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Show CHILD'S RARE GIFT SIX-YEAR-OLD MARY QERHART IS FINE PIANIST. Allentown (Pa.) Qlrl Never Took a Lesson In Music, But Her Performances Perform-ances Surpass Those of """ Most Adults, Allentown, PA. Music, heavenly maid, has many handmaidens for her dellvernnco and Interpretation. Somo ncqulro her precious gifts only by slow and painful process, while others ,Eccm to be born with tho gift divine, ns if music had whispered Into their pars at tho very birth tho secret of hor harmonics and her harmonics. Huch a ono Is Mary Gcrhart, the six-year-old daughter of Mr. nnd Mrs. Edwin S. Gerhart of this city. Her ago ncturally precludes the Idea that sho has over had any musical training nor has she over received a lesson In hor life. Neither of her parents I'Ossocses the slightest knowledge of muilc nor cares very much about IL Tho samo Is true of nearly all her relatives, rela-tives, except an aunt, who In her childhood days possessed a remark-cblo remark-cblo gift of Improvisation and reading by ear, but whom tho forco of clrcum-Htances clrcum-Htances prevented cultivating and developing de-veloping hor genius for music save to tho extent of seven lessons. Those seven lessons, however, havo been tho means of giving her an Insight Into music, which has been one ot tho com-foits com-foits and solaces of her life. Mary Is ono of three children, all girls, and all noted for their cxquUIte personal beauty. Tho eldesL Esther, aged 13, Is tho only ono who Is receiving receiv-ing musical instruction. No ono paid any particular attention to Mary, who had never shown any, dcslro for music, nnd who rarely touched the piano. Suddenly ono day sho sat down to the pla'io and soon Issued forth tho more or less classical strains of "The Mer- ry Widow waltz." Thoro were n largo number of false notes In tho first rendition, but these her acute musical ear and sense of harmony soon corrected, cor-rected, nnd now she plays It perfectly In tlmo, shading nnd pedal work. Her attitude at the piano, Die. position of her hands nnd hor digital dexterity are reninj-ifnble. Where sho teamed and became acquainted ac-quainted with tho tune no ono knows. Her sister does not play it; sho Is yet too young, to bo taken to tho theater, and tho only explanation Is that she heard a strolling band of German musicians. mu-sicians. Sho herself won't say whero sho heard It. Possibly sho doesn't know. ' Othei selections which sho hat learned and played aro "Nearer My God, to Thee," learned In Sunday school; "I'm Afraid to Go Homo In tho Dark," n somowhat dlfforcnt typo of music: "Tho Star ppanglcd Manner," Man-ner," 'ISchool Days," etc. Somo of theso tunes sho picked up at tho homes of her playmates. ilatcly she has been developing rare gifts of Improvisation for one uo( young. 1 |