Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-05-06
hONMUUlA COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSN.
Henry Ward Beecher on Methodist
Singing.

Singing.
We came across the following capital
article, in an exchange paper, from the
pen of Henry Ward Beecher. We trust
that our Methodist friends will thank US
for publishing it; and as it hits so
many other churches in the right place,
we hope they will take a hint from the re
marks Of this gifted man. He spent the
sabbath some time ago at Mattewan, and
visited a Methodist chapel FOR worship
which gave occasion for this extract
Baltimore Patriot.
by the way, yesterday %morningI was
at Methodist church here. A very pleas
ant room it is, and | am told that u very
worthy society occupy it, But have a
most weighty charge to bring against the
good people, 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 the modern
conceits laugh at. Imagine my chargin,
when after reading the hymn, up rose the
choir from the shelf at the other end Of
the room, and began to sing a monoton-
ous tune OF the modern music book style.
The patient congregation stood up meek
ly to be sung to, as men stand under rain
when there is no shelter.
Scarcely a lip moved. No one seemed
to hear the hymn, OR to care for the mu-
sic. How | longed for the good old
Methodist thunderI One good burst of
old fashioned music would have blown
this modern singing out of the windows
like wadding from a gun. Men may call
this an Improvement and genteeli-
Gentility has nearly killed our churches,
and it will kill Methodist churches if they
give way to its false and pernicious am
bition. We know very well what good
old fashioned Methodist music was. 1t
had faults enough doubtless, against taste;
but it had an inward purpose, and a re-
~ligious earnestness, which enabled it to
array it's faults, and to triumph in spite of
them. 1t was worship.
Yesterday music was tolerable sing
ing, but very poor worship. We are sor
ry that Just as our churches are beginning
to initiate the former example Of Metho.
dist churches, and to introduce melodies
that the people love. aud 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 u.s.
1t will mark a greater length of decline.
We could hardly believe oar eyes and ears
yesterday. We could not persuade our.
selves that we stood in a Methodist church.
We should have supposed it to be q good
solid Presbyterian or Congregational
church, in which the choir and pulpit per-
formed everything, and the people did
nothing.
Our brethren in this church must not
take these remarks unkindiy. They are
presented in all kindness and Affection
The choir sung better than choirs in city
churches, but no one sang with them. The
people were mute. They used their ears
and not their mouths! But alas! we miss
ed the old fervor-the good old fashioned
Methodist fire. We have seen the time
when one Of Charles Weslag's hymns, tax
ing the congregation by the hand, would
lead them up to the gate of heaven. But
yesterday it only led them up as far as
the choir, about ten feet above the pews.
This will never do.
Methodists viii make grand, good, wor-
shipping Christians, if they are not
ashamed Of their own ways, but very
poor ones if they are. Brethren you
are in the wrong. 1t will never do for
you to silence the people. Your fire will
go out if you rake it up under the ashes
of a false refinement. Let an outsider,
but a we'll wisher, say these plain words
to you without offence. Tie Methodist
church has laid the Christian world under
a great debt by its service in the cause
of Christ, and we have a right in it, as
common Christians, too great to suffer
US to see signs of degeneracy in it with
out signs of sorrow andalarm. We hope
God means to do great good by it yet,
for our land.
But it will not be by giving up heart
and soul, zeal and popular enthusiasm, in
worship, for the sake of. sham propriety
and tasteful Journalism, that the Metho-
dist church will become yet further eff
cient.-We hope to see such a revival Of
religion among them as shall come like a
freshet upon their churches and sweep
out the channels of song, and carry away
the dead wood and trash which has al
ready damned up the current Of song, and
made the congregation stagnant. Oh,
that there might be a rain of righteous
ness upon them, which shall swell their
hearts to overlooking, and cleanse their
sanctuary from all Journalism, and espe-
cially from the Journalism of pedantic
music p
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