The modern school must teach boys and girls much more dependable knowledge than was imparted at Dotheboys Hall, and no modern teacher will abuse his privilege and opportunity as did Mr. Squeers; but it will be a good thing if it is remembered in the modern schoolroom that the educational ideal is twofold. It demands, first, that the child shall be taught to know a thing. It requires, second, that he shall not fail to make definite use of the knowledge which he has gained. Thus it will be made to mean the most in education to him and the most in service to the world. The Sound-Reproducing Machine as a Music Teacher (1919) Many changes for the better have taken place in American life during the past two decades; among these is a remarkable advance in musical art, knowledge, and appreciation. Europe once had sufficient grounds to look down upon us for our crudity in matters musical, but now we are beginning to have dignity and standing in the musical world. In this marked advance, the sound-reproducing machine has borne an important part. During the period named, it has evolved from the status of a curious toy to that of a splendid instrument, present and active in the best homes in this country. It is true, people often start in with the flimsiest of popular music, “rags,” “blues,” and such; but let one good classic find its accidental way into this motley collection—and things begin to change. The taste of the listener is on its way to better things. The small daughter of a friend of mine stepped out from the home into public school. At once, the parents were distressed to notice that she began to show a taste for the cheapest sort of music—a natural contagion from the class of children with whom she associated. The parents cast about for an antidote to this ill. They found it in the purchase of a sound-reproducing machine and an abundance of really good records—ranging from simple ballads to symphony movements. It worked. At once, instead of humming and whistling popular songs with their often vulgar words, she begged for the better music of the machine at home, and this music gradually pushed the other stuff out of her mind—the inevitable action of good over bad. No doubt this little seriocomedy has been enacted all over the country, raising the standard of musical taste.