Marching to a Different Tune

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Readers should take care not to conclude from Gene Weingarten's wonderful "Pearls Before Breakfast" [Magazine, April 8] that federal bureaucrats (such as me) are a pack of cultural illiterates.

Rather, the Magazine's elegant subway experiment teaches us that the value of one individual to another lies not in the elitist cachet that select segments of our society self-servingly assign to individuals such as violinist Joshua Bell but in the utility that any individual has in relation to the next item on our daily to-do lists. If we have a toothache, we value the competence of our dentist. If we are in a hurry to get to work, we value the competence of the Metro train operator. If we are hungry for uplifting music, we value the competence of a Joshua Bell performance or CD.

-- Dennis Askwith

Gaithersburg

This Magazine "experiment" was set up to fail. As one who rides the Metro to work, I can tell you that no one stops and congregates at the stations in the morning; people barely break stride to grab the handout newspapers. Stopping to listen to a musician, no matter how good, would create congestion and make people late for work.

Had Joshua Bell played on the platform, it would have been different. It would also have been different had he played in the evening.

For The Post to expect a crowd of people on their way to their jobs to stop and listen to a busker, no matter how talented, is foolish.

-- Karen Davis

Laurel

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The Joshua Bell article sent chills up my spine. He is a real human being, grounded and confident, but also a person who will take the risk of playing in the Metro with his priceless Strad. What other master violinist today would take on a challenge as leveling? Switching roles from the extreme of renowned virtuoso to anonymous street musician? My respect for him has grown exponentially. Bravo to him and to The Post for the daring and thoughtful probing of Metro's sunrise troglodytes.

-- Robert Younes

Potomac

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I feel the response to the Magazine's "test" was not wasted. It proved that federal government employees are dedicated and punctual. The Magazine's test was not, however, a good reflection of people's taste or Joshua Bell's talent. You held your test when employees were scheduled to be at work. Of course they were not going to stop and make themselves late. If you had held your test during lunch hour, I am positive that you would have achieved a different result.

-- Joanne Schlosser

Charlotte Hall

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What a wonderful accompaniment to my breakfast. Would I have recognized Joshua Bell? No. Would I have stopped to listen? I hope so. Would I have thrown him a quarter? No chance; they are all in my car's ashtray to feed the meters.

-- Ted Task

Rockville