Part 19 (1/2)

”You ?”

”Oh, no IPresident ”I'll tell you, Curtis; I's to do to bother about anything of that sort When I was in battle I was always too anxious to get to the front to think about the shots And here--well, here I'm too busy too Never think about it But I'll tell you, Curtis, there are so out of thein the direction of the capitol, ”called the Congress, and if they would only giveto have any one take a crack atthe existence of the parents, the President said: ”And I don't know but if they did pick a President get a single inch above the boy-interest It was astonishi+ng to see the natural accuracy hich the ed the boy-level

”Noould you like to see a bear, Curtis?” came next, ”I knohere there's a beauty, twelve hundred pounds”

”Must be some bear!” interjected the boy

”That's what it is,” put in the President ”Regular cinna bear at the Washi+ngton ”Zoo” where the President was to send the boy

Then, after a little; ”Now, Curtis, see those men over there in that room They've travelled from all parts of the country to coot to o off to see the bear”

And then the hand caood-by The boy put his in it, each looked into the other's face, and on neither was there a place big enough to put a ten-cent piece that was not wreathed in sht,” said the boy to the father, looking wistfully after the President

Alone when he, too, instinctively looked back to find the boy following him with his eyes

He stopped, wheeled around, and then the two instinctively sought each other again The President came back, the boy went forward This time each held out both hands, and as each looked oncewas in both faces, and every looker-on smiled with them

”Good-by, Curtis,” came at last from the President

”Good-by, Mr President,” came from the boy Then, with another puht!” the boy went out to see the cinnamon-bear at the ”Zoo,” and to live it all over in the days to coed to the President of the United States

CHAPTER XVIII

ADVENTURES IN MUSIC

One of the , which he realized more clearly as time went on, was that music had little or no place in his life His mother did not play; and aside from the fact that his father andtheir residence in The Netherlands, thein his hoht be in his now busy life So what he lacked himself and realized as a distinct omission in his own life he decided to an to strike a definite ht the eye and ear of its public by presenting the popular new marches by John Philip Sousa; and when the comic opera of ”Robin Hood” became the favorite of the day, it secured all the new co these, it introduced its readers to new compositions by Sir Arthur Sullivan, Tosti, Moszkowski, Richard Strauss, Paderewski, Josef Hofni Bok induced Josef Hofazine, and Madame Marchesi a series of vocal lessons _The Journal_ introduced its readers to all the great instruh articles; it offered prizes for the best piano and vocal co critics of New York, Boston, and Chicago write articles explanatory of orchestral music and how to listen to music

Bok was early attracted by the abilities of Josef Hofmann In 1898, he met the pianist, as then twenty-two years old Of his e, but he was much impressed by his unusual mentality, and soon both learned and felt that Hofmann's art was deeply and fire of affairs than other musicians whom Bok had met; he had not narrowed his interests to his own art He was striving to achieve a position in his art, and, finding that he had literary ability, Bok asked him to write a reminiscent article on his famous master, Rubinstein

This was followed by other articles; the publication of his new mazurka; still further articles; and then, in 1907, Bok offered hiazine and a salaried editorshi+p on his staff

Bok's musical friends and the music critics tried to convince the editor that Hofined; that he had been a child prodigy, and would end where all child prodigies invariably end--opinions whichposition in the world of e, his instinct led him to adhere to his belief in Hofmann; and for twelve years, until Bok's retireular contributor to the azine His success was, of course, unquestioned He answered hundreds of questions sent him by his readers, and these answers furnished such valuable advice for piano students that two volumes were made in book form and are to-day used by piano teachers and students as authoritative guides

Meanwhile, Bok's ht music directly into his domestic circle Mrs Bok loved ht to acquaint her husband hat his for had o friends outside of the editorial relation, and the pianist frequently visited the Bok home But it was so hian to play any real part in Bok's own life

He attended the opera occasionally; th, and because his mind was too practical for the indirect operatic form He could not remain patient at a recital; the effort to listen to one performer for an hour and a half was too severe a tax upon his restless nature The Philadelphia Orchestra gave a sy, and Bok dreaded the co taken to hear music which he was convinced was ”over his head”

Like many men of his practical nature, he hadheard such a concert The word ”syhest music quite beyond his comprehension Then, too, in the back of histhat, while he was perfectly willing to offer the best that the azine, his readers were primarily woely, if not wholly, to the fe to hi; but when it came to public concerts, they were not for his masculine nature In other words, Bok shared the all too common masculine notion that music is for women and has little place in the lives of ave Bok an entirely new point of view The artist was rehearsing in Philadelphia for an appearance with the orchestra, and the pianist was telling Bok and his wife of the desire of Leopold Stokowski, who had recently become conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, to eliin the experiment with Hofht to Bok: why eliminate encores from any concert? If he liked the way any performer played, he had always done his share to secure an encore Why should not the public have an encore if it desired it, and why should a conductor or a performer object? Hoframme; that it was made up with one composition in relation to the others as a sympathetic unit, and that an encore was an intrusion, disturbing the harmony of the whole