, 1873-07-20
CHURCH PROGRESS,

CHURCH PROGRESS.
Tho rapid progress Of mon and manncrs ID no.
where moro clearly shown than in tho innoya-
tions upon tho old atylo Of church aoryiceB. In
tho days Of Cotton Mathor, and ovcn within tho
memory Of tho roadors Of thcHo linos, tho rules
Of tho Sabbath and tho routine Of church scr
vice woro vozy sharply defined. It was i'm
possible for tho wayfaring nun, oyon though no
wore fool, to orr in regard to thom, and any
violation Of them met with swift rebuko and
still aSlftar pona1ty. Thoro aro still remote
rural villagoo, many miloa distant from railroad
and telegraph, among tho Now England hills.
Whero tho old Btyle is yet observed and tho Sab
bath services arc as grim and as rigid as was
old Praiso-aod Darobonos in Covonanter
days; whore tho nowost ety1o OF hat
and rodfngoto has not got mado it's
appearance and probably mover will, and tho
women still go In poke bonnots and listen to tho
iron-bound doctrines OF foroozdination and in
FAINT damnation aud tho tricks md wileB Of tho
Scarlet Woman whore they still carry carla-
mon and carraway. lost thoy should nod in tho
middle Of tho sermon and whore the blinds aro
shut all day and tho lights arc put out at 0
o'clock. But thoso aro raro and exceptional
casoa. The great body Of tho Church Of Ill do
nominations has moved forward with tho gen-
era1 advancement Of tho world, and innovation
follows innovation in rapid succession. Tho
growth Of liberal idoaB, tho discoveries, and tho
orios, and facts Of science, and tho tendency of
mon to think for themselves, rether
than to rely upon tile weekly sermon
for their exclusive stock Of spiritual Ideas, hayo
pushed tho Church forward 80 rapidly, that 1t
now hardly laga in tho groat raco Of progress.
It ia but ehort timo since that re chronicled
the institution OF d praise service in one Of tho
Congregational churches OF this city, in which
tho minister voluntarily omitted tho customary
Bormou, and allowed tho choir to do tho oxhor-
tation, md appeal, and enunciation Of doctrine
through tho mcaia of chant and anthem and
organ solos. Think Of minister, quarter Of
century ago ovon, emitting Bosmon Tho
wrath Of tho Gonoral Convention would layo
Hm!tton him like a thundorbo1t. In Cotton
Mathor's day ho would hayo boon ball.
ishod and oxconrnunicatcd, aud, possibly,
might have ornamented gallows-trco On
Witch Hill. But We can go ovon further
than this. In one Of tho Methodist churches of
this city, praise soryfcoa nro regular monthly
feature. and the mueic Is furnished by cabinet
organ and two cornotsl Two unsanctided cor
nots! Two ehrill, worldly, annrling cornotH,
which aro enough to make John Wosloy and tho
old fathers Of the Church turn oyor in thcr
gravos! II such things can bo done in the
Methodist Church, why may wo not expect all
aorts Of Instruments, fiddles, flutes, harmoni-
cons, aud jowsharpH In other loas conservative
Chnrchos2 Z The Roman Catholics, who have
always Ind tho good aongo to give their
services m attractive form, very gon-
orally employ orchestral music, especially
on MI their festival days. Tho organ
soloa in tic Congregational and tho cornots in
tho Methodist Hl,ow TINT tho Protestant Church
Is slowly coming over to this stylo Of music, It
has only to get over tho difficulty Of tho fiddle
TINT instrumont OF the ungodly breakdown aud
irroveront cotillion, md thon In thoy will all
como, big eddie and little fiddle, trombone and
trumpet. flute aud 1ageolot ophicleido ind bass
drum, and ovon the sopulchral bassoon and may
hap tho aportivo horn. at Newport, music by
brasa band IL alroady one of the attractions to
ontice tic fashionable Binnors to the church.
John WoBloy novor said. truer thing
than that the DoVn should not havo all tho good
fnf1Rc IF fhn ~ r l..
Dhvid'a day could praiae Him with horna and
Hackbuta, psaltorys, dulcimerH and
harps, why should not tho chosen of tho Lord
to-day, when wo havo batter music and botter
praiBo Him In like nannor? Cor
tain1y no munio is too good for tho Lord. This
change Is furthcr manifested by tho progroaa
which has boon nado from tho ponny-royal Sing
Ing OF anciont days. to tho quartetto singing Of
tho present, performed by singers who know
how to sing, and who arc lirod for that purpose.
An Incident In Ohio, tho other dny, also shows
progress. In tho old days, tho minister WAS
called Of the Lord to 50 to cortain place, and
he wont thoro, regardless OF salaries up in tho
thousands, R'inmer vacations, or rich porqui-
a!sebs A. cAuEcu III ATOnQhle anu another
In Springfield had their eyos upon tho
samo Clergyman. The Springfield church
made tho reverend gontloman an offer which llo
waa disposed to accept, wlloroupon the Avon
dallans wont them s2oo bettor, and tho olorgy-
man inclined toward Avondalo. Tho Springfield 4
pooplo saw thcm anl went $50 better. Thus tho
gamo won't on for a time, until at last ono of tho
parties, becoming rock1eas, went $500 bottcr, and
tho clergyman WAS called. What would Layo
boon thought Of such quiet gauo Of poker %
thia G few yoara ago?
If all those things happen now which did not
happen fifty years ago, What will hnppon fifty
years. honco? And should tlia issue Of THE
tribune happcn to bc prosorvod until 1873, wllat
will the journalist Of that day say In comment
ing upon our manner OF observing the Sabbath
VIII he Atnt1n mt ua aa yn rn,y emilia nj ro}t,p