Since I was the only foreigner present, the master of ceremonies graciously invited me to be a judge but I declined stating that I did not possess the necessary technical knowledge of the requirements, and only knew when a bird's song pleased me, or otherwise.
"But after all, is that not the test of all music' he answered, "that which is most pleasing is certainly the most enjoyed. The same may be said of our feathered friends. If their notes do not ring true, if there is not the proper modulation, crescendo, © sustained power, if their voices are hoarse, surely they are then not pleasing."
"But" I protested, "it is so hard for an Occidental to judge music from Oriental standards. To our untutored ears, Chinese music sounds frequently discordant, because we have been taught other standards of harmony."
"Ah yes, perhaps that it true" he replied. "You do not like Chinese music, because you cannot understand it, cannot appreciate the story it unfolds, because you do not know the underlying motif, nor the theme."
"The same reasoning applies to the songs of the birds" I said "You will judge them from the standards of Cathay, while I would unconsciously apply the European criterions."'" His parchment face wrinkled into a smile. "I insist, however, that you become a mem ber of the judges' committee ex-officio, and permit me to show you some of the really remarkable songbirds we have here."
Leading the little procession of judges we walked back and forth past the cages, with the "ancient'' recounting little anecdotes about: nearly every occupant.
"See, here is a fine example of training" he said, pointing to the bird within which was of the same variety as his own. He uttered a brief command, and the bird sang, another order, and the bird stopped instantaneously. Three or four times this same performance was repeated to my amazement. 'How is it done?" I asked. "How is the bird ever taught to start to stop by human commands?'
"How do Europeans train hunting dogs for the field?" he counter-"By perseverance, and patience ad infinitum" I answered.
"The Chinese train their birds in the same manner'' he replied. OF course it is impossible to train all birds to obey commands, just as dogs occasionally disobey the orders of their masters. But the bird occupies the same place in the Chinese household as the dog does in the homes of other nations. It would not be practicable for economic reasons. for Chinese to keep dogs, since frequently they consume more food*than three or four coolies. A bird on the other hand eats comparatively little, and not the same food that humans eat so it cannot be said to be cheating any hungry mouths. Since the bird is the great pet of the Chinese
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.