Songs That Live 1491 



When the trashy song secures a place in the country community, what 

 is there with which to meet and am^ul its power for lowering the tone of 

 life and the "blessedness of the country"? Perhaps there is a pastor 

 and choir with appreciation of the value of good songs, perhaps there is 

 a high grade music teacher or school teacher. It may be that the com- 

 munity has a patron saint who invests thought and time and patience 

 and money to the end that good music shall meet and conquer the invad- 

 ing bad. The most effective influence for good in songs is the influence 

 that emanates from the home, for it is lasting. The solution of the 

 problem, however, rests largely with the individuals that make up each 

 household. They may show their devotion to the high ideals of the 

 country by refusing to buy, sing, or tolerate besmirching songs of the hour. 



Suggestion is the birth of thought; 



Thought dwelt upon becomes action ; 

 Action repeated becomes habit; 

 Habit is character. 



Because of the comparative isolation of the country home many desir- 

 able features of good home-making must come to it slowly. Its very 

 isolation and independence make it the natural friend and advocate of 

 the good song. Its open windows do not let in, perforce, the contaminating 

 street song. Its doors can remain closed to the rap of a blighting " best 

 seller " until the family within have taken time to pass upon the merits 

 of that song, to discover whether or not it is in harmony with the family's 

 aspiration to secure good things for itself, and whether it voices the 

 family's spirit of independence in the obtaining of these things. Here- 

 tofore, the people of rural communities have hardly considered their 

 responsibility in the setting of standards for good home and community 

 songs. Now that the whole American people are waking — slowly, it 

 is true! — to the question of good and bad songs for their homes, is it not 

 reasonable that the countr}^ people should assimie a strong leadership 

 in the matter? Should they not be the ones to say what shall and what 

 shall not constitute their home and community songs? 



The meaning of a song is conveyed by the combined force of its words 

 and its melody. In a good song the melody seems to give rise to the 

 words and the words to the melody. Men naturally sing of what fills cheir 

 heads and their hearts. The resulting song is good to the degree in which 

 it suggests the good and the beautiful through its words or melody, or 

 through both. A song is to be neither approved nor condemned because 

 it is new. Nor should it be counted without merit if in actual use it seems 

 to touch the hearts of young and old as it finds its way out into the world. 

 But time and opportimity are as precious as they are fleeting; and what 



