Evening star., 1928-11-18
"Grahar11

Some time back one of my radio
friends whom have never seen bu
with whom I have corresponded sen
me book of American 1olG songs.
was showing 1t to some guests and there
was quite an argument about whether
big cities and machinery are killing
folk music in America. This started
me to thinking about the effect of the
radio on all this, and began to wonder
whether radio hasn't come along proVl-
dentially at just the time when people
need little music more than they eVel
did before.
/ remember reading abort a Chicago
philanthropiSt who few years ago es-
tablished regular singing hours for the
girls in his factory, encouraging them
to sing at their work. It happened
that there was a rhythm to the work
which fitted in with the tempo of ole
Russian folk songs. which the girls
knew. He reported that the expert
ment was a marvellous success: that he
had much less trouble with girls leav-
ing the factory, and that the output
incidentally, increased. With this In
mind I tried the experiment of keeping
the radio going softly in new apart
ment which we were having painted
and decorated. The painters moved
along with the spirited music and there
was more painting done around there
than saw in the same time before.
was surprised to find that several of the
workmen were familiar with the music
and informed as to composers and COM
positions The third day l shut the
radio off and they asked me to put II
on again. One of them tcld me that
the music made the work seem just
about half as hard.
Now, of course am not suggesting
the radio in industry as means OF
speeding up labor. But, even with my
limited knowledge of factory and ma
chine processes, 1 know that highly
specialized machine work is often
dreary and monotonous, anc that If a
bit of music can be mixed III with 1t il
ought to help a lot We 1--we up near
Columbia University, and I asked one
of my neighborS, psychologist
about it.
Here are some notes which l made al
the time outlining his reply:
Fatigue reactions are definitely al
fected by mental or emotional diver
sionS, in which music would. of course
be included. In highly complicated
processes I can see how music would
be disturbing and possibly slow down
the process, but in work so standard
lied that the major part Of the opera
ton is reflex, music unqucstlonably Is
definite stimulus which offsets the toxic
effects of fatigue"
That is all pretty much out of my
line, but it backs up lot OF evidence
which I have gathered through several
years of observation and flom numer-
GUS letters which have received. The
letter from the grateful housewife tell
ing how radio makes the houSeWorE
easier" has now become e common
place, and don't see why the radio
shouldn't be used to make all Americas
daily houSework easier.
Just suppose a man sitting all day
in one position and shifting a lever OF
screwing some little gadget on frame
the way they do in an automobile fac
tory. He gets so he does it without
thinking. and there must be a terrible
monotony about which makes him more
tired than ever. Isn't it reasonable tt
suppose that a soft flow of good music,
brought in by radio and varied with
jazz or serious compositions would keer
this man in better working trim, give
him a little more cheerful outlook or
life and make him less apt to look fol
another job?
One might be inclined to smile at the
idea of Henry Ford putting radio re.
ceiverS In his factory, but why not;
When we read of the peasants or the
medieval workmen singing at thei
work, in the fields and shops, it seem:
natural and pleasing thing. see M
reason to draw the line between those