Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-09-21

reasons-frst, because l like It, and next,
because want TO encourage those who do
not know how. have but very little
faculty in that direction, yet am resolved
to sing Cod has commanded IL and dare
not be silent. He calls on the beasts, on
the cattle, on the dragons to praise him,
aud we ought not 20 be behind the cattle
and the dragons
Another obstacle that has been in the
way OF the advancement of this holy art
has been the fact that there has been so
much angry discussion on the subject Of
music. There are those who would have
this exercise conducted by musical instru-
ments, In the same church there are
those who do not like musical instru-
ments, and so it is organ and 10 organ, and
there is fight, In another church it is a
question whether the music shall be con
Quoted by percentor or by drilled choir
Some want drilled choir and some want
percentoF, and there is fight. Then
there are those who would like in the
church to have the organ played in dull,
lifeless, droning way, while there are 9th
ers who would have 1t wreathed into fan
TASTES, branching out In jets and spangles
convoluLions as when, in pyrotechEc dis
play, after you think piece is exhausted
1t breaks out in wheels, rockets, blue lights
and serpentine demonstrations. Some
would have the organ played in almost in
audible sweetness, and others would have
1t full Of staccato passages that make the
audience jump, with great eyes and hair
on end, as though by vision of the Witch
of Endor; and he who tries to please all
will fail in everything. Nevertheless, you
are to admit the fact that this contest
which is going on not in hundreds but in
thousands of the churches of the United
States today, is a mighty hindrance to the
advancement of this art. In this way
scores and scores OF churches are entirely
crippled as to all influence, and the music
is damage rather than praise
CAN You PRAISE GOD BY PROXY
Another obstacle in the advancement of
this art has been the erroneous notion that
this part Of the service could be conducted
by delegation. Churches have said: "Oh
what an easy time we shall have, THIS
minister will do the preaching, the cDal,
will do the singing and we will have moth
ing to do" And you know as well as
that there are great multitude of
churches all through this land where the
people are not expected to sing the whole
work is done by delegation of four or six
or ten persons, and the audience is silent
In such a church in Syracuse an old elder
persisted in singing, and so the choir ap
pointed a committee to go and ask the
squire II he would not stop. You know
that in great multitude Of churches the
choir are expected to do all the singing
and the great mass of the people are ex
pected to be silent, and if you utter your
voice you are interfering. There they
stand, the four, with opera glass dangling |
at their side, singing Rock of ages, cleft |
for me-" with the Sane spirit that the
night before on the stage they took their
part in the Grand Duchess" or "DCn
Giovanni"
Ny Christian friends, have we a right to
delegate to others the discharge of this
duty which God demands Of us? Suppose |
that four wood thrushes should propose to
do all the singing some bright day when |
the woods are ringing with bird voices, It |
Is decided that four wood thrushes shall do |
all the singing of the forest. Let all other |
voices keep silent. How beautifully the |
four MARBLE 1t is really fine music. But |
how long will you keep the forest still? |
Why, Christ would come into that forest |
and look up as he looked through the olives. |
and he would wave his hand and say, Let |
everything that hath breath praise the |
Lord" and keeping time with the stroke |
of innumerable wings, there would be five |
thousand bird voices leaping into the har
mony Suppose this delegation Of musical |
performers were tried in heaven; suppose
that four choice spirits should try to do the
singing of the upper temple. Hush, nov, |
thrones and dominions and principalities.
David be still, though you were "theswe |
singer of Israel" PAUL keep quiet though !
you have come to that crown of rejoicing |
Richard Baxter keep STILL though this is
the Saints Everlasting Rest" Four spirits
now do all the singing, But how long |
would heaven be quiet? How longp HAL
lelujah" would cry some glorifed Metho
dist from under the altar. praise the
Lordp' would sing the martyrs from among
the thrones. Thanks be unto God who
giveth us the victoryI" great multitude
of redeemed spirits would cry. Myriads of
voices coming into the harmony and the
one hundred and forty and four thousand
breaking forth into one reclamation. Stop
that loud singingl Stopl Oh, no, they
cannot hear me. You might as well try to
drown the thunder of the sky or beat back
the roar of the sea, for every soul in heav-
en- has resolved to do its own singing. Alasl
that we should have tried on earth that
which they cannot do In heaven, and in-
stead of joining all our voices in the praise
of the Most High God, deegating perhaps
to unconsecrated men and women this
most solemn and most delightful service
LET ALL THE CONGREGATION SING.
Now, in this church we have resolved
upon the plan of conducting the music by
organ and cOrnet. We do it for two rea.
sons One is that by throwing the whole
responsibility upon the mass of the people,
making the great multitude the choir, we
might rouse more heartiness The congre
cation coming on the Sabbath day feel that
they cannot delegate this part of the great
service to any one else, and so they them
selves assume it, We have had "A glorious
singing here. People have
come many miles to hear it, They are not
sure about the preaching, but they can al
ways depend on the singing. We have
heard the sound coming up like 1.-THE voice
of many waters" but it will be done Mt t
better rate after awhile when we shall
realize the height and the depth and the
immensely Of this privilege
forgot to state the other reason why we
adopted this plan. That Rs' we DO not
want any choir quarrels. You know very
we'll that in scores of churches there has
been perpetual contention in that direction.
The only church fight that ever occurred |
under my ministry was over melodeon in |
my first settlement. Have you never been
in church on the Sabbath day and heard
the choir sing, and you said, THAT is splen-
did music" The next Sabbath YOU were |