CHAPTER XIX 



BIRD-STUDY FOR SCHOOLS 



IN securing the Introduction of musical study into 

 the public schools of a New England country 

 town, I had occasion to consult the opinion of 

 a prosperous farmer who was considered to be among 

 the more Intelligent men of the community. His 

 answer, as nearly as I can quote it, was as follows: 

 " The young ones In our schools can't half of them 

 read so you can understand them. I say, before we 

 teach them anything more, they had better learn how 

 to read ! " 



This attitude, once common, especially in rural 

 communities. Is now, fortunately, buried largely un- 

 der the advance of more liberal views. The tend- 

 ency Is rather in the opposite direction, to Interest 

 the young in many departments of knowledge, so 

 that they will want to read. Sometimes the curric- 

 ulum may be overcrowded, and this extreme, of 

 course, must be avoided. The need is to find a 

 proper balance and, for one thing, not to so magnify 

 any one aspect of education as to crowd out things 

 which have an Important bearing upon life's main 

 human Interests. 



A great many people to-day are beginning to ask 

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