Smyrna times., 1859-11-24
Shouting.

DR.. Wheden, in the October number of the
Methodist Quarterly ReuieO, in noticing a
new book on " Shouting, genuine and spurious,
in all ages of the Church." says:
'.The author of this volume is entitled to re-
spect for his piety, and sympathy for his mis:or
tune but he has produced very weak and
very pernicious book. We love piety blend
ing holy emotion with intellect. We know
the rich power of spiritual Joy. We thank God
for the religion which has in all ages made men
weep and shout, and has even resulted, through
human infrmity, in jerks and catalepsies; but
we desire no effort TO promote the weeping,
shouting, jerking and catalepsy as distinct in
stituton. We love in our home the gladness
and buoyancy which make our children noisy
and riotous but it is no disparagement to our
parental love that when the noise and the riot
become special objects, or assume indecorous
forms, we take measures to abate the domestic
nuisance. And specially when the noise Is
cherished by them as in itself a source of plea
sure, arousing the nerves by Its conclusions,
and exciting the animal by its negaton of re-
straint, it is an act and duty of parental kind
ness not only to suppress the demonstration, but
10 correct the taste that enjoys it. With just
the same view, as a pastor, we love in the
church the rich devotion which prompts to ear
nest manifestations; but as we think " nature
! itself teaches " that such mani ifeStGtiOn is ra-
ther to be an irrepressible accident than object !;
that it is never to be made an aim that when
unchecked, it is very liable TO assume unseen
ly forms and extravagant lengths, and that its
encouragement is very apt to produce sensu-
GUS love of the nervous excitement, and to en-
gender very uninteligent style of piety.
"To certain extent it is true that extrava-
giant external demonstration of emotion is the
Characteristic of rude age, society, or class.
The very essencesof savagesm, indeed, consists
in wreakng it's malign emotions in cruel action
upon its victims. The half-civilized man gives
!. free vent to his impulses in unmodifed, un-
chastened laughter, crying, shouting, bowling,
leaping and dancing. The Old Testament pre-
sents specimens of this in fact and in language,
which are not to be quoted as models for action,
or literal requirements for obedience. The
rams horns of Jericho would not justify reli-
gious charivari, nor the dance of David autho-
rize holy cotillion. AS society advances, de-
corum chastens our exhibitions of emotion aud
e the cultivation of the intellect, and the refine
{ ment of the taste, while in fact they deeper
+ our better feelings, soften their expression
g The Old Testament mother wept and howled
9 and even hired salaried howlers to express he
e extrayagant grief. But her affections wer,
8 less pure, less deep, than those of yonder chris
d tian mother, who hides the face suffused will
J. silent tears The expression of religious emo
g ton obeys the same laws; and he who wishe
J, to cultivate extravagant religious demonstra
e ton in itself, as an object simply, desires
D, send us back to rude antiquity. He cherishe
D, forced and false enthusiasm; and when, i
s. addition to that, he rebukes as false professor
le the Christians who maintain chaste reserve
he becomes censorious and condemnable. II
then exhibits the " enthusiasm with an nfusie
10 of the malgn emotions which is, as near 9
O. we can recslect, Isaac Taylor's exquisite def
! 1T on of fanaticism."