The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1891-09-25


and discOursed music for three or four
days to him On the fourth day he
looked mp. and wept, and rejoicedp and
the windows were thrown open. and
that which all the sPlendOrE OF the
court could not do. the power of song
accomplished If you have anzieties
and WORKINGS. try this heavenly charm
upon them
Dc not sit down on the bank of the
hymn. but plunge In that the devil of
care may be brought out of you It
also srouses to action A singing
church is always q triumphant church,
If a congregation is silent during the
exercise, OF partially silent, it is the sic
iencs of death II, when the hymn Is
here and there a father and mother In
Israel, while the vast majority are ST
lent, that minister OF Christ who is
presiding needs 20 have a very strong
constitution IL he does not get the
chilIR He needs not only the grace of
God, but nerves like FhElebone- It is
amazing how some people, who have
voice enough TO discharge all their
duties in the world. when they come
discharge this duty. I really believe
that if the church of Christ could rise
up and sing that where we have 3 hun
dred souls brought into the kingdom Of
Christ there would be a thousand
But must now speak of some Of the
obstacles in the way OF the advance
menb of this sacred music; and the first
is that it has been impressed into the
service Of superstition. am far from
/ believing that 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, tine concert by the grstifca-
/ ton of pure taste, and the production
| Of harmless amusement and the i'm
provsment of talent have become
| great forces in the advancement of our
civilization. Music has as much right
to laugh in Surrey gardens as it has to
pray in st. Panl's In the kingdom Of
nature, we have the glad fling OF the
wind as well as the long meter psalm
/ of the thunder.
| False religions have depended more
upon the hymning of their congrega-
tions than upon the pulpit proclama-
ton Of their dogmas. Tartini. the
musical composer, dreamed one night
| that Satan snatched from his hand an
instrument and played upon it some
| thing very sweet-a dream that has
| often been fulfilled in our day, the
| voice and the instrument that ought to
have been devoted to Christ captured
from the church and applied to pur-
poses of superstition
| Another obstacle has been an in
| ordinate fear OF criticism The vast
| majority of people, singing In church,
| never want any body else to hear them
sing. Every body is waiting for every
body else to do his duty. II we all
sang, then the inaccuracies that are
evident when only a few sing would
not be heard at all; they would be
drowned out God only asks you to do
as well as you can, and then, if you
get the wrong pitch, or keep wrong
time, He will forgive any deficiency of
the ear and imperfectiOn of the voice
Angels will not laugh If you should
lose your place in the musical scale OF
come in at the close a bar behind.
There are three schools of singing, ]
am toId-the German school, the Italian
! school, and the French school of sing
| ing. Now, would like to add fourth
| school, and that is the school of Christ.
| The voice of a cOntrite, broken heart
| although it may not be able to stand
| human criticism, makes better music
to Gods ear than the most artistic per
Torrance when the heart is wanting
| know it Is easier TO preach on this
| than it is to practice; but I sing for two
reasous-first, because I like it, anc
| next because want to encourage those
who do not know how. I have but
| very little faculty in that direction, yet
am resolved to sing. God has com
manded it. aud dare not be silent He
calls on the beasts, on the cattle, on ths
dragons. to praise Him, and we ough
not to be behind the cattle and ths
dragons
Another obstacle that has been II
the way of the advancement of thil
holy art has been the fact that there
has been so much angry discussion OF
the subject of music There are thoss
who would have this exercise conduct
ed by musical Instruments In tn,
same church there are those who d.
not like musical instruments, and so i
is organ and no organ, and there is
fight. In another church it is a ques
ton whether the music shall be con
Quoted by a precentOr or by a drilled
choir. Some want 3 drilled choir anS
some want a presenter, and there is
fight Then there are those who wouIS
like in the church to have the orgaI
played in q dull Hfeless, drOnins
way, while there are others who
would have it VYreathed in fan
TASTES. branching out in jet
and spangles of sound, rolling
and tossing in marvellous convolutioni
as when in pyroteehnic display ate
you think 8 piece is exhausted it break
out in wheels, rockets, blue lights ant
serpentine demonstrations. Som
would have the organ played in almos
inaudible sweetness and others vvOul,
have it full OF stacsatO passages tina
make the audience jump. with grea
eyes and hair on end, as though by
vision of the witch OF Endor. And h,
who tries to please all will fail II
everything. Nevertheless you are I.
admit the fact that this contest whicl
is going on, not IN hundreds but il
thousands of the churches of the Unite'
States to-day is a mighty hindFance Z
the advancement of this art, In thi
way scores and scores of churches ar
entirely crippled as to all influence, ant
the music is a damage rather than
praise.
Another obstacle in the advancement
of this art has been the erroneous no
ton that this part Of the service coul,
be conducted by delegation Churche
have said: 80 what an easy time ",
shall have. This minister viii do tn
preaching. the choir viii do the singing
and we will have nothing to do An,
you know As well as that there as
great multitude OF churches all through
this land where the people are not ex