at present in a college in North Car
olina, in both using native talent for