There was an interesting juxtoposition of articles in the Trib’s opinion page today. Swimming upstream in the battle over the St. Louis County Schools building plan a Rev. Dale offered a somewhat eligiac paen to the wonderful new schools available to the County schools if only everyone would please be nice and stop fighting.
He began by writing about the soaring music refered to as the “lost cord.” I’d not heard of this before except for the head shop my sister in law used to work at in Mankato Minnesota. Only that was the “lost chord” with an H in it. Sure enough there is such a piece of music and its given a little write up in Wikipedia and I’m sure some of the other links I found for it when I googled play back the actual music.
Never having read the word chord written without the h unless it meant a rope I wondered if the term could have an alternate spelling especially as the good reverend referred to the cord without the h numerous times. Surely a copy writer or Trib editor would have caught the error and gently suggested the correct spelling. As a guy who is a faulty speller (although an accomplished pronouncer) I was sympathetic. I recall years ago trying to remember how to spell “walk” and thinking that it didn’t look right with an l in it. ” I’ve had editors correct my spelling and grammar when I submitted letters to the Trib before so reading the multiple cords suggested to me that the Trib is finally facing or defacing the music.
So, I was just searching the DNT website looking for the above referenced opinion piece and its not just the h that is lost. I can’t find the essay anywhere on the DNT site. To hunt for it in the search ending I did pick up the paper paper and saw the heading mention’s Rev. Dale’s “chord” and spells it properly. That was the only correction which leaves me to wonder if the good Reverend thinks that brick and mortar will really accomplish the mission he writes about of “…playing some beautiful note in public education.” to bolster “…the traditional liberal arts, a foundation that created the American genius.”
This seems to suggest two things. 1 that public schools are meant to prepare children for college and 2. that new buildings will insure the success of learning. Both of these are somewhat doubtful and the former point was contradicted in the letter to the editor cozying up next to Rev. Dale’s tome. That letter was from a Mr. Tim Riley (also missing from the online Trib) who makes the point that public education should not only be the province of college preparatory classes and Education degreed teachers.
Mr. Riley’s letter struck a cord with me. Like a cinched noose his logic was air tight.
