In the course of a century and a half America has produced many eminent men of letters, but no musician who ranks with Beethoven, Liszt, or Debussy. The only American composer who has any claim to rank with the great masters of Europe, Edward MacDowell, has received the same reception in this country as several of our foremost literary men,--that of being criticised by unappreciative inferiors or of being ignored completely. It is, therefore, with interest that we read in an editorial in the New York Times that the Trustees of the American Academy in Rome have added musical composition to the curriculum. The Academy further proposes to "institute a national prize competition for an American fellowship to be awarded each year for a period of three years."

Just as competing for the Prix de Rome revealed the extraordinary ability of Berlioz and Debussy, so the awarding of an American Fellowship may bring out another MacDowell. Those who complain of the misdirected energies of the "materialistic" American people will be pleased to note the increasing tendency toward aesthetic appreciation, for, while not directly subsidized by the American government, the Academy functions under a charter from Congress. And who knows but that the flavor of foreign recognition is just the straw of confidence Americans want and need? After all, ours is an embryo development, sans tradition, sans reputation, and recognition from abroad may be the impetus necessary to awaken latent genius.