tic, and he hears no concerts. He never goes
to church, and you can see him by the thousand loafing about in any
large town on a Sunday. "The modern townsman... has forgotten the habits
and sentiments of the village from which his forefathers came. An
unnatural and unhealthy mode of life, cut off from the sweet and
humanising influences of nature, has produced an unnatural and unhealthy
mentality, to which we shall find no parallels in the past. Its chief
characteristic is profound secularity or materialism. The typical town
artisan has no religion and no superstitions: he has no ideals beyond
the visible and tangible world of the senses."[20]

[Note 20: W. R. Inge.]

There is, however, one thing that our young friend does: he sings. We
see him, in company with three or four of his fellows, marching along
the street singing the latest music-hall ditty, with all the approved
music-hall inflections and mannerisms. Sometimes the group will be
accompanied by one of their companions on a mouth organ, and
occasionally they will attain to the dignity of two-, or even three-part
singing. Now and again we find them "throwing back" to the days of
Hucbald the Fleming, and running their harmony in a kind of diaphony a
fifth below the melody. But they sing because they like to sing. The
idea naturally suggests itself that if more firms and works would assist
in making provision for brass bands, string orchestras, and choral
societies among their employees, the music would prove to be a
humanising agency of the greatest value. Especially would this be the
case if some of the higher officials of the firm, not even excluding the
directors, would join on a footing of musical equality with the rest.
The aloofness of class is a potent cause of misunderstanding, but Art
knows nothing of social distinctions. If we knew more of each other we
should probably fight a good deal less, and it is just here that the
power of music might be used in healing fashion.

On one occasion in a suburban district, outside a branch of the Y.W.C.A.
on a Sunday evening, we stopped to listen to some excellent
part-singing, and we could not help thinking what an educative influence
it would surely prove in the lives of the music-makers. We could wish
that such opportunities were more generally available. The provision of
Municipal facilities, which would cost very little, would probably be a
most sound investment. But everything would in such case hinge upon th