From the Russian soil has come every conceivable type of genius. It has produced great poets, writers, composers, painters, singers, and artists honored by almost all the countries in the world. Whether or not Russia is admired, Russian art is valued highly. At this time, however, I do not wish to speak of these geniuses of the past, for they are already well known to the world. I wish to speak here of Russian-Americans. Here in America, among the workers' families of Russian descent, talented children have been born; perhaps they will not receive world renown, nevertheless they are very talented. Whether or not they will rise to the world stage, it is difficult to say. If they do not, it is not their fault; it is rather the fault of the material and environmental conditions which do not permit the parents to develop the talents [of their children].

I have written more than once of the talented Russian children in America, 2especially in Chicago, but many of them still remain unnoticed, unknown to anyone. How many of them remain completely neglected by their parents? Of course, no matter how talented the child is, its talent will remain latent, unless it is developed. Not all parents, of course, are concerned about their children. There are a few Russian parents in America who are willing to sacrifice every ounce of energy to develop the talents of their children. Such parents deprive themselves of every comfort, they sacrifice everything in order to develop the child's natural talents. I shall speak of one such parent in this article--E. Boyko and his ten-year-old son.

The child's talent as a violinist is already conspicuous. Judging by his sense of hearing, his diligence, and the technique he has already acquired, one can prophesy that in due time he will become famous. And if he attains renown, the credit must go to his father, I. E. Boyko. Boyko himself is just a simple laborer. Each dollar he gets is paid for hard work, as is true of every honest worker. No easy money comes to the family. Boyko is a son of a peasant from the province of Voliin. He did not come here from 3a luxurious background, but from a poverty-stricken one, as did all of us. While he was here, he not only had to work hard, but he had to defend American bourgeois democracy, as well.

Upon his return, in sound health, from France, Boyko resumed his hard work. At this time, the Bolsheviks in Russia proclaimed the slogan: "the factories to the workers, land to the peasants". Like most of us, Boyko dreamed of Russia because it finally became his real motherland. He yearned for it, but his dreams did not come true. The situation changed: his joy and delight were cut short, What to do? The years roll by, life moves toward its inevitable end. Boyko married, but Mother Russia still remained his inspiration and dream. He enjoys, as always his native music and song. He is a peasant's son, and it is well known that peasants--those toilers of the field--are naturally endowed with music in their souls, for throughout their lives, they are inextricably bound to nature. And this musical inheritance, Boyko brought over to this country.

Boyko himself, when he was only a boy in his native village, began to reveal 4his love for music, but poverty gave him no chance to study. Even when he came to America, he could not devote himself to his beloved study. His exhaustion from his heavy work, and other unfavorable circumstances, as well as his army service in France, prevented him from following his calling.

But Boyko never entirely gave up his cherished dream. He realized it in his son. For a number of years, he has devoted all of his labor, care and attention to the development of his son, and he does not regret it, for his efforts have already borne abundant fruit. His ten-year-old boy is already a remarkable violinist. He plays not only folk music, but classical compositions of the great composers, as well.

When I heard him play, I was astonished both by his talent and by his vigor. Small Boyko can play for several hours, without interruption, with such devotion and vigor that at times would overtax the strength of a grown-up man. The father of young Boyko values the talents of his son highly, 5and concentrates all his attention upon him. In the beginning, when the boy had just begun to show his musical talent the father took violin lessons, and studied music himself, so that the child should not feel lonesome during his music lesson. At the present time, the father is also a good musician. But when I remarked about this, Boyko, with native humor replied: "No, I shall never be a violinist because I am exhausted by hard work and my fingers are stiff; I just try to imitate my son, and I try to give him more courage."

Later, I was convinced that father Boyko had told me the truth, that he does not aspire to be a musician, and whatever he does, he does only for the sake of his son. His son, to him, is his only dream and hope. The father of the small violinist spends both his spiritual and material resources to pay the music teacher and to buy instruments and music. The father paid three hundred dollars for the boy's newest violin. I congratulate such fathers from the bottom of my heart, and I hope that their children will be healthy, energetic, and successful in their endeavors.

It would be a great treat to have young Boyko play at the concert to be given by the newspaper Rassviet, on January 27.