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he gives to ensure the correct position of the hand on the key-board, or the fingering of a scale. Obviously then, as local examinations do not pre- tend to educate, and as the examiner only makes the best of things as he finds them, the London colleges, instead of doing anything for education in the provinces, simply do nothing for it. Musical education — such as it is — is simply helping to pay vast sums of money to the London colleges : a suffi- cient amount, possibly, to have established a school for music ! Glasgow and Edinburgli have long acknowledged that musical art can never make real progress in our midst until a centre of musical education is estab- lished and conducted on the same principles as the best Conservatoires on the Continent or in London ; but there has been notliing as yet but talk. Nor is there much probability of anything being done in the future unless the matter is taken up by the professional musicians themselves. The London institutions have been quick to see that the pro- vinces required something authoritative — something bearing a name and a red seal — and have come forward with their Local Examination Scheme. This has replenished their coffers, but has it done any good besides ? If it has, the good is rapidly becoming a flagrant evil, because a thorough musi- cal education is not sought for as it should be. The would-be musical public no longer asks for education, it only wants to pass an examination. And what is the consequence . More incapable teachers than ever. Fortunately principals of schools are gradually finding this out, and candi- dates for a situation find their examination certi- ficates viewed with a considerable amount of suspicion. Before leaving the educational side of this question, a few words remain to be said regard- ing the influence of examinations upon the in- dividual. A student, whatever his pursuit, requires encouragement ; not, of course, the encouragement of his friends, for that, even although judicious and well intended, often does more harm than good. The interest of the student is aroused wlien lie begins to see his way into a subject ; and only when the true purpose of music as an art — (not as a short cut to an examination) — begins to reveal itself to him is he really encouraged to pursue his studies further. If a candidate succeeds in passing an examination, it has one of two effects. Either she (for the candidates are mostly ladies) stops at that point, and her friends exert their influence to procure her a situation ; or, if she does not require to teach, the document may be framed and luing on the wall, while the owner is expected to do her best for the entertainment of friends at musical ' At Homes ' or Charity Concerts. Seldom indeed does the possession of an important-looking docu- ment have the effect of encouraging a lady to pursue the art for its own sake. Those who are really in earnest go to Germany or London as soon as they can. Then, in the case of failure. The poor unfor- tunate is either pitied or laughed at ; and although a few kind souls endeavour to show her that she was unfairly treated, or the victim of nervousness or miscliance, they cannot succeed in rekindling the latent spark of enthusiasm which may liave existed. It has been our endeavour in this article to show, that the influence exerted by Local Examinations on musical education is worse than useless, or posi- tively injm'ious. In a future number we shall take up the matter briefly from the professional point of view, and, at the same time, say a few words as to the plans which might be adopted for promoting the establishment of a School of Music in Scotland. Libra. THE NEW COVENANT' ODE. TO be called upon to write a work for a special occasion — and more especially such an occa- sion as the inauguration of an International Exhi- bition — must at all times be rather a thankless task for a composer. It is quite a different thing when the choice of a subject is left in the hands of the musician himself, and he is at liberty to select a theme which may inspire liis imagination, or, at all events, absorb his attention sufficiently to enable him to forget that he is engaged upon a work that must contain certain effects, and be written to a given pattern. Dr. Mackenzie seems to us evidently to liave felt this, for lie has made no attempt to free himself from conventionality. He has been given what was, to liim, an uninteresting subject, and the result is an uninteresting composition. The composer of ' La belle Dame sans Merci ' and ' Colomba ' would, we have no doubt, make an attempt to work himself into a condition of mind that might bear