Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-03-02
For the Spectator.
Congregational Singing and Choir
SinrinC


The emotions awakened in the human sou
by strains of soft and sublime music, either 70
cal or instrumental, cannot be surpassed il
| depth of power by any feeling Of which tht
soul is capable. 1t is an influence which reach
es the finest chords and awakens its most ex
quisite sensibities Music is one of those
arts founded in nature if indeed it does no.
boast of higher birth-n Heaven tself-fol
there was melody in the groves of Eden while
the world was in its infancy. and man in his
purity Milton represents our first parents il
his grand apostrophe to the GLORIOUS works
OF God, by saying,
,Fountains, and ye that MARBLE as ye flow,
| Melodious warbling-tune his praises
| JON ye voices, &C., &C., &c.
| La opposition to the artistic chanting in Ro
man Catholic Cathedrals and the ''highfalu-
ting choir or operate singing in Protestant
Churches, place old fashioned congregational
singing. We want more good old fashioned
congregational singing in all the churches.
w e admit there are no grander artistic per-
formances than by Roman Catholic choirs.-
Many Of the great master spirits of music were
born in that Church and their noble tpirits
still wall in her 'Miserere," and weep in her
.Sta6at Mater," and triumph in her we
deuDo Laadanuna'
All the attempts of our Protestant Churches
Intellectual But there is power in good
hearty unanimous congregational singing to
drown out all the Cathedrals Protestant
churches, lift up all your voices!
Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew their God,
But children of the Heavenly King
Should speak their joys abroad
The Protestants have no time fully to test
this influence in batting with superstition, &C.
La the time of the Reformation it was said in
regard to Luther: He has conquered US with
his songs In those days congregation
would assemble at mass and at the close of the
service two boys would begin to sing one of
Luther's chorals, when the whole congregation
would join in, and they who came Roman
Catholics would 60 away Protestants Sing
Sing a-all Sing Sing
What has made the Methodist Church the
most extensive of all the Protestant. Churches,
and next in order the Baptist and Presbyterian
Churches? Because the Methodist Church
surpasses ali others in heartuess of singing
The Methodists used TO all sing have lived
good many years, and travelled some, and
seen some very strange and curious things, but
[ never yet saw a Methodist that could not
sing. They used to sing with their eyes-they
sang with their faces-they sang with their
threats; they sang with their hearts they
sang with their feet, and their hands. Then
put Methodist man and his wife down any
where; put them down in the woods-put
them down In a western prairie, or in a vast
wilderness, and they would begin to sing and
in short time, on one side of them comes up
a Church, or Meeting House, and they Il
keep up such singing las you never did hear,
till up comes whole Conference The first
thing you know when looking over the prairies
you will see them all on fire with dozen or
two or more old fashioned revivals. Yes
They'll Sing! Sing
1.-THE Hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the Heavenly fields,
Or walk the golden streets"
Are four or five WOODLANDS or robin red
breasts or canary birds allowed to do ali
the singing In the forests and woodlands? Oh
no Are four OF half dozen seraphs YOU sups
pose allowed to do all the singing in Heaven
If not, then our Protestant Churches can t af-
ford to depend on some four or five persons to
stand in the loft or gallery with their threats
yet sore from singing at the OPERA where they
have been executing their 'highfauting"
tunes and torturing our good old hymns in this
style:
"When l can read, when can read,
My tiny til
My Tiny tiny tt
Ny Utilities titles titles titelees
Cear-clear-cle
To man-to man-to man
TO NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
TO mansions in the skies,
-ski-ski-ski--skiees
or thus-a little more of it and worse still
''Oh for man-oh for man
Oh! for q mana mana man
Oh! for mansion in the skies skiees."
And again:
'We'll catch the flee
Yes, we'll catch the fee
We'll catch the fee
Well catch the fleeing hours
ooh pity our Pol-oh pity our Pol
Pity our Polly
Pity our Observation-Disclosures
Pity our Poly-luted souls-souls.
sou-soul-soullees.''
'sHe'll take the Pill
He II take the Pill
He IL take the Pill
He'll take the Pilgrim
He take the Pilgrlm-plg rim-home,
Hobo home-homee."
Would we had more hearty, unanimous,
singing in all our Protestant Churches When
you see an old fashioned congregational singer
come into Methodist Church nowadays, or
any Of our Protestant Churches in city or
town, he looks astounded, as much so as the
Yankees IN Washington city did III 1861, when
their forces were fleeing before the Confede-
rates and Dixie at the battle of Bull Run. He
begins to roll up the whites of his eyes at once,
like poor frightened duck in thunder storm.
1t is said when Napoleon army came to a
pass in the Alps where the rocks could not be
surmountea by the ammunition wagons-he,
Napoleon, went to the leader of the band, and
asked for his portfolio, then turning over leaf
after leaf until he came to an inspiring tune Or
march, he said play that" The whole band
struck up the inspiring march until the air re
sounded with its music, and over the rocks and
precpices went the ammunition wagons. And
we believe that over all obstacles and over all
forms and sunerstitinns the Protestant