Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-11-11
NEWS OF MUSIC
Some EorIy Memories
Of Music and Schools


striking st. Paul on the road
to Damascus. do not re-
member what she played, and
it is not unlikely that have
heard more polished pianism
since. but whatever little un-
Outstanding I have of music
today is only an accretion on
what I learned at the matinees
Of a lady volunteer fireman.
A collie of mine, named
Beauty. was killed before my
eyes one day by q Stanley
Steamer. My parents. in pity
over my grief. decided that a
change Of scenery would do
me good. They sent me down.
town to Friends School on l
street, where Doctors Hospital
now stands. Chevy Chase
was as distinct from Washing
ton in 1922 as is Rockville in
1850
Friends in those days was
run by Mr.. Sidwell, and the
music at Friends by Mr..
Stainer. q teacher who di-
vided his work between Wash
ington and Baltimore. My most
vivid memories Of Mr.. Sidwell
reveal him in performances of
his adapted role Of Lady
Macbeth.
A Basin and One Towel
The student body gathered
once q week in the Friends
Meeting House. where, after
the normal inanities Of a
school assembly had been con-
summated. there would be a
minute or two Of silence in
which the spirit was given an
opportunity to speak If it
wished to say something. Never
out Of the mouth Of a babe,
you may be sure. for discipline
at Friends, while unobtrusive.
was efficient, and we pupils all
knew without having been told
that If we ever felt that the
spirit wished to speak through
our lips, 1t was certain it had
the wrong number.
After half q minute Of
silence, Mr.. Sidwell would get
up and walk quietly to the
platform. There he would take
on his coat. fold it on a chair.
take out his cufflinks and roll
up his sleeves. Holding out his
arms he would say: Twill ev-
eryone here look at my hands.
pleased. I think 1 can say /
have larger hands than any
student in this meeting house!"
The uneQuivocalness of the
understatement was apparent
even to the most skeptical of
us. for Mr.. Sidwell's hands
were more or less the size of
Smithf1eld hams.
Il am now having basin of
hot water brought on this plat
form. and some soap" contin-
ued the principal. IT am now
washing my hands thoroughly.
and l am now drying them
completely with a paper towel.
VIII everyone notice that one
towel. and only one. is SUM-
cient for the operation? Up
until now too many pupils have
been using two towels In the
lavatories. You may 60 to
your classrooms." I have all
ways had a tremendous ad-
miration for Quakers: they are
mild and they are convincing.
Coat Hangers and Music
Mr.. Stainer's music courses
were held simultaneously Cor
almost sol with the manual
training classes which he also
taught and which resulted in
an annual output Of wooden
hat hangers. all as like as as
pirin tablets, and all stained
repulsive brown. For dec
AIDES, every aunt and uncle in
Washington got one or more
OF them as a Christmas pres
ent, but I still think we chill
dren should have been taught
a higher regard for kin.
Music instruction, or rou-
tine. consisted Of singing part
= songs out Of graded books
with brown covers. (The books
were invariably encased in
jackets supplied. thoughtfully
and gratis, by the old Wise
Brothers Dairy. Has this
trenchant medium Of adver-
Using been discontinued?)
Mr.. Stainer hoped that
after a simple tune had been
learned by everybody, the
unquestionable eloquence of
his conducting would instruct
the choir in the intricacies of
singing harmony. 1t was not
his fault that he had no time
to drill the bass and inner
parts; on the other hand, few
OF the children - could read
music, none had any ability
to sing anything but a we'll
known tune. and none that I
can recall felt any desire to
learn something in which he
had no interest. Music at
Friends. in my day. was q
waste Of time.
Youthful Plagiarism
"a parenthetic Interpolation
at this point recounts my first
stint as writer for The Star.
About 1925. when / was II
years old. The Sunday Star
carried q children's section
which ran stories, or com
positions" as we called them,
by juvenile authors. I sub
mitted one which was pub
lished, then several more. At
last mt univ oVrattNaA k,.k