Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-02-07
AN 0RGAN-L0FT SKETCH.

The music comsuittee of the Diggle-
avenue Unitarian Church resigned out
of hand and in high dudgeon. Their
reasons were many, various and well
grounded, the principal being that the
pulpit, which knew nothing more Of
music than COW, was rather too much
given debating and rather too sarcls-
tic, both in and out Of q corner, when
things did not run smoothly up in the
vicinity of the organ-loit.
The bulk of their work had been
done, of course, at the opening OF the
musical year, when now engagements
had been made for that year; but they
found considerable patching up to do
before the machinery had been run n
quarter; for the pulpit had been over
free at criticiSing the things in which
it had been over-rulGd b. the majority,
in which connection il might be well to
mention that it had tho voice of mem
bership, p,though contrary to the general
rule of such matters; for the pulpit in
the great majority of cases does not
feel called upon, nor is 1t often called
upon to act as member of II church
music committee.
Tho pulpit OF the Diggle-avenue
Church was high strung, arbitrary
sort of pulpit on the whole, yet very
capable in the gospel way. Its sclac-
ton and call had been mainly on the
grounds of its being a great builder-up;
an energetic worker mt filling pows aud
keeping them full; but when it cir
culatcd itself among the very sen,i-
tive musical elements up in tho vlcini.
ty of the organ loft, and indulged in
unkind sarcaSms about something of
which it was claimed it knew nothing,
these elements WINGED from hurt pride
common to such things.
The first organist on trial pounded in
his registers with slam, kicked his
pedals spitefully for the last time and
left the bench to dive down stairs into
the street in a towering passion be-
cause the pulpit had intimated to him
at rehearsal Gan occasion which we'll
regulated pulpits seldom attcnd), that
his style was "crudo and lacking in
devotional finish" As sensitive
musician he resented it rs above stated
but not quite so strongly as the one
who followed, who, being young gen
tleman of strong individuality and con-
siderable fire, retorted to n sarcasm of
the same order by calling the pulpit
"a meddlesome old roostor,n and de-
parting without even tho ceremony of
turning off the water that operated the
motor.
A paid tenor had gone off in the
sulks; two of the chorus basses had
vowed that nevermore would they lift
their sepulchral voices again; an alto,
who had been unkindly told that nor
voice sounded like dropping rain-water
(Which was Heavens truth for once) ,
ilounced down and out and was seen
no more; while many other matters of
a similar nature tended to the general
disruption. 1t was not till the leading
soprano, who was gifted with red hair,
fine voice and quick tongue, lost her
temper, that the trouble eliminated,
and then the music committee (barring
tho pulpit member) gave up the job in
disgust. The pulpit carried with it the
most of tho church, of course, and the
poor music committee lad to cltch it
on all sides, and unjustly, too, for its
action.
Things ran along somehow of them
selves, till the new committee (of the
same mind as the pulpit) came upon
the scene with some brand now ideas, a
little larger appropriation for tho ensu-
ing year and the avOwed intention
of producing something remarkable.
With such expectations as these, of
course, tho choir, uncertain of the
future, the pride of personal reputation
to the contrary Notwithstanding, grew
reckless during the time Immediately
preceding The new committees action,
until the music of the Diggle.avenue
Church was something at which was
pointed the finger of scorn by all the
other well.ordered choirs in the neigh
borhood.
Then the old paid quartette and or.
ganist went out, and new set came
in, of which, backed by the good old
chorus, great things were promised and
expected. 1t was well advertised, as
everybody talked about it, and nodded
their heads approvingly. There was,
therefore, a preliminary flourish oi
trumpets as is usual in any revolution
which promises wonders Of progress,
and. when the first morning Of the new
arrangement arrived there was full
church and an expectant congregation,
On the rehearsal OF the previous
evening the new organist had found
that the city water service was so low
as to furnish no power for the. blower