Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-06-19
Music in the Sunday School.

Music in itself considered is a pow,
er, not only power for refinement,
but power for Christianity. The
OF Christ acts are often more potently
through the gospel sung, than through
The gospel spoken. The child DC
sooner learns TO lisp the meof Jesus
than it learns TO lisp in song Of Jesus
and His love. 1t is but the result Of
that scriptural "melody in dhe heart,
that thus so soon melody is made
with the voice, and later on with al
manner of instruments, incense melo
dy of praise ascending to "llim who
loved us and gave himself for u.s." The
ever patient, gentle, adorable, Master
Emusic in the Sunday School"
What would Sunday School be with
out music?
A meadow WITHDRAWING brooks
a meadow inclining every day ia
aridness. OF course not one of you
want such state of things, and so
you have music. You have meadow S
with running brooks. Now just how
TO keep these brooks from becoming
muddy, just how to preserve them
bright and beautiful, and clear and
sparkling, silvery streams of refresh
lnent, is an important secret. have
not learned 1t all, by great deal, yet
Il part of it l think, runs on this
vile
lst. dropping the figure.) Asmu-
sic in the Sunday School is designed
as help TO Truth in the Sunday
School, the words of all Sunday
School songs should be scriptural.
The melody of q song, offered for
use in the Sunday School, should not
save 1t from unworthiness fits words
convey only pretty sentiment AS
Il rule songs learned in childhood re-
main with us through life. A ribald
song is as hard to forget as pure
song, false song as true song.
Therefore by all means children
should be trained to sing the truth as
well as to speak the truth. The Cos
pei Hymns in common use through
out the land contain a great many
beautiful and true songs. True words
fitted to true melody, but now and
then, it seems to me, there creeps in
10 our Sunday Schools one of those
seducing melodies, good enough in
itself,) that bearing the faint of mer-
est sentiment, works evil, instead OF
good. object to such songs as that
telling of the dead child gone TO
"gather water lilies for the angels al
the door of heaven" | object to any
thing of the kind for use in Sunday
Schools that exceeds what may be
said or sung of "the beyond" in a
scriptural way. couple words and
music together thus because music in
the Sunday School is principally vo.
cal, and think it is our duty as Sun.
day School workers to see to it that
we use not only the best compositions
but that the words given in such al
cnticing way to children, are the
words that flow from the pure and
eternal fount of life. This brings mt
TO the second part of my theme.
said just now that we should use the
best compositions. Let me supple
ment that by saying the most suitable
compositions. Manifestly the schoo
must determine the character OF the
music to be used. The Bible elias,
will, of course, be able to sing song
that the infant class can't sing. I'm
less you have separate rooms, one fol
the primary and one for the interme
diate and advanced scholars, the SUI
perintendent, or whoever has charge
Of the singing, should alternate be
tween primary and advanced songs
so that the little tots, and the boy
and girls who think they are getting
almost too big TO go to Sunday Schoo
may be all benefited. For instance
suppose we would have first tina
sweet tender song, "Jcwels," tn,
liSpers joining in with all their nigh
TO tell of Jesus love to them, Thu
smallest of them being the express
objects of his care:
Little children who love their Redcemer,
Are the Jewels, precious jewels,
Ills loved and Ills own"
Aud then for the advanced scholars
such a song as "Draw Me Nearer" OF
The Light of the World" Nos. 13S
and Al of Gospel Hymns" by
thus alternating, all would learn
all would be refreshed. As to
execution, while il is almost impossi-
bile to have 1t faultless in the Sunday
School, much can be done, and ought
10 be done TO improve it. Correct
time is the first essential. If every
body starts out Tempo a-la-indepen-
dent, the result will coincide with the
Iiighlanders idea ofharmony, "For-
ty pipers playing at once, and each on
separate tune" Then as a second
consideration, if not essential, who
ever directs the singing should pay
due attention to crescendo and dim
inuendo. Melody lies hidden in
in those little marks of emphasis, of
increase, or decrease, of sentiment.
e But the most common fault singers
have TO contend with is the fault of
sherriDg. 1t is found moro or less
III every Sunday School in the land.
Enter while the school is en-
gagged in singing, and while the song
may be rendered spiritly and in prop
time, you are frequently struck by a
Jack of pure harmony, and listening
attentively the trained ear will
notice presently that a voice here
and there is sherring, thereby detract-
ing from the good execution of the
others. If composer wants note
sherred, he marks it so, otherwise he
wants 1t uttered firm and true. But
some one may say that we cannot
always have trained voices in the
Sunday School. or course not, but
you want them there. Trained voices
trained minds, trained souls, all max
ing melody to the Lord. II, as have
said, the words of the songs and
hymns that we use in the Sunday
School should be noble expressions
Of the truth, then the music arranged