The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-21

else conducted by musical instruments In
the same church there are those who do
not like musical instruments. and so IL Is
organ and no organ, and there is hRnt In
another church, it is a question whether the
music shall be conducted by precenbor or
by drilled choir. Some want a drilled
choir and some want a precentor, and there
is fight. Then there are those who would
like IN the church to have the organ played
in dull, lifeless, dronug way, while there
are others who would have 1t wreathed into
fantasies, branching out into Jets and
spangles of sound, rolling and tossing
in marvellous convolutions, as when,
| in pyrotechnic display. after you think
a piece is exhausted, 1t breaks out
ia wheels. rockets. blue-lights, and serpen-
! tine demonstrations. Some would have
the organ played in almost iaaudible sweet
ness, and others would have it full of STAG
cato 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. Never
theless, 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 to-day, is mighty hindrance
to the advancement of this art. In this
| way scores and scores of churches are en-
| tirelY crippled as to all influence, and the
music is a damage rather than a praise.
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: 40,
what an easy time we shall have. This
minister will do the preaching, the choir
| VIII do the singing, and we will have
nothing to do" And you know as well as
| that there are q great multitude of
churches all through this land where the
people are not expected to sing; the whole
| orb &c kxyl IL 80 -
or ten persons, and the audience is
silent. In such a church in Syracuse
an old elder persisted in singing,
and 80 the choir appointed a COM
mittee to 60 and ask the squire if he would
not STOP You know that in great multi
tude of churches, the choir are expected to
do all the singing and the great mass Of the
people are expected TO BIS silent. and if 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
My Christian friends, have we right to
delegate to others the discharge Of this duty
| which God demands of usl Suppose that
four od-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
ali the singing of the forest. Let all other
voices keep silent. How beautifully the
four MARBLE. 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 gay: Let
everything that hath breath praise
the Lords" and, keeping time with
the stroke of innumerable wings,
there would be- five thousand
bird voices leaping into the harmony. Sup
pose this delegation of musical performers
were tried in heaven: suppose that four
choice spirits should try to do the singing
of the upper temple. Hush now, thrones
and dominions and principalities David
be still, though you were "the sweet singer
Of Israel" Paul! keep quiet. though you
have come to that crown of rejoicing.
Richard 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 long9 Halle
lujah" would cry some glorified Methodist
| from uader the altar. Praise the Lord"
would sing the martyrs from among the
thrones. Thanks be unto God who giveth us
the victoryW great multitude of redeemed
spirits would cry. Myriads of voices COM
ing into the harmony, and the one hundred
and forty AID four thousand breaking forth
into ona acclqmation. Stop that loud sing
!
You might as well try to drown tho thunder
OF the sky. or beat back tho roar of the sea,
for every soul in heaven has resolved to 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, dele
| eating perhaps to unconsecrated men and
| women this most solemn and most delight
full service.
| Now, in this church, we have resolved
upon the plan of conducting the music BY
organ and cornot. We do it for two reasons.
one is that by throwing the whole responsi.
bliity upon the mass of the people, MAKING
the great multitude the choir, we might
rouse more heartiness. The congregation
coming on the Sabbath day feel that thew
cannot delegate this part of the great
service to any one else, and so they them
selves assume it. We have had q glorious
congregational singing here People have
come many miles to hear it. They ara not
sure about the preaching but they can
always depend on the singing. We have
heard the sound coming up like ''the voice
of many waters" but it will be done a. a
better rate after awhile when we shall
realize the hight, 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 light that ever occurred under
my ministry was over q melodeon in nv
first settlement. Have YOU never been in
church on the Sabbath day and heard the
choir sing, and you said, That is splendid
music. The next Sabbath, you were in
that church, and there was no choir
at all. Whya The leader was mad
or his assistants were mad, or they
were all mad together. Some Of the
choirs are made up of our hest
Christian people. Some of the warmest
friends | have ever had have stood I'D in
them, Sabbath after Sabbath, conscien-
tiously and successfully leading the praises
Of God. But the majority of the choirs
throughout the land are not made of
Christian psople, and three-fourths of the
church fights origi ate in the organ loft
| take that back aud say nine-te1ths 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 family
of our congregation TO he singing school,
Childish petulancs, ohduracy and intracta-
bllity would be soOthed if we had more
singing in the household, aud then our little
ones would be pre- AIRED for the great con-
; gregatiou on the Sabbath day, their voices
uniting with our voices in the praises of the
Lord. After a sho wer, there are scores of
3 streams that come down the mountain side
with voices ripping and silvery, pouring
into one river and then rolling in united
t strength to the sea. So would have all
| the familiaS n chuvCh sand forth fba