The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1847-11-05
NEW SERIES---VOL. 2. NO. 96.

sacred music or practice it as formerly
They are litteraly silenced, since none
but those who "practico"---the initiated
--can keep up with the endless success
ion of new tunes, or notifications Of old
ones; these changes are often made
on purpose to distance and confound
those who sing below. Moreover, some
of them even have conscientious scruples
about mingling their voices with those OF
hired choiristers, gathered up, as some
of them are, from the ungodly world, in
singing the praises of Jehovah. Let
this great evil in Gods house be abated
let the sanctuary be clensed, and let the
ancient mode be restored, aud we shall
then again hear congregational singing.
And is the perpetual whispering, rust
ling of leaves of music books. exchange
of billets, &c, that is witnessed in choirs,
especially during the last prayer Of the
pastor, nothing to be complained Of? And
then the strife and contention, and occa-
sisnal blowout and "hare up" of
which we hear from time to time! He is,
indeed, a happy minister who has not
found occasion for the interposition of pa
cific influences among the members of
his choir; and that is favored congrega-
ton that has not had cause TO complain
of annoyance through the irreverent con-
duct and pugnacious temperament of
some, at least, Of its members.
Who can forget the impressiveness of
the psalmody in days of yore, when "the
staid and meek pastor stood before the
pulpit with an occasional helper, and
when that plain, crowded sanctuary pre-
sented a whole congregation, with scarce
an exception, with books open, looks in
tent, voices raised-- fathers at the head
of their families, blending their voices in
the same strains and sentiments, and
each one acting as though deeply con-
scious of it. An affecting contrast with
the sight so generally presented now, of
looking about, turning toward the gallery
sometimes in seeming rapture, and others
in manifest annoyance mutual whlsp.
ering, or listless, yawning, Indifferent
expression, which seems to say: We have
reached all outward stage in our progress
and are taking recess while the choir
are sporting with the troubled air. We
have lately heard pastors sigh in recol-
lection of months past and express a
hearty desire that they had only the priv
ilege of comparing the two systems by a
permission to place the clerk before the
pulpit again, though it was only for a
monthstrial Of the good old way"
We close with and extract from curl
GUS book, Something for every Body"
Respecting choirs, the author says, in e.
pistolary style:--
But, reverend Sir, | bumbly conceive
you clergy have small right to complain.
The many evils of irreligious choirs
were told and prophesied hundred
times; and many church, otherwise
prospering, has been sadly injured by
such an unchristian committee installed
to do singing. Rather by far would |
recall the solitary clerk who, in former
days, rose in his desk under the pulpit,
and not only set the tune for the people,
but set the people themselves so agoing
that hundreds of voices, and with the
heart in them, would, in unity, pour forth
a hymn of praise that would take and
move the very soul of the worshippers;
yet these moderns talk of our discord in
those times Dscord, ndeed We
might retort, and tell of what, it is more
likely, many. most loud in their abuses
of congregational singing, are ignorant
"a deep melody of the interior heart
that has an acceptable song in the ears of
God. But, Sir, we did not make discord,
even in the sense of polished and scien-
ti6c moderns. Our plain old tunes were
so known, and from long habit so nat
ural to us, that without any shutting pa
rade of note. books, we could sing, and
we did sing, in tune and time; and in
most long established congregations, and
especially where the clerk had a singing
school during the whole year, the com
bined melody was wonderfully rich, SOL
emn and spiritualizing And why notl
Had people no voice, no ear in former
days? And how could we make discord,
with tunes so easy, so familiar, so solemn
as were ours? Ihave heard as much dis
cord and as bad time in most choirs as
were heard among Christians. And even
organs, flutes and bass viols are some
times rebellious, and do the worship con-
trary to the rules in all books from-I
forget where down to the Boston Acad-
emy's. Even in the most favored church
es, where, perhaps, singers are all that
can be wished morally, intellectually and
musically, sometimes we fear, the sing
ing is prone to become mere entertain
ment rather than deuotiOn the error be-
ing in the system and not in the persons
But do not wholly condemn choir-sing-
ing. Perhaps it might be made more
profitable means of leading our devotions
than the other way. Certainly an entire
congregation could be trained, by judi.
cious management, to sing with a choir
as we once sang with a precentor, OF
clerk. When we get out Of our existing
trouble-which, by the way, will plague
you and your church officers no little
then, ncver, no necer allow your choir tc
be composed Of irreligious people, and
particularly ofyoung ones. 1fthey should
not, as is more commonly the case, de
stroy your peace, and threaten temporary
ruin to your church, it does strike me al