Evening star., 1952-01-20
~ Music .s,'...
Symphony Fund Moy Be 'Fieo Bite
But Workers Put Lot of Time in 1t
.Asls1s'.,..
By Alice Eyersmon

EyeFsmun
o'Brien, jr., is one Of the most
important. It consists of two Sec
tions. the women's group, occu-
pied with the smaller business
concerns. and the men contracting
the larger business establishments
They are organized into COM
panies, as 1t were. Of from eight
to 10 workers with a captain al
the head. They have an important
program. It is to broaden the
base Of operations to recruit more
supporters. Two things will be
accomplished. The burden o1
support previously carried by busi-
nessmen Of larger firms will be
shared by smaller concerns to the
amount Of their ability. And In
widening this circle, community
interest will be awakened on o
larger scale. Even those not car
ing especially for music will none
theless appreciate this community
interest. Results from this COM
mittee will not be known immedi-
ately.
Some donations can be counted
upon and heading what is called
the Advance Committee is Mrs
Jouett Shouse. Her concern is
the larger contributions, ranging
from $i00 up. To reach sources
OF this income for the Symphony,
Mrs. Shouse goes frequently to
New York where the head Offices
OF many stores maintained in
Washington are located. Already
the first 40 gifts in her category
have been doubled and several
have moved up into the $1,000
bracket. What pleases her most
Is that the Symphony has a f.
nancial report satisfying to busi-
nessmen. It Is completely clear
Of debt. She finds the spirit Of the
workers on whose help she is
dependent, most ,heartening and
Is encouraged by the many new
people who have manifested in
terest in the Symphony by their
contributions. She hopes that
more Of the newcomers to the
city will be drawn into the circle.
Efforts Of lasting influence are
those exerted by the heads of
school committees. Mrs. DeForest
Van Slyck. who has private
schools in her domain. is In
of a year-round commit
tee. Representatives are on it
from every school. elected by Pa
rent Teachers groups or school
While the drive is a
small part of their work, children
are encouraged to support it in
endeavors such as the candy sale
held by the National Cathedral
school or the concert given by
the Landon School. The children's
is continual through the
attendance at concerts.
Schools Add Their Bit.
Mrs. H. Russell Bishop has a
number Of Catholic schools can
vassed by her committee. The
quota for this group is 81 500 con-
tributed out of student funds,
Parent Teachers organizations
and other means. indicative of
the willingness to help is the
instance of one nun who. having
been given some money for medi-
cines for an illness from which
she was suffering, donated large
portion Of 1t to the Symphony so
that the school might be repre-
sented. Another nun, with q COL
lection of savings stamps. turned
them over to Mrs. Bishop for the
same reason.
A committee that covers con-
siderable territory is the Associa-
lions Committee. Of which Mrs.
is chairman. Compare
lively small at the beginning. it
now includes every kind Of club,
starting with the Federation Of
Clubs and enlisting all
men and women professional
groups. Church organizations,
such as the D. c. Indus
trial Union Council, Washington
Central Labor Union, and the Mu-
sicians' Union. veterans. the
armed forces, citizens organiza-
tons and trade associations. come
under her category. Among mu-
sical groups. the Friday Morning
Music Club. Washington Teach
ers' Association, the Organist
Guild and the choirs are very
active. An art section takes in
the Arts Club. choral groups not
affiliated with a a church, art
galleries and ballet schools.
Each day brings a full days
work to each of the chairmen.
They do not rely on q letter or
phone call doing the job for them,
but make personal contact with
people. Hundreds Of volunteers
are assisting the chairmen but the
real planning and supervision re-
mains up to them. They may en-
joy Sir Thomas light-hearted
classification of the sum sought
as a "fieabite." but they know
differently. They know that the
people asked for donations make
sacrifices In order that the Ma
tional Symphony. synonymous
with culture in this city, may live
and thrive.