Evening star., 1955-02-27
News of Music

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Wayne and 10 Dirksen last
week. Their house is a fine
place to 60 to, for everybody
Just talks, laughs, argues, or
play cards, and nobody has to
listen to anybody else II he
doesn't want to.
Once In a while, though,
you pay attention to Wayne in
spite Of yourself. for he's a
pretty good improyisor. He
plays organ in church for q
living. and gets a little weary
filing In on the side of the
angels. so when he finds an
opportunity to display his
highly developed skill in dia-
lectic in the role Of devils
advocate. Satan finds himself
with persuasive mouthpiece.
THE trouble with you is"
he said. abruptly abandoning
the subjects Of Restoration
comedy and the dieselization
Of the Chicago and Eastern
Illinois Railroad, "the trouble
with you is that you sit down
there at your paper and write
caustic pieces about this bill
HR4711 or 1866 or whatever
1t is-the one that would give
US a National Opera House
here in Washington--when as,
o matter Of fact you and The
Star ought to get behind that
bill and try to get it passed. 1t
would be a good thing, and a
newspaper could be a lot Of
help. ;"
Same Old Bill
"Cut it out and stack the
chips" I said. "You don't know
what you're talking about.
There's no music in that bill.
It's the same old bill that's
been introduced and reintro-
duced for 20 years.
"It's for the preservation
and enhancement Of music for
young people, for old people,
in time Of peace, in time of
war. Not only music. but also
practically everything else, in
cluding clay modelling and
leather tooling, urban develop
ment and slum clearance.
TITS stated purpose is to
give the lie to Communist
propaganda that we are a
people of artistic barbarians,
and also to provide a suitable
place in Washington for the
inauguration of United States
Presidents. although all we
have had so far have been sue
cessfully inaugurated with ex-
iSting facilities. And almost
every politico you can mention
is to be on the board of direc-
tors. to say nothing Of forty
or so eminent citizens" rep
resenting every organization
that ever marched in a Fourth
Of July parade, from the Re-
beccas to the Kensington Vol
unteer Fire Department. Why
this boondoggle :"
Government in the Arts
II know all that" said
Wayne. throwing a joker on
the floor. I've read the bill,
all So pages Of it, and I've
read the public hearings and
all the nutty letters that have
been put into the record. You
don't have to carry on that
way, because I know every
point you can make. I don't
deny that if the Government
got into the business of subsi-
dizing music and the other
arts, the. result would proba-
bly, be bad, but certainly from
time to time something good
would come of it. 1t might help
just one creative musician. It's
all very we'll to say that the
genius will make out no mat
ter what his environment, but
the simple fact is that the
state has been midwife to more
than Just a few healthy babies
In other countries.
your argument that Europe
Is Europe and that we don't
have to copy it is getting a bit
threadbare The differences
between us and the typical
government of the present day
are disappearing-the strong
central government is the Goth
century ideal. To fight gov
ernment in the fine arts on the
ground that We are copying
Europe doesn't make sense any
more. Say, do you need an
other stack . 2"
mo-" said, I've still got a
couple in my vest pocket. You
talk convincingly, but you
don't sell me the idea of set
ting the scene for mediocrity
on a grand scale. I'm for less
mediocrity, not more. and If
we had a Federal opera house
here in Washington-to focus
the discussion on just one
phase Of the legislation-think
of the flag waving. the back
scratching, the general poll
ticking.
Remember the inaugura-
ton concert they got Howard
Mitchell and the National
Symphony to put on. and the
disgraceful way Aaron Cop
land, an American citizen and
an artist, was thrown to the
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