Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1891-09-25

I menus. III tue same GuNtGn IAGtt are
those who do not like musical instru
ments, and so it is organ and no organ, and
there is a fight. In another church it is a
/ question whether the music shall be con
| Quoted by percentor or by drilled choir
l Some want a drilled choir and some want
a percentor, and there is fight. Then
l 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 II wreathed into fan
| TASTES, branching out in Jets and spangles
of sound, rolling and tossing in marvellous
| cOnvolutions as when, in pyrOtechnic 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
4 It full Of staecatO 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 hundreds but IN
thousands OF the churches Of the United
States today, is mighty hindraRee 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 a 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 choir
will do the singing and we will have moth
J.. 4 d.
that there are great multitude of
churches all through this land where the
people are not expected 70 sing, the whole
work is done by delegation Of four or six
or ten persons, and the audience is silent.
In such church in Syracuse an old elder
persisted in singing, and so the choir ap-
pointed committee TO go and ask the
squire if he would not stop. You know
that in a 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 II 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 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. 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 fire 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-b
mony. Suppose this delegation OF. musical /
performers were tried in heaven suppose /
that four choice spiritsshouldt r3 to do tire /
singing Of the upper temple Hush, now,
thrones and dOminions and principalities. |
David be still, though you were 1.-THE sweet I
singer of Israel" Paul! keep quiet, though |
You have come to that crown Of rejoicing. |
Richard Baxterl keep still, though this is /
the Saints Everlasting Rest" Fourspirits /
now do all the singing. But how long /
would heaven be quiet? How long? Hal |
leluiahl' would cry some glorified 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 victOryl" great multitude |
of redeemed spirits would cry. Myrads Of /
voices coming into the harmony and the ,
one hundred and forty and four thousand I
breaking forth into one reclamation. Stop .
that loud singing! Stop! Oh no, they I
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, delegating 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
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 50 they them
selves assume it. We have had 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 THE voice
Of many waters but it will be done at n
better rate after awhile when we shall
realize the height and the depth and the
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
well that in scores of churches there has
been perpetual contention IN that direction.
The only church tight that ever occurred
under my ministry was over II melOdeon in
my first settlement. Have you never been
in church on the Sabbath day and heard
the choir sing and sou said, THAT is SPLEEN
did music" The next Sabbath you were
in that church and there WIS no choir at
all WhyY The leader was mad, or his
assistants were mad, or they were all mad
together. Some Of the chOiS are made up
Of our best Christian people. Some Of the
warmest friends have ever had have stOOd
up in them Sabbath after Sabbath con
and successfully leading the
praises Of God. But the majority Of the
choirs throughout the land are not made
up of Christian people, and three-fouFths
Of the church fights originate in the organ
loft. | take that back and say nine-tenths
A great many Of our churches are dying OF
choirs.
We want to rouse all our families to the
duty of sacred song We want each fam
lily OF our congregation to be a singing =
school. Childish petulanee, obduraey and
would be soothed if we had
more singing in the household. and then
our little ones would be prepared for the
great congregation on the Sabbath day
their voices uniting with our voices IN the
praises Of the Lord. After a shower there
are scores Of streams that come down the
side with voices ripping and
silvery, pouring into one river and then
rolling in united strength to the sea. So
would have all the families in our church
send forth the voice Of prayer and praise
pouring it into the great tide of public
worship that rolls on and on to empty into
the great wide heart Of God. Never can
we have our church sing as it ought until