The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1881-02-11
GHoSTLY MUSIC.

Spiritualism, which is represented
by those who believe in II to be vastly
superior 10 Christianity, differs, of
course, from the latter IN its revelations
as 10 the state of music in the other
world. The church has always held
that the angelic host sings and plays
on the harp and the trumpet in a way
altogether beyond the reach of criticism.
Though good deal can be done with
harps and trumpets, we are not shut up
TO the conclusion that these are the only
instruments used by the blessed ghosts
in paradise. Probably the term
trumpet is general one, and includes
trombones, sax horns, and other instru
ments on which the chromatic scale
can be played. However this may be,
the church has always taught that the
angels are accomplished musicians, and
has never thought it worth while to re-
pei the blasphemous suggestion that
accordiOns, banjOs. and such like debas-
ing reservoirs CT vulgar noise are known
beyond the bounds of this miserable
earth
But Spiritualism, on the other hand,
shows Us that the state of musical culture
among ghosts is no better than that whic.I
characteriZes an Indiana country town.
The average ghost plays only the most
execrable instruments, and sings only
the most empty and aggravating songs.
As for producing q decent tone with q
trumpet, or playing the simplest melody
with the harp, the ghosts of SpiritualiSm
have never even Ventured to make the
attempt. When "materializing seance"
is held, the medium always requests the
circle of believers to sing, alleging
that under the influence of music ghosts
materialiZe with comparative case.
El,RN h. Nl.,N
in Spiritual circleSs The Sweet BY
and By" is Il fair sample of them
They are invariably the illiterate SEN
timental songs popular among people
who know absolutely nothing about
music. They are sung through the
nose with the mechanical sameness
of the barrel-organ, and with dragging
of the time that is simply maddening
One would think that if the singing of
the Sweet By aud By" could induce any
ghost to materialiZe, it would be a
large ghost with a heavy club, and
wild desire to brain the ain gers. I'm
fortunately, this is not what ordinarily
happens. The singing is followed by
the appearance of ghosts who are in the
best OF tempers, and apparently perfect
ly satisfied with the music" which has
luTed them from the other world. OF
course this IS fatal to our respect for
ghosts. If ghost will deliberately come
to earth to hear people whose voices are
as cracked as their brains sing the
Sweet By and By" they are wholly un-
fit to be noticed by persons of any sort
| of musical culture.
This being the kind of musical taste
which prevails in the other world, we
need not be surprised to find that not q
single ghost has yet materialized who
can play on any decent instrument.
| What is even worse is the fact that the
| entire ghostly world seems TO he given
| over to the accordion. Occasionally a
ghost will strike the strings of a guitar
so as to produce a discordant noise,
| but the accordion is positively the only
| instrument which ghosts will play IN
public. If Spiritualism is true, it is
evident that the first thing disembod-
led spirit does is TO learn TO play the
accordion. Men, who in this world
! would have smitten to the earth the
wretch who would have tried to place
| an accordion in their hands will, in
| their ghostly state, take up the instru-
ment from the mediums table, and
proceed to encourage its asthmatic
wheeling.
! Our best plan Is TO decide that Spir-
| itualism cannot be true. It Is far more
| probable. that mediums lie and that
| Spiritualists are deceived than it is that
Daniel Webster and Dante play the &C,
Gordon. Let US cherish our old belief
in celestial harps and angelic trum
| pets, and hope that in the future life we
snail be free from the sight and sound
of the accordion. Perhaps the fallen
angels, having dropped and broken theiI
harps, torment miserable singers by
singing the Sweet By and By and &C
campaigning themselves on the accor
dion, but surely in any other part of the
universe of ghosts that wretched instru
ment and revolving song must be I'm
known.-New York Times.