The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1857-11-20
BEECHER ON MErHoDIsT SINGING,

| bEECHEh ON METHODIST SINGING
We came across the following capital ar.
ticle, In an exchange paper, from the pen Of
Henry Ward Beecher. We trust that our
Methodist friends will thank us for publish.
ing IL and as 1t hits so many other churches
in the right place, we hope they will take a
hint from the remarks Of this gifted man.
He spent Sabbath some time ago al Matte
avian and visited Methodist Chapel for wor-
ship, which gave an occasion for this extract:
@By the way, yesterday morning I was at
the Methodist Church here. A very plsas-
ant room Il is, and am told that very wor.
thy society occupy Il. But have a most
weighty charge to bring agaiust the good peo-
pie, Of musical apostacy. | had expected a
treat Of good, hearty singing. There were
Charles Wesley's hymns, and there were the
good old Methodist tunes, that ancient piety
loved, and modern conceit laughs at luna
giue my shaGrin when. after reading the
hymn, up rose the choir nom the shelf at the
other end Of the church, and began to singla
monotonons tune Of the modern music ook
style. The patient congregation stood up
meekly to be sung to, as men stand under
rain when there Is no shelter.
Scarcely lip moved. No one seemed to
hear the hymn, or to care for the music. How
Ilonged for the good old Methodist thunder!
One good burst Of old-fashioned music would
have blown this modern singing out Of the
windows like waddlng from gun! Men may
call this an Improvement, and genteel! Gen.
tility has nearly killed our churches, and it
will kill Methodist Churches If they give
way to its false and pcrnicious ambition. We
know very well what good old-fashioned
Methodist music was! Il had faults enough.
doubtless, against taste. But Il had an in
ward purpose and religious earnestnes.
which enabled it to carry all It's faults, and 10
triumph in spite Of them. II pas worship.
Yesterdays music was tolerable singing,
but very poor worship. We are sorry that,
just as our Churches are beginning to initiate
the former example of Methodist Churches,
and to introduce melodies that the people
love, and to encourage universal singing in
the congregation, our Methodist brethren
| should pick up our cast-off Journalism in
Church music. It will be worse with them
than with us. It will mark greater length
of decline. We could hardly believe our
eyes and ears yesterday. We couldn't pur-
suade ourselves that we stood before Meth
dist Church. We should have supposed it
to be good solid Presbyterian or Congre-
gational Church, in which the choir and pull
pit performed everything, and the people did
nothing.
Our brethren in this Church must not take
these remarks unkindly. They are present.
ed in all kindness and affection. The choir
sung better than many choirs in city Church.
| n hrf n ,s,skt L.. II
were mute. They used their ears, and not
their mouths! But alas! we missed the old
fervor-the good old.fashioned Methodist
fire. We have seen the time when one ol
Charles Wesley's hymns, taking the congre.
CATION by the hand, would have led them up
to the gate of heaven. But yesterday IL only
led them up rs far as the choir, about ten
feet above the pews. This will never do.
Methodists will make grand good wor.
shipping Christians, If they are not ashamed
Of their own ways; but very poor ones II
they are. Brethren: you are in the wrong
way. 1t will never do for you to silence the
people. Your fire will go out if you rake il
up under the ashes of false refinement. Let
an outsider, but well-wisher, say these
plain words to you without offense. The
Methodist Church has laid the Christian
world under great debt by its service in the
cause Of Christ, and we have right in il,
and an interest in il, as common Christians,
too great to suffer US to see signs of degen-
eracy in II without signs ofsor.ow and alarm.
We hope God means to do great good by it
yet, for our land.
BUTT will not be BY giving up heart and soul
zeal and popular enthusiasm in worship, for
the sake Of sham propriety and tasteful fo..
malism, that the Methodist Church will be.
come yet further efficient. We hope to see
such revival of religion among them aa
shall come like freshet upon their churches,
and sweep out the channels of song, nnd car.
ry away the dead wood and trash which has
already damned up the current Of song, and
made the congregation stagnant. Oh! that
there might be rain Of righteousness upon
them which shall swell their hearts to over.
flowing, and cleanse their sanctuary from all
Journalism, and especially from the Journalism
Of pedantic music"