he Omaha
w Rhythm
77ie Novel Use of the Uni
versal Sense of Rhythm
in Music as the Basis of a
Whole System of Educa
Hon in a German Institute
Uniting Body, Mind and
Soul in Their Application
to the Daily Affairs of Life
PHYSICAL culturlsta prefer to
put their pupils through their
exercises rhythmically, in
time with music. Tho recent wide
spread revival of tho ancient outdoor
dances is another indication of tho
growing popular belief in the value
of physical exercises that aro
rhythmical. There are no records
of human life on this planet ancient
enough to mark a period when men
and women and children did not
danco. Music, as we now have it,
literally developed out of the older
art of dancing.
Whoever hears rhythmical
strains of music feels the impulse to
danco. Most peoplo when in good
health and a cheerful frame of mind
are easily Induced to dance and And
themselves the better for It. When
they are happy they sing, or feel a
desire to do so. At the bottom of all
tblsMs tho universal, Inherent sense
of rhythm.
Tho normal heart beats rhythmi
cally; breathing Is rhythmical; all
the processes of naturo aro on a
rhythmical plan. Then why uot ap
ply the benefits of rhythm to our sys
tems of education?
In fact, that very thing is now bo
ing done and naturally In Germany,
where roost things philosophical In
their nature have their beginning.
There is an institute at Hellerau, in
Germany, in which the rhythme of
performed music are the basis of the
whole course. The elements of
music and of dancing are the first
lessons the pupils are required to
learn, and after that the whols
course is on rhythmical lines.
The work of tho Hellerau Insti
tute, near the large city of Dresden,
rests upon the teachings of Jacques
Dalcroze and Adolphe Appia, who
worked out their systems indepen
dently, the former in France and the
latter In Germany. They and their
numerous apostAes claim that rhythm
is a necessary element of well-balanced
personality; that rhythm be
longs to all that enters into their
lives, not in artistic expression alone.
It Is tho co-ordination of body and
soul, the means of grace and beauty,
the source of perpetual youth and
joy.
Jacyues-Dalcroze claims to ht-'
reduced rhythm to a system, Instead
of leaving it to chance development
and occasional use. He has given it
eyes, that It may work, not blindly,
but purposefully, purifying, elevat
ing, economizing strength, and help
ing man in every way. The inventor
is not merely a musician, but one
who has put music Into life in all
its parts.
Starting with gymnastics, he puts
a new spirit Into them by tho rhythm
of the motions, all done to music,
robbing exercise of its monotony, and
adding pleasure to the expansion and
play of muscular forces.
In the institute at Hellerau com
plete courses are laid out for teach
ing rhythm in all its variations. Chil
dren and adults may take up the
work. Some of the pupils take a
normal course, so mat they may
toach the system, while others take
ns mucn or as little as they please
for their own developement. Every
student is instructed for from two
and a half to four hours dally. Thoso
who take the complete course have
to plan for three years' work. They
are taught rhythmical gymnastics
five b'JUM eekly. Solfeggio live
hour weekly, musical Improvisation
two hour, turning (on apparatus)
six iind nhalf hours, auatomy one
hour weekly, choral Blnglng two
)uurs and modeling four hours.
The system presupposes appio-
prlato dress, meaning loosely girdled
garments, slooveless and cut low In
the neck, with feet either quite bare
or in sandals. Body and limbs are
given perfect freedom of movement.
Tho rhythmical exercises, In a gen
eral way, are founded upon tho nat
ural uses and movements of the
body walking, running, going up
and down flights ofj steps. Tho las;
named exercise, performed In tlmo
with music, is repeated until tho act
is natural and graceful, and Is done
without weariness or undue quick
ness of breath. Latterly it is ac
companled with appropriate gestures
with hands and arms every part of
the body bearing the duo proportion
of the effort.
For exercises in which there is a
livelier use of the hands and arms
and lower limbs, a. single, close-flti
ting garment, leaving the lower
limbs bare as woll as the arms
from the mid-thigh downward. In
this costume the pupils, in time with
music, train their bodies and limbs
to give the fullest expression to their
emotional capacities as in panto
mime. Through this rhythmical method it
is claimed that perfect self-mustery
and absolute self-control are obtained
Tho body acts gracofully, easily an
responds immediately to every in
pulse of the soul. The temperament
finds full expression in every motion
of hand and foot And the very
rhythm of the motion of the limbs
gives order and symmetry to the
mind. With full control over every
faculty and feature you feel yourself
lord of your body and of your mind.
Whatever you do harmonizes with
rour character, and with the pow
ers of body and bouL If you hear
music which arouses certain feelings
In you you And tho same ideas ex
pressed in art, and neglecting analy
sis you arrive at the great synthesis
of action matching Idea and senti
ment. Unknown crentivo depths are
sounded within you and you respond
by perfect rhythm of dance and
thought.
Some persons have the will to do,
but do not understand how to realize
that will In perfect, symmetrical
action. Rhythmical training gives
these persons tho power of self-ex
Sunday Bee Magazine
Copyright. 1913,
pression, such as is impossible
otherwise. Gymnastics become a
real help to self-realization and to
self-expression.
If you have the thirst for progress,
for self-development, it is claimed
that nothing can help you like rhyth
mical exercises systematically prac
tised. You do what before seemed
Impossible, and at last begin to real
ize how much you can do, without
conscious effort at tho time, for it
Is spontaneous and beautiful all at
once. You gain new confidence
strengthening tho will, and giving
Makes
by the Star Company. Great Britain
You
A Group of Fupil
Dance in Praie
Up and Down
Stairs in Time
with Music
A n Exercise
That Reduces
the Conscious
Effort of an
Everyday Act,
Replacing It
with the Feel
ing and Effect
of Graceful
Ease.
that keener insight, which helps ss
much to higher achievement
Music comes as a necessary aid
to the measure of the movements
of the body, the most responsive and
perfect of all Instruments when
properly played upon. All the wealth
of expression in the human body can
be brought into play through the
system of rhythmical movements.
Not only must there be rhythm of
the individual, but rhythm of all haa
to be developed that is the ideal.
Not only what we do alone, but what
is done by a number of rhythmical
flights Reserved.
Aliv
eA
a -5
in the Hellerau Institute Performing an Outdoor Ancient Greek
of Springtime One of the Most Inspiring Rhythmical Exercises to
Co-Ordinale and Enliven Body and Spirit
human beings acting together goes
to make for perfection of human no
tion. It means now modes of life
for the Individual and for society;
now mothodB of dancing, of walking
and acting; a new dally life and a
Teaching Children How to
1'IILDREN should bo educated
fall In love "wisely, but
not too well."
Briefly, that sums up the pub
lished opinion of tho Eugenics Edu
cation Society of London. At a re
cent meeting of tho Society the need
wns emphasized of teaching boys
and girls tho essential facts of life,
o as to equip them for the momen
tous tlmo when they choose life part
ners, parents for their future chil
dren. It was shown that falling in love
dlscretly Is largely a matter of early
training, and that you can no more
expect an untrained youth to be a
good Judge of a picture.
Most of the speakers were agreed
that sex matters would best be
taught to children by their parents.
Major Leonard Darwin, president
of tho Eugenics Society, pointed out
that in the story books read by chil
dren at school they were taught the
lesson that marriage would bo their
probable fate in life. Ho went on:
"There is nothing Ignoble In mak
ing the boy know how much his wel
fare In mind and body will depend on
the companion ho chooses for life, or
In making the girl perceive tho mis
ery which Inovltably springs from a
marriage with a drunkard or a
wustrel.
"Would there be any harm, more
over, when speaking to the elder
children, in making them directly
the
nower and truer method of stage
presentation.
This is the universal application
of a prlnclplo that has been under
stood, and applied in a limited way,
by some of the older civilizations
realize the eugenic ideal by telling
them they ought to desire that their
rhildren should grow up to become
good and henlthy citizens?
"Whether your present pupils will
fall in love wisely or foolishly will
depend in a certain measure on tho
Ideals you are now planting in their
minds.
"If wo traco back actions to their
the teachers, that a part of the re
sponsibility for tho selections made
in marriage by your pupllB will ulti
mately rest."
Practically all the speakers
agreed that it was primarily tho
parents' duty to inform their chil
dren and educate them in Bex-hygiene.
But the difficulty that presented
Itself was tho fact that many par
ents did not know how to tell their
children. In those circumstances
should the teacher tell?
Mr. W. A. Nlcholls, ex-president
of tho National Union of Teachers,
thought not. Ho said:
"Ono would require to keep a
delicate hand upon tho pulse of the
child's consciousness to know exact
ly bow far to go and when to sto?.
"One is thereforo bound to in
clude that it could And no place in
the curriculum of an ordinary
school, where, unless one is fully
acquainted with the home environ
ment, more harm than good is likely
to accrue.
"At a later stage a teacher of in
fluence and power and personal sym
Page
Time
Girl Pupils of the Hellerau Insti
tute Expressing Various Emotion
Physically in Time with Music.
These Ten Poses Will Serve You
as Models for Practicing the
Rhythmical System.
for many centuries. Hindu philos
ophers havo a system of broathlng
which, combined with orderly
thought, they rely upon to presorvo
bodily health and to devolop mind
and soul. In this way they profess
to bring themsolvos Into touch with
tho InflnHe, and to draw into their
bodlos at will "prana," tho undlutod
prlnclplo of life, and to Bond It to
whatever organ or limb needs
strengthening. And tho first princi
ple of this breathing system fa
rhythm. '
The great German philosopher,
Nlotscho, who waa ono of tho earli
est and most Influential apostles of
Wagnerian music, recanted in ona
of his laBt works, declaring that
the liberties which Richard Wagnor
took with rhyUim in fact his stud
ied efforts to mako his music un
rhythmical producod a definite un
wholesome effect upon tho minds and
bodies of his listeners.
Shortly before ho died, Nlotscho
wrote that after a few hours spent
under tho nerve-racking spell of a
Wagner opera, with its constant vio.
latlons of tbo boiibo of rhythm, ho
wns Invariably feverish, and so men
tally upset, that concentration upon,
his writing was Impossible H wasr
without ideas, without Inspiration.
On tho contrary, after a similar tlma
spont listening to tho music of Dlzet
as in tho opora of "Carmen," witH.
its charming and clearly marked,
rhythms ho found himself flllod
with fresh energy and Inspiration,"
productive oven beyond his best mo
mentB when such Influence had been
lacking.
Truo rhythm Is never marked by
explosive accents which devotees
of certain currant examples of "rag
time" music might do well to remem
ber. True rhythm flows smoothly,
with regular rocurrlug pulsations,
which seam to stlmulato every fibre
of the body, while raising the spirits
as hardly anything else does. It Is
constructive in its charactor, build
ing up where sounds and motions
which are harsh and Irregular tend
to tear down and destroy. Tho al
moBt deafening roar of a great cat
aract 1b rhythmical and Inspiring,
while tho blowing up of a mine or
the passing of a tornado has tho op
posite effect.
The best augury for tho success of
the rhythmical educational system
now In operation at Hellerau Is said
to be the unusual enthusiasm for se
rioua study which tho basic princi
ple of tho system creates. It is said
that under the inspiration of the
rhythmical process the pupils lose
sight of the fact that they aro "work
ing." That dread word is, in this
way, translated in "play." But the
results are the results which aro
never accomplished except by work,
and hard work at that.
Fall in Love
pathy with the peculiar needs of
young people from fifteen to seven
teen might render great service by
an earnest talk on tho need of pur
ity, but In this case the teacher
must be a person of rare gifts and
clear InBight."
Quite a different view was taken
by Mr. J, A. Badley, headmaster of
Bedales School, Petersflold. Speak)
ing of teachers informing their
scholars, he said:
"Even if all parents wero willing
to undertake it and we know how
far this 1b from being the case not
all are able, not all far from ltr-
have the requisite knowledge or U.
sight or experience.
"So, if we are to ensure its being
done, it must be done at school:
and even If tho conditions do not
make it easy, we must try to make
it possible.
The first thing to realize, I am
quite sure, is that one can't begin
too young. We must try and get
parents, and especially mothers, to
realize their responsibility in the
matter, and the golden opportuni
ties of early childhood,"
Professor Thomson, or "Aberdeen
University, was sure that tho best
persons to Instruct the children In
eugenics were the parents.
"But we have to face tho facta,"
he added, "Few can do It well.
Most parenU are too shy."
HIa plan was for evory college to
havo a confidential physician to in
struct the young in these matters.
