Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-20
DIR. TOurjeess Lecture and Praise
Meeting.

listened TO with fapC attentlOn Tor more
than an hour, and as the Doctor has
made the subject life study, and is a
born musician, his opinions are entitled
to great weight.
After reading from psalm 81, ''Let
the People praise Thee, o God; Let all
the People praise Thee" DR.. Tourjee
said that as religion was entirely emo
tional and not intellectual, it wanted, in
a religious service, something that could
touch the heart, and there is no way of
reaching the heart quicker than by mu-
sic, which will soothe the most savage
and cause the most hard-hearted to re-
lent; therefore, music is very impor-
tant part of the service OF the sanctuary
and should be conducted, not by quar-
tettc, but by the whole congregation,
led by choir. The congregation con-
gregation cannot worship God and Ibe
gazing at the choir at the same time :;
they should be singing the words with
the spirit and the understanding. AS an
i instance of the importance of music in
worship, and its good effect on the rough
class, and its power as converting
agent, Dr. Tourjee gave his experience
in Boston at the north end emission"
church where, during the last year, they
have had six hundred conversions among
class where is supported four hundred
and nine grog-shops and one hundred
apI iS-fo rnthalc TIaro fbprr ,,,oIo
a speciality of having good music, which
was conducted by some of the most
eminent musicians in the city, they vol
unteering their services, and in which
everybody in the room were invited to
participate. A great many of the con-
versions were traceable directly to the
power of music sung at those meetings.
Duringa visit to Berlin, Dr. r. visited the
church which that great matser Mendels-
sohn was wont to conduct. There they
had a choir of one hundred voices. The
choir opened the service by singing, con-
Guiding in very soft tones, like angel
voices waiting upward to heaven; then
the congregation of three thousand men,
women and children arose and poured
forth that grand old choral of Luther's,
"a Strong Castle is Our Lord" with
such effect as to bring tears to his eyes
and completely unman him, so that he
had to 20 out and could not control him
self enough to return while the singing
lasted. In the history of the church
during the first three hundred years they
had nothing but congregational singing !;
then the choir did the singing, the con-
gregation chanting the responses; then
the clergy monopolized the responses !;
then, to exclude the congregation en-
tirely from participation, the singing
was conducted in Latin. In starting
congregational singing, DR.. T. first visit
! ed the Sabbath School and selected some
of the best singers and placed them on q
level with the congregation and to
the right of the pulpit, then on
the left he placed the regular choir,
which should be composed of at least
/ fifty members, and moreif possible. The
organ should be directly behind the pull
/ pit and the organist should understand
his business, and not do as an organist
recently done at a church which DIR.
Tourjee recently attended in Boston,
where, after hearing very solemn and
| impressive sermon, the organist, while
the congregation were retiring, opened
every stop in the organ and poured
forth a vigorous march, dispelling every
solemn thought they received from the
sermon, and for which, DR.. Tourjee said,
he should be prosecuted.
In speaking of music books DR.. T.
said that the tunes from operas, songs,
etc, put to sacred words and being used
so much now, were all wrong. We have
plenty of tunes from English, Flemish,
/ German and Italian composers, which
have stood the test of time and which
contain the very soul of music The
most of the singing books for Sabbath
schools, which he had presented to him
for examination were entirely unfit fol
the purpose, not more than three or -four
tunes in the majority of them being fiji
for Sabbath school use, and most OF
them calculated to move the boys heels
instead of their hearts, concluding with
fervent wish for the time when the
people should all praise the Lord.
In the evening the church was filled
to overlooking to hear and take part in
the g Praise meeting" of which DR.
Tourjee was the master spirit. Rev
Mr.. johnson opened the meeting will
prayer, after which the congregation al
Joined in the singing, accompanied by
Prof. Meitzke on the organ, Cor as DR.
Touriee called it, the reed instrument
maintaining that nothing but the pipe
instrument should be called an organ)
Mr.. Sessions on the cornet, and Mr.
Edgerton on the B fiat baritone. Thu
following old and familiar tunes wer,
sung, interspersed with remarks by DR.
Tourjee, and closing with the benedic
ton by Mr.. johnson, who previously
announced that praise meeting simila
to this would be held at the Congrega
tional church in four weeks, in which
all the churches and people were invited
to participate: Webb" Watch
man." "Nearer to Thee" "Olmutz,
"Jesus paidit all, y" Missionary Hymn,
81 am trusting Lord in Thee, !" 6 | low
to tell the story" g Hebron, g." " Refuge,
Coronation, %! happy day" Rocl
of ages" " Martyr" "Pleyels Hymn,
"Boylston, j" Chant Blessed be tn
Lord" etc., "Shall we gather at tn
river" sold Hundred.
During the singing a collection wa