OCR Text |
Show -, j '( Music .as a Teacher HOW IT MAKES BAD BOYS GOOD. v Professor McKeever Tells of the Splen- i did Influence of Singing Classes i on Small Truants. By Dr.-Win. A. McKeever. i One of the XntlonN Hct-Knovn io-clolosrlcitl io-clolosrlcitl V"rIterK. WHAT would you think of the idea of trading a. "bad" boy out of the so-called wickedness? wicked-ness? What would you think of the idea of Inducing a. young person to perform per-form something he dislikes to do , by tying the task up with something some-thing he most ardently desires .to do? What would you think of tho Idea 'of reforming a hardened wrongdoers wrong-doers by leading him carefully and constructively Into a l.inc of work which would mako his, heart leap with Joy? What would you think of the Idea of having all the "bad" boys of tho school sent Into the class of a hap- . pv singing teacher in order to have, their evil tendencies corrected through the Influence of the music? , This is precisely what I have found In a primary school of a Mi'ddle States city. Here four or fivo of the unruly, truant typo of small boy are practically under an agreement to bo amenable to the discipline ot - the school for the privilege of stay. ; ! ing with the special music clans. i i In the caso here considered It Is , very, easy to understand why the 'f mualc "hath charms to soothe the $ savage breast." Miss K., the soug I leader, is the charming subtle force back of it all. Her radiance, rhyth- (' mlc energy and appealing voice as she conducts the singing produces a 'wonderful electrifying effect upon the bo'3 and girls. "Xo tlmo during '- tho entire term have 1 ever had to j, rebuke or even corroct the conduct of any child in the class." said she. ; "So far as I have been able to ob- I serve; there arc no bad children in r tho group." I Now. it is a rulo of training and j? Instruction that if you want a child to do the square thing by you It is j, "necessary to lo something Cor hint ' There must be a trade of some ot ; your "goods" for some ot his And 'j that Is actually what constituted (; the transaction here. For the favor y of being allowed to sing with the f happy class a group of boxs wore f glA'ing up their so-called badness in l another place. Quick, alert, radiant, rhythmic, i forceful, sympathetic these, rather A j than any fineness of volco or tech- ij ' ulquc, arc the qualities which com- ' bined In the character of MIhs K., and by. means of which she made the btd fboys of tho school sing ' themselves Into good boys. ;i but here the' leason. or the vision, .begins to expand. Why not apply v this law bt self-expression aa a corrective cor-rective and reformative measura ; everywhere? Why so much forcing, scolding, nagging and suppression iu.ordor'to make a child lrarn ur be gOoirt?, O' whul rcAI worth to the ' world js a, boy or a man who Is aoo1 be cause ' hwen'nnot help himself, or from .the .tnore. torcc ot rei rsie fircuir.Ktances? Cannot roodnea ( ' ftttJier be . grown iu., the hcait i.na ntijrd through the eager and self- j directive practice. of the Individual himaclf? . If the .subtle charm ot group s'ns- , ing may be nuule to correct certain 1; J i'j,j'peji! of .juvenile mischief, why not cdrfccctthc tedium of work with the happiness of play? Why not correct j the drudgery of common l.ibor hi if- ' tho Joy of well-provided common ; . fellowship? Why not corrfi-i the. I eariy icudoncy to commit cnuie 1 througrh the early and cnrofull d;- t reoted practice pt dohig good? In short, is there not a possible J chann. an inner superbness, a po- f y. tentin! radiance, a dellghiful r.yni- i phony of coiubinrvl love ar.u .iton ( 'which may be'put to work In very '; ordinary life and ilnnlly mado ; : s.-)l6ndi,d self-corrective of a. I the i '( , evil tendencies which would spring ; j up therein? j ' Verily, parents, here is a new ap- j pllcjitloii Of the old provorli: h "We( not overcome of evil. bu , overcome e'vji wltij ood." The Cause ot improvement. J A. dl&15en&ary official had returned j 'frm.a month's holiday, and ta'lcd i to jce an Irisjs pa,ticfit "who v. u ) lierally as crass as two s;lci' 'ffter a -few preliminary remarks the patient congra fill, ued the dor- J tor 6n lils Improved appearance. ; "Jra!lh. docthor, the holiday Iiea j ' done yo goJ yer as brown aa a ; -berry an' as lolght ov tut as a ra-:- f ma.nl" 'r bnn return the comjli- incut. Mick; you Mem to 'he greatly . , improved7 said tho doctor. "Uch ' sorr,:; replied ailek. "Oi've mend id Ivlry hour since the mlnll vex wfnL ' aAV?ly:" ' ; j Successful, 4 A young Welshman applied to the !' head of a big firm in London tor a i. jjvh. "Whsrc do you come from?" he 0, was anked. Krom Lliiiipumpsalnf ' ' "What may that nam- mean."" "It means-the phic of the five ralnts f j was the roaily .mHv-r. "Arc there five saints there still?" "There arc f only fotir since I left." said th r young AVelsh-nan. As ihc hi'.nl of thijjirm came ;rom the same nlgh- borhood. the young man sot the sit- f nation, ' Quite Embarrassing. Two ladles had bct-n to the opr ' ind1(p6lng home in a car. they df cussed the evening's amuscmont j. "1 think 'Lohcncrln' is just splen- did!" .said one lady a3 she handed the conductor her fare. "Do you-' C her friend said, with a superior smile.- "I tlilnk it's not bad; but i I Just love 'Carmen!' " The conductor blushed furiously. "Sorry, miss.'' ho murmured ap61ogetlcally. "I'm mar- ( ried! A'ou might speak, to tl"1 f driver, though; he's a slnglo man!' i The Unpootic Parer.t. 5 A song with the title "There's a Sigh in the Heart" was sent by a young man to his veMh-.irt. but the paper fell into the hands of i t girl's father, a very unsentimental scientist, who exclaimed. "What jj wretched unscientific stufT Is this? y Whoever heard of such a case?" Hc wroto on tho outside, "Mlstaken j diagnosis: no sigh In the heart po'- y slble. Sighs rolat almost entirclj lo the lungs Rnd diaphragm" J' WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1919. J A |