The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1875-06-08 00:00:00

DEAN STANLEY ON CHURCH MUSIC.

A large congregation attended at 'Westminster Abbey on
Saturday afternoon, when a choral festival service was
given by the London Church Choir AMOCiat4oll. No fewer
than &O choiristers from the different metropolitan
churches took part in it. The sermon was preached by
the Dean of Westminster, from the 19th and 214 versee
of the Second Book of Chronicles, on the introduction of
music into the public worship of Cod. The shunt
universal experience of tffiristehilion hail decided in favour
of the use of this great art as an almost indispensable
addition, in some shape or other, to public womhip. The
Psaltery was the most devotional, as well as the most
spiritual book in the whole Bible, and at the same time
the moat musical. Almost the only notice we had of
Christian worship in the Apostolic age was the "speaking
to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the IselL'
mentioned by St. Paul. in later days the Eastern Church,
which abhorred instrumental music hail fat least in the
Russian branch of it) carries' vocal music to a sur-
prising pitch of excellence : the Western church
bed developed instrumental music in her services to a
degree unknown in medieval times, and the greater part
nf the Protestant rommunions followed either the one or
the other. Even in the most barbarous of the Eastern
Churches (as, for example), that of Abyssinia) music
was the chief medium of worship, and the Presbyterian
Church in Scotland, which once regarded the organ
with it., eid pipes as the mystical beast of the APoca-
lypee, now received that instrument, which had, in the
Established Church of Scotland at least.. an alobet
recognised position. Even in the silent worship f the
Friends the sineing of hymns was now tolerated, and in
our modern revival services, which thoned with all
forms, the chief and favourite mode of appealing to
immense masses of worshippers was by sacred songs and
trained choirs. There were many advantages in a worship
of melody. Many who failed to recognise the common
Saviour In forms of prayer could recognise Him in a
simple hymn, and creeds, and definitions and symbols of
the faith lost their harshness and keenness in a flood of
melody. Upon those, therefore, who conducted our
services was thrown a great responsibility. How often
the religious aspirations of the clergy and the singers
l behind the spiritual b the
melodies conveyed in e
itgedies given forth so sweetly from voice and organ.
This was a difficulty they must all acknowledge and face.
It was the weakest part of these splendid choral services,
it was the dead fly which caused the whole ointment, the
fragrance of which filled the house, to stink. But it need
not be so. As the preacher could only be a true preacher
if he hail a full belief in what he preached, so the Psalms,
and anthems, and hymns must be sung with intelligence
awl understanding, and the spirit they breathed, whethie
of supplication or of praise, must come from the heart as
well as the lips, and should bear the fruit of good, honest,
truthful, peaceful lives. The choir sung the Halleluiah
Chorus, and the service concluded with the benediction,
pronounced by the Dean.

LORD ELCIIO ON THE ARMY AND VOLUNTEER
FORCES.
A new corps of volunteers, numbering about RN, having
been raised amongst the men living in the Artisans' Town,
called the Shaftesbury-park Estate, Wandsworth, the
corps on Saturday had a march out. The corps, on, its
return, bad a substantial tea. Lord Elcho presided, and
In the course of • lengthened speech, said be well retml-
lected the commencement of the volunteer movement 16
years ago, and those who joined the volunteers then
believed that their services would soon be required, look-
ing at the state of Europe and our affairs generally. In
• Oiort time 150,000 Englishmen hail enrolled themselves,
and within • year MAO marched past Her Niejesty, and
he well recollected the effect that it produced not only in
this country but In Europe. The spirit which anitnated
the volunteers then had been maintained to the present
time, and had kept the number of the force up to 160,1100
or 170,00 U men, lie could not help thinking that the
existence of such a hody of men, 30,000 of whom were
artillerymen, and the knowledge of the fact that for
every one who was now in the ranks there were five
others who had passed out of them, but were still
capable of bearing arms, and who on the first intimation
of danger would rejoin their corps, must necessarily lie
taken into account by these who had the marshal:mg of
the i 111 l uense forces of the States on the Continent. His
lordship then referred to the condition of the army
generally, remarking that those who were satisfied with
the present state of things hatl to maintain that with 2,000
garrison guns we had artillerymen to serve only se; they
had to maintain that it was • satisfactory state of things
that we haul to find 2, gunners and drivers ; that it was
satisfactory to have a total infantry force in England,
deducting bore of RI years of age and under, and deduct-
ing one-fourth for casualties, of only :11.1,273 men ; and they
had also to support the proposition that while police
recruits were required to be men measuring inches
round the waist, it Wiwi sufficient for an army recruit to
measure WU inches. They had also to maintain that it was
. satisfactory to have lioys of 17, to, 1:1, and tki years of age
reckoned as efficient soldiers, and drawing pay as such,
but who, if they hail to take the field, would die like
Hies. Ile knew of one remedy for this state if things,
awl one only, a.nd that was to bring into operation the old
English law of compulsory service for Willie defence.
Every Englishman was hound to give personal service in
the militia, unless he could prove that he was doing service
SA a volunteer.