Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-07-09

| the hostile members indicated war to the knife
1t was finally agreed not to agree on the sub
ject; it being considered better to let the fddl
fulfill its mission than to create scism in tn
ranks of the old-time church-goers. Th
hops were allowed to take place as usual
though it was generally understood that NJ
church member should allow his sons or daugh
ters to participate in the unholy amusement o
dancing to the sound of a fiddle.
In small country towns singing seems to be g
mania-a disease of the brain. Perhaps this
fondness for vocal music may arise from the
lack OF other means to get up an excitement.
Deacon Potts was good member of the
church, and the musical oracle of the commu
nitv. To be sire he was little ticklish in bus
mess transactions-rather slippery, as they
sometimes term it. To speak plainly, he was
not over honest. 1t is said that a farmer once
happened to say to him during an argument
Brother Potts, you must agree with the old
saying that honesty is the best policy"
II can't positively say that it is, replied the
deacon, for | have never tried it.
Still the man considered himself as good a
christian as the parson himself-for he was
leader and director of the choir and envied no
man but Job Sledge, the blacksmith, who
could out below him on the bass. He praised
| God with all his might-beat time until he mar
| dered it, and shook his finger at the little boys
| who made noise in the gallery. Proud in
deed of his choir was this Deacon Potts, and a
consistant christian too, for when any one
brought up the question of honesty in trade, he
always answered that business and religion were
two different things; the former referred to
things present and the latter to things to come
He was a rare knight of the pitch pipe, this
deacon Potts indefatigable in his exertions to
put his choir on footing with the most finish
ed associations of the kind in the land /; and,
when an itinerant singing master came along,
his chance for forming class was extremely
doubtful, did he not submit himself to strict
examination by the musical pundit of Fudge
town. IF weighed in the scale and found
wanting"-he was Immediately secuted and
pronounced an impostor.
"Can you sound double C?' he would ask
the teacher who sought his patronage.
''No, my voice does not go lower than G,
was the answer.
'Then, can't recommend you; for can do
that myself, and | give up to nobody that can't
produce the double c."
Besides this, he looked on itinerant singing
masters as intruders upon his rightful domain.
He felt himself competent to do all the teach
ing, whether among the juveniles Of the Sab
bath Schools or the aspiring adults who looked
forward to seat in the choir.
This redoubtable maestro once took it into his
head that he had sufficient talent in his choir
to get up an ''Orytory," as he termed it, and
so he pitched into Haydn's Creation and
procured number of copies for the singers,
which he furnished at reasonable proft-say
one hundred per cent.-for with him, business
was business. We must accord him much cred
it for his exertions Every night, and some
times during the day, there were rehearsals,
and for weeks the usual quiet of the town was
disturbed by perspirang vocalists practising their
parts, and bringing creation about, though to
the staid citizens who had no music in their
souls, its seemed to be revertion of the order
of things and turned creation into chaos.
There happened to be professor of music at
a neighboring Institute at the time, and the en-
thusiastic Potts, having become mystifed amid
| the mysterious harmonies of the immortal COM
poser, called upon his professor to extricate him
| from his difficulties. In the interview with
| Potts, the professor learned a new way of ma
king difficult music easy, and within the reach
of untutored minds
| II have come to see you, Professor" said
he, producing book, ''to learn your opinion
of a passage in this book, which I have been
trying to teach to my choir-but, it never will
go right.
"Whose composition is it?' asked the pro-
fessor
"Haydn's sir; Haydn's," answered Potts
''my choir never uses any but the great mas
ters"
Indeed replied the professor. ''Do 70,
not find him rather difficult for your choir?"
"Oh dear, no, sir; not at all. Practice doe
much, :" added the other.
eyes, practice does good deal, but knowl
edge more.
"You see, SIR said the musical oracle, "w
found it rather hard at first, but have altere'
it so as to suit the material [ have Hayd
was very great man, sir but, if l had bee
by him when he composed the Creation,
would have suggested to him the propriety G
making it less difficult.
The Northern Press has flooded the countr
with choir and social singing books. Ever
now and then, new work is thrust upon tn
public with some attractive selected pieces an
! fearful array of original trash. Every preten
der in the shape of an itinerant teacher think
that he must immortalize himself by publishin
book, ignoring the old masters altogether an
Illuminating the world with his own rush-lights
These wandering minstrels usually get up man
moth Musical Congresses" or Musical Cor
ventions They call all the congregations tt
gether, old and young people are seriously Ii
formed that they can learn to sing-it matter
not whether they have voices or not-they m'm
sing; it is duty they owe themselves and th
God that made them.
"Well, my dear, says the pussy old gentle
man to his wife, 81 never did think that L eoul
sing-but, think LII try it now. .
That's right, old man." replies his tendt