that more time is
in that city, for instance, devoted to it than to the practical subjects
of geography and arithmetic. This last objection has not much force. All
that is really practical and generally useful in geography and
arithmetic can be learned in a few years, whereas to make progress in
the difficult art of music it is necessary to begin early and continue
for many years. The true answer to such an objection is, that there is
no need of neglecting either of these branches. There is time enough for
all of them if only a proper method of instruction be pursued. Still
more untenable is the idea that music is merely an ornamental study and
of no practical value. This idea rests on the mistaken theory of
education which holds that only the intellect needs training. If our
sole aim is to get something to eat and to drink, and a house to shelter
us from the weather, then we need only cultivate the intellect so that
we may be able to compete with others. But if we care for beautiful
homes, if we wish to enjoy life in a higher sense than that in which a
savage enjoys it, and to make ourselves and others happy, then the
training of the emotions through music is as important as the training
of the intellect in a practical and not an "ornamental" sense.

Fortunately, none of the objections hitherto urged against singing in
public schools have been able to effect any change for the worse. Vocal
music is now taught in the common schools of nearly every city and large
town in New England and the Northern and Western States. In
Boston--which has always been noted for its excellence in this
department--thanks to the intelligent labors of Mr. Lowell Mason and Mr.
Julius Eichberg, it is now possible, on occasion, to raise a chorus of
five thousand well-trained juvenile voices. And it is gratifying to
observe with what unanimity the good influence of public-school singing
is attested by the commissioners of all those States which have given it
a fair trial. The grounds on which it is usually commended are that it
puts life and variety into the dull routine of studies--that it promotes
order and discipline, stimulates the social feelings, electrifies the
wearied nervous system, conduces to health by the regular and vigorous
exercise of the lungs, trains the moral sentiments by refining the
aesthetic emotions, and tends to improve the congregational singing in
our churches. To quote the language of the Commissioner of Education
(_Re