The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-12-21

CIoss nedaquartefS today or bring
them in.
side ward, had already belned
many of his fellow patients He
was fine musician and a willing
one. Wherever he and the piano
went they took with them a little
for getfulness from pain and ankle.
ty.
In the ward of the mentally de.
pressed Musician Miller found If.
tie response Not at first. Some.
cody would suggest Give Us Oh
What a Beautiful Morning or
maybe Dixie" But the sug5es-
tions would be talf-hearted. Prob
ably they came from the nurses.
Not the patients who were gath
cred in a big circle Gst29<g faces
expressionless.
Then slowly, warily, one Of the
mentally depressed edged his way
from the outside firing to the cir
Gle through the crowd, toward the
front row. After & while he moved
to the piano and stood beside it
quietly.
1t was Seaman Johnson, one Of
The most hopeless of the men in
his ward. Johnson, the lad who
lost interest in everything. He was
one of those hard-to-reacn patients
the recreational workers talk
about. Johnson was an exagger-
ated case of the hard-to-re2ch. He
had decided he did not want 10
live. He was doing nothing to help
himself get well.
Musician Miller at once noticed
he boy standing by the piano. His
attitude and the sudden life in is
expression showed that he liked
music with the sort of liking mu'
sjcians feel. Miller asked the boy
to play. The boy declined brusqae-
| Iy and hurried off into the back
O. the listening circle.
A Red Cross worker had watch
ed johnson at the piano Here per-
|haps was chance to give the poor
fellow an interest that might help
him get well. She got PERMISSION
to take the Little Brown Piano "
an open ward. .,,,.
There she and Musician MlleI
persuaded Seaman johnson 10 a'
least sit at the piano to gel 'ns
feel of the keys under his hahuS.
For a few moments he sat Wl'n0"'
moving.
Then one finger found a Key:
slowly, awkwardly, feartully as :
they were rediscovering 'OS'
world.
Suddenly the boy Johnson 60!
I'D from the piano. It's no USE
he said lifelessly. I've 1oIgo'''H
everything!" ..o
The other patients had heard IHe
few frightened notes. They [eal.
lied that Johnson was Sonlenog
coming back to life. They clappe"
their hands and shouted Give I'd
some morei"
Johnson sat down again. At MS ISs
his fingers faltered as they uiu
before. As If they suddenly ulloei
stodd the touch of iVor|. lae,
began to play music. Beautlful l h;t
sic. The sort you listen to IN vs.
concert halls Chopin, Greg Mo,
Fart and Beethoven. ,u
"Why, you can really P pGiiI'
mattel" exclaimed Musician MILF
err "Where'd you study
In Boston," said Seaman Jolin
sen. and abruptly left the plan0'
and would play no more. ..,o
Next day however, the LIVE .te
Brown Piano was again rolled lH'0
the ward of the mentally depress.
ed. Again and again it was pus
before Seaman johnson, temptlhs
him to the music he had torgo''e"
IN the horror of war. Soon ne is
called that In Boston mean! ~, Wv
New England Conservatory OF nu,
SIC and that he had studied 'le'
fer five years. .or.
After a while he was gwen PEI
mission to leave the locked "''G
where he mad been coni'he1 4 4bs
60 daily to the auditorium o. ~. 4bs
medical center to practice OIL ''
grand piano there. ,;c.I
The other afternoon the nleo ...r
center had hospital talent ~ .,
Torrance. A hushed audience y. %
several hundred wounded men liz.
in the darkened auditorium ,aed
,,ening. Their faces were 1uiNo M
toward a single light shlnlHs .ce
the grand piano On the eager la t
and the swift, sure fingers Ia
Seaman Johnson Creating spi''
oiG music. .o,v.
r. is nice Christmas SUI"