Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-10-21
CoNcnEGAr1oNAL1srs MEET.


of the Congregational Club and
Guests-A supper at Redclide's-
Address by DR.. Wright of New Brit
ain and Musical advertisements.
1t was somewhat after 8 o'clock last
night when the meeting Of the Congrega
tional club was opened in the spacious and
beautiful interior of Warner hall with
prayer by Rev. Mr.. Reynolds of North
Haven. There were over three hundred of
the members and guests of the club in the
hall. About half of this number had just
finished most enjoyable supper in the
Redcliffe cafe below the hall.
Previous to the supper business meet
ing was held by the members of the club
in the hall. At this meeting the execu-
tive committee recommended that the
club hold five meetings year instead of
nine, as is the custom at present. The OBJ
ject of the change was to increase the i'm
portance of the meetings to- the members of
the club and to make the meetings great
er feature of the clubs existence. It is
proposed to hold them at Warner hall and
to prelude them with supper such as
proved SO enjoyable last night. This new
plan was favored by most of the members
and it was voted to leave the matter to the
discretion of the executive committee.
A committee Of three was appointed to
draw up suitable resolutions upon the
death of the clubs founder, the late Deacon
Walker. This committee will report at the
next meeting.
Last evening was one devoted to the
memory of the great composer, Handel.
In opening the exercises Mr.. and Mrs. Par
sons uponsthe piano and Professor FROST
weig upon the violin rendered most ele-
gantly one of the famous pieces of Handel.
Rev. DIR. Wright of New Britain then
delivered an interesting address upon 1.-THE
| Influence of Handel Upon the English
| Faith" Had David killed hundred Go
liaths and written no song his influence
would have been what Samson's was, slight
and evanescent, said DR.. Wright. The
power of song has been great factor from
the earliest times of antiquity. Handel
brought into religion a power of music
born in the church, but which had wan
dered somewhat widely from the style of
sicians of that period were bad men and
spent their time largely in correcting
their manners Philip Merry undertook
reform in the music of the Ro-
man church, and the pope created his
style of music a new order. 1t steadily
increased in favor A brief passage Of
scripture was read by the preacher
and the singers took up the idea
and continued in song. The idea then
song. This manner of Philip Merry gradu-
ally became the oratorio in the church. 1t
underwent various notifications and
adaptations and was the germ Of the Ital-
ian opera. 1t may be interesting to know
@Lo+ tha H,ct frraaf and the tlrgt
great oratorio were produced in the same
year, 1900. 1t was the development of
this style which finally gave us the great
German opera. 1t was about ITO when
Handel came to London, fresh from his
exhaustive studies of italian music, to de-
velop German opera. He was not over
fond of money. He threw himself into
opera and orator:o with marvellous results.
This was a period of atheism. The hatred
of the Bible by EngGshmen was SUI
preme. The Bible was identified with
all that the returning loyalists most
feared and most loathed. By it Milton
had justified the regicides, and friend and
foe had used it for their own partisan pur-
poses. Deism pervaded all classes. Thus
for a time the great literature of the six
teenth and seventeenth centuries were lost
in the twaddle of Addison. Handel began
to bring out his oratorios, and what were
theys Simply the Bible furnished with
wings sufficient to lift them above the low
character of the time. In them was given
the whole substance of the Bible, from
Genesis to Revelation. Handel was the
great friend of the king. There was 9
period of GOODNESS between them, but il
was short lived. Handel, turning from
OPERA hal learned the grandest music is
possible only under the grandest themes
and these can only be found out of the
Bible. Stanley has told us that Handel
has taught us how to read the forty-fourth
and fifty-third chapters of Isaiah intelligi-
bly, The transcendent genius of the man,
his court favor and his feeling for the
Bible qualified him to achieve the work
| providence designed him for.
The absence of Biblical allusion in Eng
lish literature and speech of the eighteenth
century is as noticeable as its prominence
in that of the century following. Even
Swinburne, who has tried SO hard to be 9
pagan but could never succeed, George
Elliot and Huxley have but brought bach
| into the literature of England the bool
that has made England great Handel wal
among galaxy of great men of the tim'
who were innoculating England with tn
spirit of the Bible.
| esting details and incidents connected will
the life, career and work of the great com
poser and vigorously denounced the use o
the ballet in operate performances as bias
phemous and degrading.
Mrs. Button sang 81 Know that my Re
deemer Liveth," one of Handel's beautiful
songs, with excellent expression. She wa
warmly applauded.
Professor Trostweig rendered a hvel,
secular piece upon the violin; Mrs. Duttol
sang another pleasing song, and Mr.. ant
Mrs Parsons did difficult piano piece a
the close of the entertainment. Tn
violin playing of Professor Trostweig wa
highly complimented.
Among the guests of the club were Hon
James H. Kellogg and Mrs. Kellogg o
Rochester, N. Y. Mr.. Kellogg is wei
known as the donor of the Kellogg Memo
rial hall at Chatauqua.
i