Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-09-26

which all the splendors OF the court could NOT
do the power OF song accomplished. II you
have anxieties and worriments, try this
heavenly charm upon them. Do not sit
down on the bank of the hymn, but plunge
In, that the devil of care may be brought
out of you.
1t also arouses to action. A singing church
is always triumphant church! II a congre-
cation is silent during the exercise or par
TALLY SILENT it Is the silence of death II
when the hymn is given out you hear ths
faint hum Of here and there father and
mother in Israel, while the vast majority are
silent, that minister of Christ who is presii-
ing needs to have very strong constitution
if he does not get the chills He needs not
only the grace of God, but nerves like whale
bone. 1t is amazing how some people, who
have voice enough TO discharge all their
duties in the word, when they come into til,
house of God have no voice to discharge
this duty really believe that if the caurch
of Christ could riss up and sing as it ought
to sing, that where we have a hundred souls
brought into the kingdom of Christ there
would be thousand.
But must now speak of soma of the OBJ
stacles in the way of the advancement 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 al
ways to be positively religious. Refined art
has opened places whers music has been Sec
ularized, and lawfully so. The drawing
room, the musical ciuo, the orchestra, the
concert, by the qualification of pure taste,
anj the production of harmless amusement,
and the improvement of talent have become
great forces in the advancement of our cvili-
cation. Music has much right to laugh in
Surrey gar lens as it has to pray in ST.
Paurs
In the kingdom of nature we have the glad
fling Of the wind as vel as the long meter
psalm of the thunder; but while all this is
so, every observer has noticed that this art,
which God intended for the Improvement OF
the ear and the voice, and the heal and the
heart, has often been impressed into the SER
vice of false religions. False religions have
depended more upon the hymning of their
congregations than upon the pulpit proclaim
alton of their dognas. Tartini, the musical
composer, dreamed one night that Satan
snatched from his hand an instrument AMI
played upon it something very sweet--a
dream that has often been fulfilled in our
day, the voice and the instruments that
ought to have been devoted to Christ, cap
tured from the church and applied to pur-
poses of superstition.
Another obstacle has been an inordinats
fear of criticism. The vast ma ority of peo-
pie singing in church never want anybody
else to hear them sing. Everybody is wait
ing for somebody else to do his duty. If we
ali JICu bn0 ludCCuIdCteS llldO dIb bNl-
dent when only 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 or come in at the
close a bar behind.
There are three schools of singing, | am
told-the German school, the Italian school
and the French school OF singing Now,
would like to add fourth school, and that
is the school of Christ. This voice of con-
trite broken heart, although it may notbe
able to stand human criticism, makes better
music to Gods ear than the most artistic
performance when the heart is wanting
know it is easier TO preach on this than it is
to practice but sing for two reasons-irst,
because 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. God has com
manded it. and Idare not be silent. He calls
on the beasts, on the cattle, on the dragons
to praise Him, and we ought not be behind
the cattle and the dragons.
Another obstacle that has been in the wat
OF the advancement OF this holy art has
been the fact that there has been so much
angry discussion on thu subject of music
1here are those who would have this exer.
>AA'S SCii AuNuVb ny EluoiGli instruments. In
tle same church there are those who do not
like musical instruments, AMI so it is organ
ana no organ, AMI there is a fighs. In
another church 1t is a question whether the
music shall be con incted by prec entor or
by drilled choir Some want a drilled
CHOIR an so ne want a precentor and there
is a fight. Then there are those who wo1ld
like in the church to have the organ playel
m duh, lifeless droning way, while there
are others who would have it wreathel into
fantasies, branching out in jets and spangles
OF sound, rolling and tossing in marvellous
convultloDs, as when, in pyrotechnc lis.
play, after you think a piece is exhausted,
1t breaks out IN wheels, rockets, blue lights
and serpentine demonstrations
Some would have the organ PLAYED in al.
most inau1ible sweetness an1 Others would
have 1t full of staccato passages that mako
the audience jump, with great eyes and hair
on end, as though by vision of the Witch
OF Endor AMI he who tries to please all
viii fail in everything Nevertheless, you
are to admit the fact that this contest which
is going on, not in hun Ire Is but in thou
sands of the churches Of the Unite1 States
to-day, IS mighty hindrancs to the al
yancement of this art. In this way scores
of churches are entirely cripplela as to al in
huenee, and the music is damage rather
than praise.
Another obstacle in thu advancement Of
this art has been the erroneous notion that
this part OF the service c)ul1 b. 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"
Andy 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 prisons and the audience
are silent.
In such church in Syracuse an old elder
persisted in singing, AMI SO the choir ap-
pointed committee to go and ask the squire
il he would not stop, You know that in a
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 interfer-
ing. There they stand, the four, with opera
glass dang ling at their side 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"
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 wool Is
are ringing with birt voices. 1t is decided
tdat four wool thrushes snail do all tho
singing of the forest. Let all the other
voices keep silent How beautifully the
four MARBLE! 1t is really fine music But
how long will you keep thu forest still!
Why, Christ would come into that forest AMI
look up as He looked through the olives ant
He would wave His hand ana say, Let
everything that hath breath praise tle
Lord" and, keeping tina with ths stro;sot
ipnumerable wings there woui1 be five taol-
sand bird voices leaping into the harmony.
Suppose this delegation OF musical per-
formers were tried in heaven; suppose tlat
four choice spirits SHOULD try to do the sin :
ing of the upper temple. Hush. now, thrones
and dominions and principalities Dividl
be still, though You wers "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? ''HalleIuiahp
would cry some glorified Methodist from un-
der the altar PRAISE the Lord" would
sing the martyrs from among the thrones.
Thanks be unto God who giveth us the vic
tory" great multitude of reieene1 spirits
would cry.
Myriads OF vocss conlu. into the har-
mony, and the one hualre1 and forty and
four thousand breaking forth into Que accla-
nation. Stop that loud singing Stop On,
no, they cannot hear me- You might as well
try to drown the thunder OF the sky, or beat
back the roar of tina sea FOR every soul in
heaven has resolved 70 do its 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.
M in oh