The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1868-10-23

In the old HEBREW vophip Il Is evident THU
service Of song bad . great place. The Psalms
- We hnd them In our Bibles. open into the
tender. or terrible or sorrowful or glorious ex.
periences Of their authors and singers, and o.
the times when they were made; and md tneiI
htness for ever. TO be aid and sung when We
feel the sane life that filed their hearts. Inc
Evangelists tell us the angels sang ~ hsn ,
at the opening Of the q spell OF good 20
cross, and eat With sorrowing friends, how they
sang hymn together. and then went to the
Mount Of Olives. SO they made that life open
and end With singing that has made 90 many
sing. IN the one glance We get ut the earliest
Christian church. through Pliny, prosecuted
and poor - 10 is-mesting In the dark, and
never sure then that Il win not DO harriet and
We hear tho poor fugitives singing their hymn,
dangerous - Il must have been to do that; be-
cause. I suppose, they could not 6nd In their
hearts to dispense With the great consolation,
and meet and part in silence. Theu, when
Christianity Was triumphant, the rapture Of u
flowed out And oil over the world, where the
pagan bad ceased to sing for his lost cause,
the Christian began to sing ofhis victory; and
the great cathedrsls were built that are Of
themselves like music hidden In stone. and
music filled their mighty aisles and arches, and
dy and the voice VI praise.
II this were . sermon on the history OF music
and singing In the church, should have to
tell you asad story, how the church, as she
grew TO be the mistress Of the world. took this
service from her children and kept II for her
priests; how the reformed churches tried to
get u back again and partially succeeded; and
noe, In al times Of deep spiritual eommotion,
the common heart has rushed into ssorsd song
anAa h aVsr
Of In agony and ecstsoy. can not moro than
touch this history this morning; and there ID
small need 10 do %. for men and women who
took their parts In the great chants that from
the 6rst TO the last day Of our national strug.
gle. did 90 wonderfully sustain the nation,
heart. There can BE- no true history 9th,
days from 1850 to 1888 ever written that doe
"John Browns body" In which II 10 just ..
impossible to 6ud the soul by dissection - i
% In the human organism; bus that did, In III
day. possees the mightiest soul Of any MUSK
ever heard from the common heart ofAmeri-
O..
Imsntios this singing Of the war time - the
best ! ILLUSTRATION. can think Of to show hog ~
and-esn fssl the divine power OF music. and
express 70 90 thoroughly ~ any people. But
then must say that, 90 ar ~ know. no ns-
ton that ranks with us In civilization ~ utter
~ neglect this great matter - We do. This
neglect In times past has been painfully appar-
ent In our churches. Calvinism reduced the
Puritans to the singing Of hyms. This, how
ever, they did With their whole heart. fsrvent-
ly, % long a. there Was fervent heart In Pu-
ritanism. But. when the old glow and flame
Of devotion died out, they len the singing to
the choir; and then, In accordance With the
gospel that "From him that hath not shall DO
taken away even that which no hath" the
choir itself. In vast number ofohurches. made
no melody, but only artificial sounds. that
were called by courtesy tunes Ii ID clear,
however. that We arc touching the edge Of .
new day. In which singing 10 to take . great
place again In the church, and fer,ently
hope also In the home, and :he Workshop,
and the held.-Ro6srt Coilyer.