Children Who Study Instrumental Music
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GERTRUDE ELHERT.
I.OUISE ELBERT.
BESSIE GOl'LD.
RUTH CRONK.
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Pictures from Photographs
Made by a liee Staff Artist
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LOUISE WRIOHT.
GEORGE WRIGHT.
LEE MITCHELL.
HARRY SMITH.
EDITH SMITH.
WILLIE MORRIS.
ALFRED MORRIS.
ADA MORRIS.
,
IRENE BROWN.
A I ",ora,uro Hre ful' (lf lhe doings
Ul Kirni iiii'u nun wuim-ii, aim
I ho lut rod ml Inn of any Informa
tion about the child llfo of any
of them Is always hailed with much Inter
est. It Is easy to look back upon Robert
Burns, and Walter Scott, and Thomas
Moore, and Browning, Longfellow, Tenny
son, Handel, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Wan
ner, Luther, Wesley, Bismarck, Gladstone
and hosts of others, and see their greatness.
But whoso far-seeing eye can today pick
out the boy who will be one, such as these,
In a generation hence?
We must, therefore, be careful to watch
the budding talent of the young and
nurture It, for we cannot tell what the
result may be. While It Is true that alt
talented children do not climb to the high
est steps on the ladder of fame, yet It Is
also an assured fact that every man, every
woman, who Is or has been famous was
once a child! How watchful one should
be, then, to see that the child Is most
carefully trained along the line to which
It has a decided leaning, that the talent
which It loves to display Is conscientiously
developed and fostered.
We must, withal, take heed that we do
not. "spoil" the child by over-estimating
Its ability, or by boasting of Its talents
when the child Is present. Many a fondly
foolish parent has caused Its beloved chil
dren a future of heartache, disappoint
ment, envy and discord by overrating the
youngster's talent, and by telling the vis
itors how very bright Johnnie or Susie Is
when said John or said Susan Is one of
the company. The child should be told
about the great things other children of
talent have done, and what they them
selves can do. Instead of reminding them
that they are Just the cleverest children
In existence. There are various ways of
doing this, and the Indirect one Is Just
as dangerous as the direct one. Children
are not childish, by any means, when It
comes to the analysis of a look, a glance
or an apparently concealed compliment.
Smart children are too apt to become what
they themselves call "smartles." Little
children, don't be "smartles." Teople don't
like It though for papa's sake or mamma s
sake, they may smile and pretend they do!
People do love brave little men, and
noble little women, wbo can do things
and who are not too anxious to do them
11, at all times and In all places.
Do not scold the child who hangs back
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JOHN DILLRANCE.
and does not want to "shiw off." You
are reproving It for a virtue, not a fault
Watch that child. True talent Is always
nit dent and retiring at first.
This page Is enlivened by the pictures of
bright young people, of children who are
going to excel some day In the work they
are now Just beginning to practice on. The
Bee wishes each one of them, and all
other talented children whose pictures It
will print later on, a very bright and suc
cessful harvest of all their early work, and
gives to all this little piece of advice: "Do
every little thing that your teacher tells
you to do; let him (or her) see that you are
helping your teacher to make you successful.
And no matter what other say about your
work, find out what your teacher says
about it, and think on that!"
As the lives of many of tne great mas
ters in music showed promise in very early
youth. The Bee has prepared for the young
readers of this page n little collection of
the doings of some of these wonderful chil
dren, with the hope that other children
will be encourage! to persevere and win
success, even If the way should seem hard
at times.
When we look far back In the centuries
we come across a name, which became fa
mous shortly after the year 16S5, because
that name is identified with the early foun-
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NELLIE STEPHENS.
datlons of great music, and l's owner has
been called the "Father of Modern Musle."
When the great Johann Sebastian Bach was
scarcely 16 for that Is the name referred
to he copied by moonlight, we are told, a
collection of famous organ compositions
which a Jealous brother kept from htm in
the daytime. At the age of 18 he was
"court musician" at Weimar.
Handel, who wrote "The Messiah," an
oratorio which Is being sung and studied
now, more than ever before since its pro
duction In 1742, was the son of a surgeon-
MARIE SNOWDEN.
doctor, and his father was decermlned that
his son should not throw away his life en
music, bo much so, In fact, that he kept
him out of the public schools for fear he
should learn the scale. However, he had a
kind-hearted nurse who helped him to g"t
an old-fashioned worn-out spinet Into
the attic, and there the boy taught himself
to play. He composed sonatas for orches
tral instruments before he was 12 years old
and they are said to be really remarkable.
And the gentle Haydn who wrote 12"
symphonies, fifty-one concertos, seventy
seven s'rlng quartets, two great oratorios,
"Tho Creation" and "The Seasons," and
dozens of other things besides we find him
engaged to sing In Vienna at the age of 8
(year 1740). He wore old clothes and worn
out shoes to buy music books, which he
kept under his pillow at night, and he
worked at his music while his little school
mates played. It would make the little
readers of this column very sad to hear of
how the poor Haydn boy had to suffer,
wandering with falntness and fatigue
through the streets of Vienna, after Lis
voice changed; but let us pass over that.
Princes followed him to his grave.
And Mozart, who composed many, many
great works, masses for the church, operas
for the stage, overtures for the orchestras,
solos by the dozen for concert work. Who
has not seen the picture of the young Mozart
and his Blister, Boated at the old fashioned
piano? This child composed a piano con
concerto which is an elaborate piece of
writing when ho was 5 years old. And when
ho was told that it was too difficult he
played it himself to show how it should be
played. At the age of 6 (1762) he and his
sister played before the elector of Bavaria
in Munich and they both created great en
thusiasm. (She was 11 years old at th
time.)
Beethoven, the giant of musical history,
was noted for his wonderful gift of "im
provising," or as a child might eay, "mak
ing It up as he went along," when he was
only 11 years old. And the things he
"made up" were the thoughts and ideas
of a great master, even at that early age.
At the age of 14 Schubert, the great Ger
man song writer, was said to be a master
of the most difficult points in harmony.
And be was the eloquent poet of music.
Mendelseohn, who wrote the grand ora
torio, "The Elijah," and hundreds of other
things besides, made his first real appear
ance In a public concept at the age of 9
When he was 10 he spoke French and Eng
lish fluently, as well as his native German,
and wrote In Italian. At 12 he was com
posing music.
One could go on for pages and pages of
the more modern composers, writing about
wonderful children. We learn one gnotf
lesson from them all, and that Is the lesson
that hard work, the beet music, tbe highest
standards, and the honestly correct per
formance, these and theee alone made
those children successful.
Children, never do a thing in public until
you know surely that you can do it well at
home. Be patient, work hard, and you,
too, may be famous. A merry Christmas
to you!
T, And the Wind Moaned
Chicago Tribune: "Listen child." said
the fond parent; 'hearken to the night
wind; how it moans!"
Outside, indeed, the wind could be heard
soughing, and sighing, and shrieking
through the treea.
Shuddering, the wide-eyed child gazed
first at its father and then at the paregoric
bottle before asking: ?
"Did the night wind eat too much turkey.
too?" f