News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-09-24

WanC IyDOuy elSeFGO near lllelu SllS'
Everybody is waiting for somebody
else to do his duty. If we all sang,
then the inaccuracies that are evident
when only a 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
the close bar behind.
There are three schools of singing, l
am told-the German school, the Ital-
ian school and the French school of
singing. Now, would like to add a
fourth school, and that is the school
of Christ. The voice of a contrite,
broken heart, although it may not
be able to stand human criticism,
makes better music to Gods ear than
the most artistic performance when the
heart is wanting l know it is easier
to preach on this than it is to practice,
but l sing for two reasons-first, be-
cause I 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 commanded it, and l dare not
be silent. He calls on the beasts, on
the cattle, on the dragons to praise
him, and we ought not to be behind
the cattle and the dragons.
TIMIDTrY AND CAPTIOUsNESS.
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 conduct
ed by musical instruments. In the
same church there are those who do
not like musical instruments, and SO 1t
is organ and no organ, and there is
fight. In another church it is ques-
ton whether the music shall be con-
Quoted by precentor or by drilled
choir. Some want drilled choir and
some want precentor, and there is
fight. Then there are those who would
like in the church to have the organ
played in a dull, lifeless, droning way,
while there are others who would have
1t wreathed into fantasies, branching
out in Jets and spangles of sound, roll
ing and tossing in marvellous convolu
tions, as when, In pyrotechnic display,
after you think piece is exhausted, II
breaks out in wheels, rockets, blue
lights and serpentine demonstrations.
Some would have the organ played
in almost 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 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 con-
test 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 of churches
are entirely crippled as to all influence
and the music is damage rather than
a praise
Another obstacle in the advancement
of this art has been the erroneous no
ton 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 sing
ing and we will have nothing 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
are silent.
In such q church in Syracuse an old
elder persisted in singing and SO the
choir appointed Il 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 expected to be silent,
and if you utter your voice you are in
terfering, There they stand, the four
with opera glass dangling at their side,
singing Rock of Ages, Cleft for Ne,
with the same spirit that the night be
fore, on the stage, they took their part
in the ''Grand Duchess" or Don Clio
vanni."
ALL SHOULD SING WHO CAN.
My Christian friends, have we a
III - IL - - ~, L. =
charge of this duty which God de
mands 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 de-
cided that four wood thrushes shall do
all the singing of the forest. Let all
the other voices keep silent. How beau
tifully Tie four warblel 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 innunerable wings,
there would be five thousand bird
voices leaping into the harmony.
Suppose this delegation of musical
performers were tried in heaven; sup
pose that four choice spirits should try
to do the singing of the upper temple.
Hush, now, thrones and dominions and
municipalities. David 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 Baxterl keep still, though this is
the Saints everlasting Rest" Four
spirits now do all the singing. But
how long would heaven be quiet2 How
long2 "HallelujahI' would cry some
glorified Methodist from under the
altar. praise the Lord p would sing
the martyrs from among the thrones
Thanks be unto God who giveth us
the victoryl" a great multitude of re-
deemed 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 heaven has resolved to do its own
singing. Alasi 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 to un.
consecrated men and women this most
solemn and most delightful service.
Now, in this church, we have re-