The Somerset reporter., 1888-05-24
SELECTED.
OLD HYMNS AND NEW.

IhlthlUNHd btttI
speaking Of church music and its rem
deriug. Matthew Arnold says Few
Of Us are in "A condition to judge on
hymns fairly, because works of this kline
nave two sides-thcir side for religion
and their side for poetry. Our German
| kinsman and We" he continues, ARE til,
great people for hymns The Germans
are very proud of their hymns, aud w,
are very proud of ours; but it is hard tt
say which of the two, the German hymn
book our ours, has least poetical worth il
itself, or does least to prove genuine poet
/ zeal worth in the people producing it,
Certainly M. Arnold's statement is toe
sweeping. Surely there are to be found
among our hymns lyrical poems Of real
4 and permanent worth considered a.
poems, and wholly apart from their reli-
/ gious value. But it is none the less true
j that there is a vast multitude of so-called
/ hymns, which if they could be swept
away as by a flood out of our literature,
we should never miss. ON the contrary,
their loss would be our great and lasting
gain.
a hymn, in many respects, is not I'M
like sermon. Aside from its cheering
influence on professed Christians, it may
be instrumental in the salvation of souls
Indeed, instances are not rare where peo-
pie date their conversion from the time of
hearing an appropriate or touching hymn
sung. If such may be the influence of II
good hymn, what are the possibilities of
of II poor one!
Let us suppose that professor
enters Il prayermeeting with the best of
intentions and, rs is not unfrequently the
case, with devotional feelings. In the
midst of fervent petitions and earnest
celebrations a well-meaning brother
or sister strikes up foolish, nonScnScal
hmm in which the assembled worship
pcrS join.
What is the result? For the Jealous
minded worshippers it may all be we'll
enough, but on the unprej udiced listener
the effect is demoralizing. 1t is as though
some one had spoiled for him the solemn
music of MOAlrt'S Requiem by playing
on "A brazcn horn an airy polka in II differ
ent key, Disgust, amounting almost 10
AN aversion seizeS the unfortunate individ-
ual, and no matter how properly the re
manning cXcrCis 5 may be conducted. his
heart is not in the mood to receive good
impressions, and the counsellor is put oil
until more convenient season.
The bare possibility of such IL Circum-
stance as this proves conCluSivcly that
all hymns should be sound sensible pro
auctions that in great many instances
they are the reverse, we shall now en-
deavor To show.
In the days when our grand parents
took AN active part in Christian worship
the hymns which they sung were, for the
most part, written and set TO music by
sensible persons whose hearts were in the
work, consequently, they did not sing,
80 Heaven, Sweet Heaven To the tune
of Lila Dale, neither was Jesus My
all to Heaven has Gone" adapted to the
air of German drinking song. No,
These rcdculouS combinations of sacred
words and unholy melodies have been
wrought by men of the present genera
ton.
This is progress, there is no doubt of
that; but the question arises, is it prog
ress in the right direciion2 If so, we
may be judged to have reached the per-
lection of psalm-singing when II Damn
is chantcd to the tune of "Rock-a-by
Baby" and Gioria in EfreiSiS is sung to
the melody of Sweet Niolcts .
But ii is not of the music that we com
is poorly calculated to kindle devotion
al flame; but this deficiency is less eXas-
pcrating than the foolish insipid senti-
ment which too frequently is noticeable
in modern hymns.
In olden times all that people pretended
to know about heaven was what they
learned from the Scriptures; consequent
ly, their ideas of the blest abode were
somewhat limited. In this progressive
age, however, men have done better Z
Little by little, restless seekers have push
ed their inquiries until we are now treat
ed to descriptions of the celestial city
that in minuteness Of detail rival news
paper correspondents account of the
national capitol
Speaking of the scenery, one writer
tells us that ii is
a sunny Isle
likca woman's smile
and also that it