The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-05-19
. familiar hymn ofScotlAnd that was com.
posed by David Dickinson, beginning with
the words:
o mother. dear jerusalem.
When shall I come to theei I.

Omother. dear Jerusalem,
When shall come to theei
He sung II to the tune of Dundee, and |
very body In Scotland knows that; and
y hs began to sing the dying soldier
turned over on his pillow and said to the
"Where did you learn thsti"
"Why," replied the minister, "my moth.
Dr. taught me that"
40 did mine," said the dying Scotch
soldier; and the very foundation of his
heart was upturned. and then and there
he yielded himself to Christ.
Oh, 1t 10 an irresistible poweri Luther's
sermons have been forgotten, but his
Judgment Hymn" sings on through the
ages, and will keep ON singing until the
blast Of the archangels trumpet shall
bring about that very day which the
hymn celebrates. would to God that
those who hear me to-day would take
these songs Of salvation as messages from
Heaven; for, just as certainly as the birds
brought food to Elijah by the brook
Cherith, so these winged harmonies, God
sent, are flying to your soul with the
bread of life. Open your mouth and take
1t, o hungry Elijah!
But must now speak of some Of the OBJ
stacies in the way of the advancement of
this sacred music: and the first IL, that it
has been impressed into the service of su.
perstition. am far from believing thut
music ought always to be positively
religious. Refined art has opened places
where music has been secularized and
lawfully so. The drawing room, the
musical club, the orchestra, the con-
cert, by the qualification Of pure taste
and the production Of harmless amuse.
ment and the improvement Of talent, have
become very forces in the advancement of
our civilization. Music has as much right
to laugh in Surrey Gardens as 1t has to
pray In st. Paul's. In the kingdom of
nature we have the glad fling Of the
wind a. we'll as the long. meter psalm
of the thunder. But while all this is
so, every observer has noticed that this
art, which God intended for the i'm
provement Of the ear and the voice and
the head and the heart, has often been
impressed into the service of error. Tar
TIM, the musical composer. dreamed one
night that Satan snatched from his hand
an instrument and played upon 1t some.
thing very sweet-a dream that has often
been fulfilled in our day, the voice and
the instruments, that ought to have been
devoted to Christ, captured from the
Church and applied to purposes of sin.
Another obstacle that has been in the
way of the advancement of this holy art
has been SO much angry discussion on the
subject Of music. There are those who
would have this exercise conducted by
musical instruments. In the same church
there are those who do not like musical
instruments, and so it is organ and no Or
gan, and there is a fight In another
church it is question whether the music
shall be conducted by precentor or by a
drilled choir. Some want drilled choir
and some want precentor, and there Is a
| fight. Then there are those who would
like In the church to have the organ
played in dull, lifeless dron-
ing way, while there are 9th.
ers who would have II wreathed
into fantasies, branching out into jets
and spangles of sound, rolling and tossing
in marvellous convolutions, as when in py.
rotechnic display you think piece is ex.
hausted 1t breaks out in wheels, rockets
blue lights and serpentine demonstra tions
Some would have the organ played IL
almost inaudible sweetness, and other.
would have it full of staccato passagel
that make the audience jump with grea
eyes and hair on end as though by /.
vision Of the witch of Endor, and he who
tries to please all will succeed in nothing
Nevertheless, you are to admit the fac
that the contest which is going on in hun
dreds Of churches of the United States to
day Is q mighty hinderance to the ad
vancement of this art. In this way score
and scores of churches are entirely Grip
pied as to all influence, and the music Is
damage rather than praise.
Another obstacle in the advancement o
this art has been the erroneous notion tina
this part Of the service could be con
Quoted by delegation. Churches hav
said:
"Oh, what an easy time we shall have
The minister will do the preaching an
the choir will do the singing, and we will
have nothing to do"
And you know as well as that there ar
great multitude Of churches all through
this land where the people are no
expected to sing. The whole work
done by a delegation of four or six O
ten persons and the audience ar
silent. In such a church in Syracuse al
old elder persisted in such singing, an
so the choir appointed committee to z
and ask the squire II he would not stol
You know that in great multitude {
churches the choir are expected, and d.
all the singing and the great mass of pee
pie are expected to be silent, and il 20
utter your voice you are interfering. Their
they stand, the four, with opera glas
; dangling at their side singing, Brock
> Ages Cleft for Me-" with the same spir
that the night before on the stage the
took their part in the "Grand Duchess" {
! "Don Giovanni"
My Christian friends, have we a right I
! delegate to others the discharge of tn
, duty which God demands of uss Suppoi
, that four woodthrushes propose tc do a
/ the singing some bright day when Il
woods are ringing with bird voices. 1t
} decided that four woodthrushes shall
all the singing Of the forest. Let all 9TH
, voices keep silent. How beautifully Il
1 four warbled! II is really fine music. B,
how long will you keep the forest still
Why, Christ would come into that fore
t and look up as he looked through Il
c olives, and he would wave his hand On
{ say: "Let every thing that hath breat
I praise the Lord" and keeping time vii
0 the stroke of innumerabls wings the
| Nould ha aYa III oua 4 nd bird xoicaa laa mir