, 1886-10-06
CHAT VITA EVANGELIST sApKgy.


The sweet singer Tells About His Many
Sacred s~ongs-Their Magic Power.
Ira d.. Sankey, the evangelist, was seen
by a reporter just before he sailed for
Europe. He conversed freely about the
hymns he has sung so often and we'll
"There are two classes of songs" he
said. @two fields, as it were, that need not
necessarily conflict, viz, the high classical
music and the simple gospel hymns. One
is music for those educated In music-it
appeals to their science and knowledge of
harmony; the other is the pure and SIM
pie music, that interests millions of peo-
pie who lave no knowlede OF music, but
enjoy what they feel. The higher grade
of music serves It's purpose, has its vota-
ries, and | do not now but what | would
be more interested in it myself, II my
audience were all good musicians. The
outlying masses of poor humanity are not
educated up to difficult classical music;
1t takes some sweet and pure melody to
go straight to their hearts. They gather
their impulses from what they feel, and
to move the impulse in the right direction,
to touch it with loving and appealing
music, is the sure way to guide and con
troll. Music hat can not do this would
be OF little service to the evangelist.
ut is the simple. unp%retentious reading
of the sacred songs that is acceptable,
reaches the feeling and prepares the way
for the sermon that comes afterward and
does the work. Why music has magic
that no soul can fathom; 1t elevate the
untutored; it enraptures the dull; 1t
thrills with e~cstatic joy the weary and
longing; 1t opens the heart of the stony
and sweeps in triumphant waves of mel
ody through the bosom of the cold and
cherries. Fifty thousand sermons will
not move some minds. The eloquence OF
st. Paul, the enthusiasm OF John Knox,
the logic OF Spurgeon, and the magnetic
earnestness of Mr.. Moody would fail to ac-
compiish with some people what a simple
and tender strain of music would under
proper conditions. The charm and power
of music can not be overestimated, and 1t
is a potent influence in connection with
preaching the word of God.
Were you always q musician, Mr..
Sankey?v
ayes, l was borne with music in me. l
sang from the time l can remember. 1t
came natural to me; l felt it and it came
forth. But | had no idea that l ever
would be a preacher and sing with Mr..
Moody. / was a business man at New
castle, Pa. My father was an internal
revenue collector appointed under Presi-
dent Lincoln. | was his deputy. In 1869
1 met Mr.. Moody at Indianapolis and
after he had heard me sing he said that l
was the man he wanted. The music L
began to sing with him is mostly Amer
lean. the outgrowth chiefly of our social
and political conditions. Very few hymns
that | sing are foreign"
How do you manage to gather the best
songs"
"When | read or heal of a poem that
has beauty and the spirit of Jehovah
either in the lines or between, l immedi-
ately buy it, even at a high price. l nave
paid as high as $50 for a few verses that
seemed to have the true ring. We are
composing new hymns all the time"
Have you anything to say about the
music of the futureg"
"As / have said before there are two
classes of music-the higher or classical,
the simple or touching. TIT latter will
be more popular, because easily under
stood and felt. 1t will be many years, il
ever, when classical music will be under
stood by the masses. The experiment
thus far, proved inductively by Mr.. Moody
and myself during a long number of
years, shows that simple, pure music
finds a greater response in the average
human breast than any other kind. Reas
oning from this basis / conclude that the
music of the future must appeal to the
feeling, must be pure, simple and unpre-
tentious. York Mail and Express.