BO^Y TO LISTEN TO MUSIC 



91 



draught of champagne, or even the fabled 

 elixir of life, is so exhilarating to a per- 

 forming musician as such a demon- 

 stration of good-will. 



In the fourth place, I would suggest 

 that if YOU wish to enrich your musical 

 happiness, you make it a habit to react 

 consciously and forcibly upon the music. 

 What I mean is this, attend a performance 

 of music with as much effort to follow 

 and relish as you put forth all the time 

 in reading literature. True, there are 

 many degrees of tension used in reading 

 books, all the way from the effort made 

 in reading the '''Analogy of Xature and 

 Eeligion," by Bishop Butler, to the read- 

 ing of John Habberton's charming word- 

 picture, "Helen's Babies". Yet you are per- 

 fectly aware that, even in reading this lat- 

 ter book, there is a use of mentality and, 

 after concluding, the peals of laughter 

 which you have sent forth have left you 

 tired. This reacting upon the music, 

 however, is not always intense, is seldom 

 if ever painful. You listen to music 

 to receive something, and that some- 

 thmg is not mere information for which 

 you consult your cyclopaedia, it is life and 

 power, and all exercise of life and power 



breeds temporary depression and ex- 

 haustion. This I believe to be the great- 

 est drawback to our musical progress, that 

 we are so inclined to think of music as a 

 thing which must act upon us while we do 

 nothing. The performer is to be a pho- 

 tographer. We drop the little ticket-fee 

 into his coffer, and he has all the rest to 

 do. 



One thing more I wish to say, as to ho.w 

 the general public of music-hearers ma.y 

 become a public of music-understanders, 

 and music-lovers. Do not think that the 

 chief purpose of hearing a work performed 

 is to decide whether the skill of the execu- 

 tant is great or small, but let it be to 

 ascertain whether the composition is beau- 

 tiful, and if so, why, and how deeply so. 

 Always give three thoughts to the com- 

 position for one to the playing. It is not 

 the touchstone of culture to be excessively 

 fastidious in judging a performance, 

 though many think so. The real touch- 

 stone of culture is the amount of delight 

 you can get from music, and the grade of 

 music which affords you delight. You 

 may and should have a catholic taste, but 

 your joy ought to have many degrees and 

 variations. 



THE PEESIDEXT Al^B THE C H I L D E E 



AVEEY pretty little incident gave 

 patriotic color to the visit of Presi- 

 dent Eoosevelt to a small town of 

 eastern Massachusetts on his recent New 

 England tour. A reader sends an account 

 of it. Thousands of children, with their 

 teachers, from the public schools, were 

 gathered upon the lawn beneath the lofty 

 old trees of one of the old-time churches, 

 waving little "star-spangled banners" to 

 greet the arrival of their president. This 

 was the first time the nation's chief mag- 

 istrate had visited the town, and the peo- 

 ple were almost frantic with enthusiasm. 



On the street in front of the church a 

 canopy was formed, from which was 

 su^ended a great floral bell. 



As the President's carriage halted before 

 the church, a little girl representing the 

 "(roddess of Liberty," in the mids.t of 

 thirteen other girls, representing the 

 thirteen original states, drew a ribbon and 

 a shower of roses from the bell fell into 

 the President's carriage, and as he lifted 

 his hat a beautiful bud dropped into it, 

 which he picked up, waved to the children, 

 and then placed in his pocket. 



The clamor of applause from the sur- 

 rounding throngs drowned the President's 

 voice as he tried to speak to the children. 

 But he had received their gift and the 

 children were well pleased. Mr. Eoose- 

 velt seemed to enjoy the occasion thor- 

 oughly. 



