The Russellville Democrat., 1878-01-10
An Essay Read Before Dover
 Sunday School.

ANtC C tnOSCA OiC WI'SA bdo Oou tN- gently been the topic of fireside con versation, music Tn the Sabbath School" I believe it has been con ceded in all ages of the world that music has civilizing and refining influence upon the human family s.from the infant Tn it's cradle whose cries are hushed and soothed to re- pose by the sweet lullaby of its moth CT, down to the untutored savage in his wigwam, we find the melodious strains of music exercising the same soothing and subduing power.
 That vocal music in the Sabbath school is delightful exercise and acceptable part of worship, all are ready to admit; but we find those who are opposed to the introduction of instrumental music in our Sab bath school.
 In reading the Old Testament Scriptures we find many examples of worshipping God on instruments; indeed it seems to have been com mon, and we must believe, acceptable part of religious worship. But some will tell us everything was types and shadows" then, and there is no example in the New Testament of worshipping God on an instrument. Admit that, but an Allwisc God has given us moral law by which we are to be governed and Jesus Christ has revealed to us the plan of saliva tion and established his church on earth which is to stand while time shall last; he has also created man an intelligent being with mind capable of expansion and improve ment, and every age marks some new era, some discovery, some ad- vancemcnt which the mind of man has invented for benefitting the human race. Take, for instance, the Sabbath school: it is of human ori- gin, but WHO can doubt it has been blessed of God and instrumental in accomplishing much good. If you will pardon the Aggression will here give the pupils of this school a short history of the origin of Sab bath schools. Ninety five years ago good man by the name of Robert Raikes was taking walk on Sunday in the suburbs of the City of Gloucester, England, and while in the vicinity of the manufacturing districts his humanity was shocked and his synpathies arousod bv sec ing the wretched condition of the children on Sunday spending their time in rot, cnrsing, and swearing, with dirty clothes and uncombed hair. While this good man gazed upon these wretched objects of hn- manity he resolved to try to do some thing to better their condition; he immediately employed four respect able women at shilling a day each to open four Sunday schools where these miserable urchins were taught to read and answer questions in the catechism. After seeing the good effects produced by this means sim liar organizations were soon estab- lished throughout England, Ireland, and Scotland; and after a few years our own beloved America was bless ed with Sunday schools. Who can now calculate its numbers or esti- mate the good which has been accomplished by them? Little did that good man dream when his phi lanthropic heart caused him to de- wise means for bettering the copdi- tion of those poor children, that he was setting a ball in motion which was to keep rolling until the world should feel its influence.
 But to return to our subject. The learned Mir. Putnam tells us that music is capable not only of agreed bly, effecting the mind, but that the tones of music often speak "lan- guagc to the soup richer in meaning than words could express thereby making lasting spiritual impressions upon us, and those who deny to music such power have not heard its "sublimest strains," or have not the capacity to appreciate them. If. then, it is admitted that music not only has civilizing ard refining influence, but it's tendency IS to ele- vate and ennoble the human mind, and is not ''forbidden or sinful" who would object to instrumental music in our Sunday school, when to-day no doubt in our own native land a thousand organs in Sunday schools