Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-01-22
THE DIVINE ART.
Father RuFke's Recent Lecture on
"Musie, Hts Origin and Inauence.''

Father Burke in his recent lecture on
music gave expression to the following
beautiful ideas upon the origin and in
nuence OF music: "Sometimes writer's on
This subject go into vain theories as to the
origin of music, and they tell us that the
very idea Is exotic to The human mind,
and that man conceived his fret notions
OF music from the summer breezes blow
Ing through the reeds that grew on the
banks Of the Nile in Egypt, But how
vain are such thooriesl Need the mother
be told that music Is foreign t o the
heart OF man-the mother who in
the cry Of her little babe, a1d in the
first notes OF hsr 6rst-born seems to hesr
the breath Of the angels voice3 Need we
be told that music was foreign to the
heart OF mRn-We, who know what our
race wa before sin and the faint of sin
came Into this world; we who know that
the esr OF fallen man was Wrapt in ecsta-
cy OF Joy as he listened to the harmonies
OF nature from his blessed garden retreat
OF paradise; we who know thai the Wild
ness even of the eagles cry, amid the
clouds, Is still nsture's music, and only
hsrsh to the vttisted ear; we who know
that a. the bid of man the eagle dropped
from the air, the lion came forth from his
den and the tiger from his lair, to
crouch before the feet of their
imperial master, man; we who know
that the savage note of their pride only
came to them with the newborn passion
of revolution and anger, when sin came
Into the world snd blighted the fairness
Of Gods first one7 Mol As soon ss man
received q soul from God, that moment
the harmony of music was natural to
him. Wa not the very soul be recsiVed
like q beautiful musical instrument upon
which God himself was to breathe, even
as heaven bresthea through the chords of
the EOiian harp, and which was to return
again to that God, full of harmony and of
prsise2 Yes; music is as natural TO man
as to breathe the vital air. How re-
sponsive is the spirit TO 1T What
il it that, beyond all other things, can
bring back the scenes long passed away ?
A strain Of the old song When through
life's weary path unblsssed we roam, los
ing all that msde life dear, should some
notes we used to love in days Of childhood
meet our ear, Oh, how, hoW welcome
bresthes the strain, waking thoughts that
long have slept, kindIing former smiles
again and drying eyes that long have
wept Yes, 1t is the magic sound of that
old familiar strain. The joys OF childhood,
the sspsrtions Of youth come back again
upon the aged and whitening heart OF the
old man. The dead rise as It were from
their graves, loved ones over whom we
wept, the sweetest yet saddest reunions
OF our lives, start from their graves; robed
In the old familiar garb, they tbroug the
aisles Of q memory and Wegreet them a.
guests that bad only left us yesterday,
And this by the magic power Of songl
What feeling Of the human heart is finer
that that which reveals itself in the strain
Of musicf A friend may deceive us; a
man upon whom We relied may break his
word and his honor, end lesve as to regret
the confidence we reposed In him; words
of love that va heard from the lips of
those Whom We trusted may be forgotten
sic, In its trys and in It's recollections,
never betrsys. Music, exclsims Ireland's
poet:
Music oh, how faint, how weak
Language fades before thy speli
Why should feeling ever speak
When thou cans't breathe It's soul so we'll %