Clarence simply could not learn to play the violin. Clarence's teacher was with the Philharmonic (symphony) orchestra - and
an excellent player himself. Clarence, however, lacked the passion for music and did not have an ear for music either. Besides, his violin itself was bulky and fragile, and Clarence had some
difficulty in handling it. The music that came out from his violin was loud, and somewhat abrasive. In other words, the gap between the tutor and the taught was simply too great to be bridged! It took only three lessons for Herr M. to inform Clarence's father that his student would never be able to play the violin.
Father's reaction to Clarence's lack of talent was negative; and he refused to accept the verdict. Father insisted that Clarence be taught to play music, no matter how long it takes. Both Herr M. and his student decided not to tell father about the boy's nearsightedness.
Father would probably have thought that they were just making excuses for not carrying on with the music classes. Father was that sort of person - the other family members faced some difficulty in going against his stated wishes. Instead, Herr M. simply lent the boy his glasses...
Father laid down the law for the entire family. Though Father knew nothing of the finer points of debating, father's personality was a strong one; and this is best revealed by his skill(s) in debating:
i) Father's voice was not only the loudest, but also the most vigourous.
ii) Father was convinced that he was always right, and his opponents were always in the wrong.
iii)When he lost a debating point, father simply changed the issue, onto grounds that he was more comfortable with.
Father's motto was to never give up. Under most circumstances this is good advice to follow, and father certainly felt that it could be applied to Clarence learning to play the piano. Herr M. - or, at least, his wallet - certainly agreed with all that father had to say in this regard. So the violin lessons continued on regardless.
Until Clarence finally rebelled, and Herr M. had to be branded a failure.
This episode is taken from the popular play Life with Father. The situations described in this episode are not entirely serious. In fact, the situations described are often amusing, and may even be regarded as a self-caricature (in which the author has variously accused his fiddle, his music-master, his family and the entire neighborhood).