pupils of Mr Hullah were stated to be allowed to attend, have been
declared to be "packed" meetings. There is an _equivoque_ in the terms
pupil and classes; with the public they would naturally be taken to mean
those persons, and those only, who had _commenced_ their musical career
in the classes taught by Mr Hullah: but according to the official
interpretation of the terms, they appear to mean, all who now are or
ever have been receiving instruction in Wilhelm's method. Now, it must
be remembered, that Mr Hullah has instructed in Wilhelm's method many
who had, for years, gained their bread by teaching music; who, having
been induced to abandon their old system, and to adopt the new method
from the superior remuneration it affords, were probably all able to
take as efficient a part in the performance, when they commenced the
nine lessons which entitle them to the certificate of competency, as
when their course of instruction was concluded. Hundreds of such pupils
may, for aught we know, have been judiciously disposed among the
remainder of the 1700 who performed on the grand occasions to which we
allude. But to enable us to judge of the efficiency of a system of
instruction, we must not only witness the performance of the pupil, but
we must also know the point from which he started. Now, these
demonstrations having been got up expressly for the purpose of
exhibiting the skill and progress of Mr Hullah's classes, all,
therefore, that was necessary in order to form a judgment upon the
question thus submitted to the public, though not directly asserted, was
nevertheless necessarily implied. At all events, the public were simple
enough so to understand the matter. But when the mistake was at length
discovered, instead of at once correcting the error, if such indeed it
was, recourse was had to a disingenuous quibble on words, which would,
therefore, seem to have been purposely rendered obscure. It will thus be
seen how fallacious a test these performances afford, either of the real
merits of the system, or of the actual progress or efficiency of those