The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-12-23
OUR NEw O LETTER.
NEW YORK, Dec. 81, 1874.

went to singing school, partly t,
learn psalmody. but principally t.
gaze on the pretty face of Mar
Jane and 60 home with her after th,
exercises were over, we were con
tent to furnish Yocalism to tn
churches for nothing, and even es
teen it an honor and privilege to b
invited to make one of the choir.
In New York sacred music is quit
another thing. Singing in choirs is a
much Of q profession as singing il
operas-in fact, the singers who dc
light the public in opera, week-da,
nights, furnish the sacred music 70
the churches SUNDAYS, and a yer,
pretty sum it COSTS a church to &c
such music as it wants. The organ
ist, for instance, in q REASONABLE
plain church gets 81, 900 per annum
the leader or manager gets as mucl
more. the soprano gets from $500
500, the alto as much, and the tenoI
and basso about the same, or gener
ally a little less. This makes th,
quartette. Then Genes a chorus O
perhaps tFenty voices who are paid
from 500 to $500 each, according Il
position, quality and capacity.
These singers are almost without ex
ception professionals, who sing praise,
to the Almighty without feeling, ear.
lug or knowing what they sing-their
business being purely mereenary.
This scale Of prices applies only to
the moderately opulent churches
the great ones double or treble these
figures. In Trinity for instance the
music is quite as excellent in charac-
ter IS that Of the operate stage, and
it attracts thousands Of people who
20 for that alone.
In many Of the churches choirs of
boys are employed. 1t is all well.
I see no reason why the E?il One
monopolizes all the good things oflife.
v hv should not sacred music be rem
dered aTtistically, and why should
not the best musical talent be en-
ployed ia the se,vics OF the temple?
1t attracts people to places Of wor-
ship, and %impresses them when they
get there. At least so say the cler-
gvmen, and who should know if they
don't? Beecher's church has a su-
perb orgaDist, Zundel, ard a choir
who simply lead the multitude, and
Talmadge does without a choir. The
organ and q cornet-player lead the
people. When 5000 people in that
immense audience-room raise their
voices together, the effect is indescri-
badly grand. And, speaking Of
HUsIc,
the theatres Of the city have for some
months been giving what in the bills
are called Sacred Concerts Sunday
nights. The value of the Sacred
Concerts may he inferred from the
following programme:
BOTH SACRED CONFECTIONERY
THEATRE.
The concert this evening will COM
mence with the romantic drama en-
titled
The French Spy,
with Miss Louise Sylvester as the
Arab boy. To be followed by the
drama, in three acts, entitled
Jonathan Bradford,
or the
Murder in the Roadside Inn.
To conclude with
Jack Sheppard.
10 all the minor theatres dramatic
performances, the same as on week
day nights, have been given Sunday
nights, under the name of sacred
concerts, and the opera troupes have
been quite as unblusbiDg in the eva
sion of the law.
Finally the managers of the better
class of theatres entered their protest
against it, in conjunction with the
leading citizens, aud a raid on the
places was inaugurated. Last Sun
day night a number Of them were
closed, but the majority of them went
through with their performances.
THE SUNDAY QUESTION
is q very difficult one to manage here.
There is an enormous German and
French population, who will not
yield Q iota of their notions on this
subject. They regard Sunday as a
day not only Of rest, but recreation,
and crowd into it all the amusement
Of the week. They want their gar
dens in the summer, and halls in the
winter, and in the evening their
theatres and concerts. They cannot
understand why, in a free" country
they should be debarred frem doing
as they please on any day in the week,
so that they do not interfere with
others. They want to observe the
day in this country as they observed
it in the land they came from, and
they make a vigorous fight for il. 1t
goes into politics and has It's effect
upon all the elections. The German
of New York knows Of no question
of public policy that is 50 important
to him, aud his vote is influenced
more by this question han by any
other. He does not believe in relig-
ious observances on Sunday, be has
no sympathy with the Puritan idea
in short, he is in antagonism with it
all. And to him it is a vital matter,
and be fights it ia every possible way.
1t counts on election days, and from
this time ont it viii count more.
BUILDING AND REAL ESTATE.
The real estate people are disturb
ed. Under the stimulus Of the war
and war imitation, real estate went Up
fearfully. Building lots ia the yicini-
ty of the Park where a few years.ago
counted fairly cheap at $40, 900, and
S25, 600 was not an unusual price.
They are 0 so high now, indeed
they couldn't be sold to-day for the
half what was paid for them. They
lay dead property. There is no
use in building on them, for there
are g Thousand or more empty houses
above AID street, and three times
that number below, not going lower
down than l4th. | mentioned last
week the fact that there are thous,
ands Of empty stores aud Offices.
This condition of things is easily ac-
counted for. New York has built
and stores without providing