brings to the
writer's mind very pleasant recollections of his boyhood's home, and
of the times when he attended school there. Twenty-five years ago, the
colored school-children of Cincinnati were much remarked for excellent
singing. They were not then, as they are now, taught to read music in
the schools, but readily "caught" the pieces to be sung from the
teacher, who sang them over a few times. I remember that at one time
our favorite school-song was one called "The Captive." But only
detached portions of it come to me now. It was a piece descriptive of
the fortunes of war. A soldier of the defeated army is left behind a
prisoner. The song describes his longings for freedom, and desire to
rejoin his now-distant comrades.

I think the chorus ran in this wise:--

"Sound again, clarion,--clarion loud and shrill!
Sound! Let them hear the captive's voice.
Be still, be still!"

No answer being made to this signal, the prisoner thus laments his
cruel fate:--

"They have gone; they have all passed by,--
They in whose wars I have borne my part,
They whom I loved with a brother's heart:
They have left me here to die."

The melody was quite pretty, and the solo of the captive was of music
so appropriate and pathetic as to bring tears to the eyes of both
singer and auditory. Some of my former schoolmates, now grown to
womanhood and manhood, will probably remember better than myself this
song and others that with "glad hearts and free" we used to sing so
earnestly in the schoolroom and at our school-exhibitions. From what I
learn from credible sources, it may be stated, that a visit now to the
schoolrooms of Cincinnati would reveal a scientific acquaintance with
music so great as to almost prevent the making of a comparison between
the two periods under consideration.

The Mozart Circle, under the direction of _Mr. William H. Parham_, is
a vocal organization of twenty-five members, established about three
years ago. In July, 1875, this society gave a public performance, in
costume, of the cantata of "Daniel." No attempt was made to notify the
press that the cantata was to be rendered; but a gentleman of fine
taste, and one who is generally on the lookout for all signs of
art-advancement made by the colored people, was present on the
occasion referred to. His impressions of the performance were
recorded the next day in the Cincinnati "Gazette" and "Commercial,"
and were as f