Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-21

voice. Angels will not laugh If you should
lose your place in the musical scale, or come
i'll at the close a bar behind.
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 con-
ducted by musical Instruments In the
same church there are those who do not like
musical instruments In another church it
is n question whether the music shall be con-
ducted by n precentor or by drilled choir.
Then there are those who would like in the
church to have the organ played in dull,
lifeless, droning way, while there are others
who would have it wreathed into fantasies,
branching out in jets and spangles of sound,
rolling and tossing in marvellous convolu-
tions, a. when, in pyroteclinic display, after
you think piece is exhausted, it breaks out
in wheels, rockets. blue lights and serpentine
demonstrations. Some would have the or
gan played in almost inaudible sweetness,
and others would have it full of staccato
passages that make tho 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.
ALL SHOULD HELP TO SING.
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 min
lister will do the preaching, the choir will do
the singing, and we will have nothing to
do" And you know as well as that there
are a 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 are silent In such
church in Syracuse, nm old elder persisted in
singing. and so the choir appointed COM
mtttee to go and ask the squire If he would
not stop. You know that in a great multi
tude of churches the choir are expected to
do all the singing, and the great mass of the
people are expected to be silent, and If you
utter your voice you are interfering. There
they stand, the four, with opera glass
dangling at their sde singing 'Rock of Ages
Cleft for Me-" with the same spirit that the
night before, on the stage, they took their
part in the Grand Duchess" or "Don
Giovanni"
Now, in this church, we have resolved upon
the plan of conducting the music by organ
and cornet. We do it for two reasons: one is
that by throwing the whole responsibility
upon the mass of the people, making the
great n altitude the choir, we might rouse
more heartinesS. The congregation coming
on the Sabbath day feel that they cannot
delegate this part of the great service to any
one else and so they themselves assume it.
We have had a glorious congregational sing
ing here. People have come many miles to
hear il.
forgot to state the other reason why we
adopted this plan. That is, We do not want
any choir Quarrels. You know very well
that in scores of churches there has been
only church fight that ever occurred under
my ministry was over a melodeon. IN my
first settlement. Have you never been in
church on the Sabbath day. and heard the
choir sing, and you said: PThat is splendid
music?" The next Sabbath, you were in that
church, and there was no choir at all. The
leader was mad, or his assistants were mad,
or they were all mad together.
When Cromwelrs army went into battle,
he stood at the head of them one day, and
gave out the long meter doxology to the
tune of the "Old Hundredth, and that great
host, company by company, regiment by
regiment, battalion by battalion, Joined in
the doSology:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him, ali creatures here below;
Praise Him abov., We heavenly host,
Praise Father, Sol and HOLY Ghost.
And while they sang they marched, and
while they marched they fought, and while
they fought they got the victory. o men
and women of Jesus Christ, let us go into all
our conflicts singing the praises of God, and
then, instead of falling back. as we of en- do,
frC m defeat to defeat, we will be marching
on from victory to victory.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to
the Holy Ghost as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.