The Piano Mania

"There is no social disease so wide pread, au virulont, and o fatal in its uttíiek, as tho piauo inania. liefore a girl is bom, now-a-days, slie is desticed to sit and extract dreudful screeehings iul wailings from sonio unhappy instrumout for at least ten yeara of ner nat oral life. No question as to whelher he possetisifs an ear, and do consideration for the wra of other people, is permitto.i to interferc with the decruu, whioli is as trrwrocable as the laws of the Medes and Persians, that 'Kuly' or 'Luciudy,' as the case may be, ' must play the piauo.' The poor thiug may be a natural born houseUeeper, with a gtíuiuB íor sweeping and dustiug, washïug and biiking, but with no more perception of uhords and caduncea than of the m-ugi of Ui epheres. Still he wilt not be penniUod lo folio w her natural bunt,. beoause it is no horribly vulgar. She will be wept over, scolded and fretled at, and any lazy, nie lady, sister or cousiu, held up os au example of gentility. " To be able to play the piano in compnny is the sine qua non of maoy foolish, fond mothers' hopes, who look back with regret' on their osvu liiuited ch;inoo of education, and aro apt, tiiereiüroj t sadly oveinito the vafuo of whut ar oulLeJ aooomplishinents. Playing the piaiio a doubiless a very good thing when it is well done, and by a peraon who possesses musical taste; tjut otherwise it is only a loituro fora senaitive ear to listen lo it. Jingle, jinglo, jingle!, tbutnp, thump, thump! Who has Dot shivered and winoed, and triad to appeur amiable, through the interminable hours of a small evening party, whilft (ione youthful tonnontor, harussed into the display by stupid ÍBiends, wns vigorously pounding out a miticellaiienus i ssortmeut of battles and marchen, sons aud quudrillee, wultzes and operas, without the slightest notion eoueerniag tbern,, except tiiat certain 'íxyu ia ttie pumo oorrespond to ccrtuio Dotet in th book ? "fixcepling for eveuing p&rlorüftucos, the piano shoukl liever bo played without ib aceüinpanrmeut o a voice, uuless by ft Tlialbeig; and, livcii then, oni'u few v iil be foiwiti to eswo entliiv ttnisUciilly fol" tlw mece soitmco or gruco of eaeeution. And it Ibis is truo of a professor u the nrt, how muoh pleastiro is t siipposed can bc obtained froui hearing ttie monotüuous and sspasmodio thumniing of a girl whuse entire capacity lor musió has beeu ecuKlod or endgolod iuto hor, and who would mucli rather be employed in doing eomethiiig eist-, even though t were swoeping und wasbiiig di.-hes ?"