Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-05

Henry Gearshift prided himself OF
| his musical knowledge.
| No, he was not musician, but III
| thought he knew a great deal abou
music just the same. Had he not at
: tended many concerts and spent {
great deal of money for the same?
| Did he not have photograph, with
several hundred assorted records o.
varying prices, collected over perioc
of years?
Above all, was he not fervid radio
! fan?
Somehow, the average human being
who listens intently to radio broad
casts for several years has the firm
belief that he is musical.
II his absorptive power is equal tt
his persistence he may have a right
to such a naive belief. The pleasing
| thing Is that no one can be the abso'
lutte Judge in such matters. Music i:
curious thing, in the final analysis
that is one of its charms.
II know what l like" says the anna
| teur listener and no one can say hin
nay OF course, he knows what M
| likes!
In his youth Henry had specialized
in the symphonies OF Haydn to tht
extent that he believed he could tel
one of those lifting compositions or
Sight--er, on hearing.
Papa Haydn" Gearshift would re-
mark. wisely wagging his head, when
ever strains of certain jollity Smote
upon his eardrums.
The life and music of this old mas
ter, Familiarity called Papa by his
pupils, and also by all the generation;
of music lovers that have followed
somehow appealed nightly to one
Henry GearShift, esq, average man anc
radio listener.
There is something about that music
there Is no miStaking." said Gearsnltt
as he kept time with his right foot.
He loved to tap his right foot gentl!
to any music that pleased him. Some
people prefer to do it with the left hand
or the head, and few have even beer
known to waggle the tongue in rhythm
Gearshift used the right foot, which
he assiduously beat upon the rug Of
waxed floor, according to the spot III
happened to be in.
His movements were especially marked
when Haydn number was on the air
Then he would tap, tap, tap, for all ne
was worth, with that foolish face O.
praise seen only upon the face. OF &
human being when ne is listening u
favorite musical composition.
X X X
One evening Henry tuned in his radio
set during some dinner music" as i
is called. AS a matter of fact, N
didn't tune in" at all Tuning" is
rather high sounding word that means
little any more. Since radio has go
down to the utter simplicity Of on'
dial land it isn't dial any more, even
the high art and science of tuning
has degenerated into a mere turning
Who remembers the old sets with 81
controls" on the front panel? Ever
then radio broadcast receiving was full
of words that meant nothing. because
the controls" didn't control except By
luck.
Even today there is nothing more
comical in nature than the average
radio fan as he sits before his receiver
tuning in out-of-town stations. To looi
at him visitor from another worlc
might think he was doing something
of a very delicate nature, something
that took wonderfully balanced ear
eye and hand, whereas the honest trutf
is that all any one can do is turn. Many
of the latest sets have but one rea
control" the knob which operates the
set of condensers.
All one does is turn, and If the sta
ton comes in, well, it comes in, and il