THE SORT OF L/FE WE LEAD. 33 



Brahms, to Wagner, and of their honesty I am 

 as well convinced as of their knowledge and 

 good-taste. Nevertheless such persons are 

 very few, and whereas among musically edu- 

 cated men and women the preference for Wag- 

 ner's music above all other is overwhelming, 

 the chief opposition is really due to simple 

 ignorance. As for argument upon the question, 

 it is very much like arguing as to religion ; we 

 have no scientific data to start from. I may 

 insist that the " Meistersinger " prize-song is 

 better music than " Silver Threads among the 

 Gold," but beyond quoting expert opinions in 

 favor of my opinion, what is there to say? 

 Musical judgment must be more or less empiri- 

 cal. In painting, in sculpture, in literature, there 

 are fixed standards; in music, none. The music 

 which to-day the cultivated world considers 

 admirable in every respect was condemned 

 a generation ago by experts as meaningless, 

 chaotic, and unworthy of serious attention. The 

 future of music in New York interests us here 

 in the wilderness to the extent that it is the 

 chief magnet in drawing us to the city when 

 the snow begins to fly in earnest. Were it not 

 for the German performances at our opera- 

 house, I doubt whether we should consider it 

 worth our while to pack our trunks and suffer 

 the ills of a city boarding-house for even a 

 fortnight. 



For my own part, I look forward to the day 



