The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-12-01
CAMP MEETING TUNES,
To which Were Sung Good Old Hymns
i'm the Good Old Way.
Especial Corrcspondence.I

plant goes up to high heaven, from the
churches and Sunday schools of the regions
which once knew the acircuit rider" in all his
glory that the so-called sacred music Of to-
day doesn't wear like the good old tunes OF
camp meeting times" Forty years ago, which
is further back than many of Us dare to re-
member, in the days of backwoods revfvals
in that section Of country which has been
facetiousIy termed "the Wabash ague belt"
many good but emotional people sang them
selves nearer to God and the angels than folks
are likely to get il these days of operatic
jingle anil rhyme.
NV earliest religious experience, 50 my
parents sav, consisted in my dancing yisor-
ously III my mothers arms-I was q vigorous
2-ycar-- -od-kecping time TO the music, while
a large Bacl.wooes congregation of somewhat
primitive religonists sang:
Pray 30, pray on, we're againins ground,
uh. halle halleluiah.
The power Of God IS a-comnG down
UL. halIchalleIujah.
and other rousing revival songs Of the same
character There was one song, remember,
still popular in parts of western Indiana,
with a swinging, joyous semirefrain, "Oh
tell me, happy sailor" and another beginning
with 4Oh how happy are they" but sung to
quaint, iuspiritng tune now seldom heard,
except i'll the out Of tbs" way parts of the
country.
There were a dozen or two, perhaps twice
that number, of those old fashioned revival
songs and tunes which doubtless would bs
worth fortune to the music publisher who
would but take trouble to gather them to-
Cether before the few remaining voices which
once sung them are stilled forever. Then
there might be added to the collection the
"variations" of the still well known melodies
which are yet preserved i'll "The American
Vocalist" and stray copies of older books of
ID L, F,-
tunes in work which contained q figure"
system of notation, with commas, periods and
dashes to Indicate the various lengths Of the
notes.
In few Of the country churches OF the
west you may frequently hear today the
variations referred to, in which the COM
paratively plain and simple psalm tune of
the notebook is almost lost in n succession of
vocal glides, swells and diminuendos, which
none but a skillfuI musician could express by
means OF musical notation. Even in the days
of long ago critics who thought they knew
said that -BaIeslug. "DrtouviIle, Title
Clear AM i score vf other tunes were
marred-Imr,ies, d-ay those uutaught pill
frinls to tho tomb. Those sticklers for exact
ness forgot that the singers had caught the
freedom NJ the winds Of heaven which swayed
the tree tuf= under which the camp meeting
congregation assembled to worship-in Gods
first temple"
What glorious singing they did III thoGn
days! Everybody, sinner as well rs saint,
sang then. Tho hymns were "lined' rs an
aid to those who were without hymn books,
and the young man or young woman who
did not -jinc i'm on the tune was looked upon
rs worse than heathen and publican. To
assist in the singing was an essential part of
the etiquette of the Lords house, and every
body couformed TO the custom.
There was enc hymn which entirely capti-
waited my boyish fancy. 1t was particularly
adapted to calling out to the uttermost tho
vocal strength of the assembled worShipers.
Everybody, from the old grandfather down
to the tiuiest urchin, knew the words, and,
knowing, sang. In the music the bass and
tenor and even 4 few half afraid alto voices,
found utterauce for the talent but recently
developed at the cross roads singing school"
and the volume of sound rose with q force
that 1T times threatened the integrity of the
meeting house roof The theme was grand
one-tEe triumph over tho world, the flesh
AMI the devil.
When can read my title clear,
began the hymn in jubilant strains; then, the
tune gradually rising to greater heights, came
the next line:
To mansions iu-the-sk-ics, :,
and while the elderly singers were dwelling
with fond delay on the last word, the ' ,unger
NO. -1f ttA' t' ~ Nt1'ti'r " So ~
softer tones:
III bid farewell
Now to mo came the supreme moment
For few seconds the lass and tenor We're
silent; but rs the words,
I'll bid farewell
were repeated the bass voices burst out with
roar like the approach of n thunderstorm,
followed at the next repetition Of
III bid farewell
by the ringing tenor of half a dozen bravo
and strong young men, every voice gathering
strength as the succeeding words were sung
TO ev,ry fear,
then, as il each voice wero the sweeping
sword OF a mighty co;ilueror, the last line OF
the verse was uttered with fervor that
thrilled the heart of tine most casc-hardened
sinner:
And w-i-fipe my weeping eyes.
It was q foretaste of the victory of the ran
somed.
\ few seconds of silence followed, broken
only by the wall of an infant on the women
folks side of the house, or the neigh Of a
lost colt among the teams hitched outside.
Then succeeded other verses in like manner
as described, until came the grand finale:
And not a wave
And not a wave of trouble roll
Across my peaceful breast
and in contemplation of this happy Nirvanic
conclusion Of the Christian warfare the more
spiritually minded members rested for a few
minutes, until the next change i'll the eSer-
ciSes.
There was one good old brother, Uncle
Bliss we called hiIu-loug since dead and
gone to glory-who was looked upon rs sort
OF musical leader in a certain congregation
call 70 mind He seemed to sing i'll one un,
broken strain when the verses were not
"lned) from the beginning TO the very last
word Of the hymn. How and when he
managed to take breath no one could tell, and
Think nc carried the secret to his grave Ger
tain 1t was that, ut the ends Of the lines, where
everybody else in the church halted, "Cncle
Bliss" sang on triumphantlv. rs though he saw
hy an eye &c faith the dazzling walls of the
New Jerusalem The volume Of song poured
forth from Lis lips IN one long uninterrupted
stream, like the prolonged parts OF a fugue