The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-03-09

WOMEN IN CHURCH CHons AWFUL DIscIO-
suREe.- The Churchman's Of this city, he strin-
gent old fogy organ of the round head Ep.sco-
psliane, Is out hammer and .orgs" against
the beautiful and universal prac tice % employ
ing women in the service of the church choirs.
From long protest upon the subiect ia it's
last number this redeubtahle hide-oound old
foey Churckman says
he fact H. that not only Ia out Of all order and ALI
thee ~ ussee for women to sing in church ch,rs out
their not adaped for true chursh music thy
too tsc eeminate for it's gravity sud do
vUtiop; IL il only In Tho operate and ballad music 10
properly 20 proaney introduced into too many Of oar
chOr.bes that they are At all in their slemsst and as
thst out Of place In the ervce of the sanctuary
sArurecl y they in its chsirs II against the
o,uch music wopens voi,es adapted for, learn
eiDebsm that st Jerome snd others OF the fathers,
hequenty acclaimed with sharp and severe inves ives
s'iemasirg n as osipg an introduction OF the cor
ruPn ard hen.nscy Of secular music into the grave
sid solemn devotiOus of the church."
"'TOo sensuous and too effemiuate for the
gravity and devotion" of church music and
lit is emily in operatic and ballad music"
that they are at all in their element" What
is the church coming to when the enchanting.
faith and hope-inspiring voice OF women is re-
pudiated as /" too sensuous and too effeminate"
for the service of God? But the Churchman
has other and more particular reasons against
the employment of women in the grave de
votiens" of the choir. He says, and to the
scandal of the church he says it, that
TIE nexpeciency Of the practice needs no argument
either to or 70 denounce t. beyond that which the
common condition of our church orchesras' itself so
s,ikipgy furnishes l. Is condition tpat violating
the ordinary morality, and the simplest decorum
coy nothing its disregard Of ali religious reverence
lie standing oisg to s There ia most mischie
stuck mp as they ave sioft at the back of aud
curtain ed # from the "audiepee"-and We have 1t
a sSA1 there s ss snd
dramatically perretrated in many OF them, when, In
such place and On such an oce.sion shocking to
thin Of and which combined with other improprietes,
must wiring from many an earnest Christian mind the In
dIgnsnt exclamation
O, reform il, reform it, altogether.
We are amazed. We, too, with our reverend
discipliDarian, fall back upon Shakspere and
eXclaim-
Can these things be,
Ard overcome like tummer's cloud
Without our special wonder9
Is it possible that "in the pauses" of the
"erave devotions" of the church perhaps to pre-
vent themselves from falling asleep under the
drowsy rigmarole Of prosy sermon, the young
men and maidens Of the choir amuse them
selves in "levities and FITTINGS, and profanities
and mockeries, habitually and systematically"
The Churchman says so, on "unquestionable au-
tbority," and it must be 80.
But the remedy it proposes is too harsh, pu-
ritanical and barbarous altogether. What ex-
pei the fair sex from the choir "entirely" for
these causes? No! A thousand times no.
These "firtings and profanities and levities
and mockeries" may be stopped by more hu-
name plan than this. Put some such sentinel
as the old Bluebeard of the Churchnmn upon the
watch during the church services, "with power
to send for persons and papers" or run up q high
and close partition Of solid two inch white oak
plank between the young gents and the young
ladies OF the choir. II either or both these
plans should fail to remedy the sins complained
OF, then we shall be ready for more summary
course Of action. We shall then, but not till
then, advocate the removal of the choir down
into the very body of the church, where the
singers will be under the eyes Of the whole
congre cation, and the preacher, and the clerk,
and the sexton all the time. Should this last
expedient also fail to kill off these "firt-
ipgs, profanities," &C., as last resort,
rather than expel the inofensive women
from the services of the sanctuary, we shall
be prepared to dismiss the parson and shut up
the chop. Upon these flour points" we are
prepared to stand against all the churchmen
from the Bowling Green to the High Bridge.
And we are in for the war, " for its cause is
just"