The Basis of the Claim of Music in Education

Extract

The attitude which is assumed towards all art in England is not perhaps quite to our credit as artists, this attitude being that Art is not an altogether serious thing, which “really matters.” The average Englishman thinks, for example, that it is of dire import what Member is returned to Parliament for a particular constituency: he considers it a really important matter whether we or the Australians play cricket better, he is also much exercised over the particular sect to which individuals belong. These may be, nay are, matters of great importance to individuals, but they are of very little importance as regards national life. I would go farther, and say that the national capacity for getting rich counts for absolutely nothing, as compared with the conservation of those forces which express themselves in noble art. These forces may—very likely will—lead to riches, as they have often done before (usually with rather bad results), but without them riches can lead only to rottenness.