Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-10-02

else conducted by musical instruments. In
the same church there are those who do not
like musical instruments, and so it is organ
and no organ, and there Is fight. In
another church It is a question whether the
music shall be conducted by precentoT or
by a drilled choir. Some want a drilled
choir and some want precentor, and there
is a fight. 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
convultions. as when, in pyrotechn1c Gls-
play, after you think a piece is exhausted,
it breaks out in wheels, rockets blue lights
and serpentine demonstrations.
Some would have the organ played in al
most inaudible sweetness, and others would
have it full of staccato passages that make
the audience jump, with great eyes and hair
on end as though by a 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 huudreds but in thou
sands of the churches Of the United States
to-day, IS a mighty hindrance to the ad-
vancement Of this art In this way scores
of churches are entirely cripple1a as TO al In
fuence, and the music is a damage rather
than praise.
Another obstacle In the advancement Of
Jnls art mas been the erroneous notion that
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 l 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 prisons and the audience
are silent.
In such 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 ex-
pected 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 Interior
ing There they stand, the four, with opera
glass dang ling at their side singing,
Crock of Ages Cleft for Ne" with the same
spirit that the night before, On the stage,
they took their part IN the Grand Duchess"
or don 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. 1t Is decided
that four wood thrushes shall do all the
singing OF the forest. Let all the other
four MARBLE! It 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 strokeo
innumerable wings, there would be five thou
sand bird voices leaping into the harmony.
Suppose this delegation Of musical per-
formers were tried in heaven; suppose that
four choice spirits should try to do the sing
ing Of the upper temple. Hush, now, thrones
10
be still, though you were 1.-The sweet singer
of Israel" Paul! keep quiet though you
have come to that crown OF rejoicing. Rich
ard 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 long? "HalIelujah"
would cry some glorified Methodist from I'M
der the altar. praise the Lordr' would
sing the martyrs from among the thrones.
Thanks be unto Goa who giveth us the vic
toryr' a great multitude Of redeemed spirits
would cry.
Myriads of voices coming into the har-
mony, and the one hundred and forty and
four thousand breaking forth into one accla-
nation. Stop that loud singing! Stop! On,
no, they cannot hear me. You might as we'll
try to drown the thunder of the sky, or beat
back the roar of the sea- for every soul in
heaven has resolved to do it's own singing.
Alas! that we should have tried on earth
that which they cannot do in heaven, and
instead Of joining all our voices in the praise
of the most high God, delegating perhaps
this most solemn and most delightful ser
vice.
Now, in this church. we have resolved
upon the plan of conducting the music by Or
gan and cornet. We do it for two reasons
one is that by throwing the whole response
bilitv upon the mass Of the people. making
the great multitude the cnoir, we might
rouse more heartiness. The congregation
coming on the Sabbath day feel that they
cannot delegate this part OF the great serv-
ice to any one else, AMI so they themselves
assume it, We have had a glorious congre-
gational singing here. People have come.
many miles to hear it. They are not sure
about the preaching. but they can always
depend on the singing. We have heard the
sound coming up like 1.-The voice Of many
waters" but it will be done at 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 is, 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 a melOdeon in nv
first settlement. Have you never been in
church on the Sabbath day and heard the
choir sing, and you sail, THAT is splendid
music" The next Sabbath, you were in
that church, and there was nc choir
at all Why? The leader was mad,
or his assistants were mad, or they
were all ina together Some of the
choirs are made up of our best Christian
people. Some Of the warness friends have
ever had stool up IN them, Sabbath after
Sabbath conscientiouslY and successfully
leading the praises of Goi. But the majority
of the choirs throughout the land are not
made up of Christian people, and three
fourths Of the church fights originate in the
organ loft. take that back aud say nine
tenths. A great many of our churches are
dying of choirs.