Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-23
RELIGION IN CHOIRS.
Sometimes There Isn't Enough There
to Supply One Person.
THE REHEARSALS IN PITTSBURG.
Gossip Going Around to tho Effect That
They Are DisgracefuL
GOOD WORK THAT HABAKKUK DID
WRITTEN FOR THE pIsPArcH.I

WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATCH.I
Few biographies were written in the day
of Habakkuk; or else they have gone the
way of most of the worlds books, first onto
the top shelf, and then into the waste bas-
ket, and then into oblivion. Anyhow, nc
life Of Habakkuk has survived.
Habakkuk, if be lived up to his good name
was good man. Names meant something
in that old day. Queer and awkward they
sound to u.s. but the Hebrews understood
them well enough. Habakkuk means ''the
man who loves his fellow men," That is .
name good enough for Christian.
The prophet, in his writings, does NO
tell us much about himself That was moi
the way of those good men. They cared
| too little about themselves to set down thu
details of their personal histories. I sup
pose that it never occurred to them that peo'
pie would ever be interested in them.
They desired above all things that nell
should listen to the message that they
brought and learn it. If they could get
that done, what else had they to care for?
| They were satisfied if God knew who they
we're.
Must Have Been a Notable Man.
1t is plain, however, that Habakkuk was
q man OF importance in his day. The leg
ends indicate that. Legends do not gather
about The names of Insignificant people
The burial place of Habakkuk is still
pointed out in the East, though it is not
| likely that he was buried in it. In the
Apocrypha, in the story of "Bel and the
Dragon" an angle carries Habakkuk by the
bowl of pottage in his hand, that ne may
feed Daniel in the den of lions. There
must have been something notable about
Habakkuk, thus to impress his name and
personality upon his time, and to be re.
membered after he was dead.
This is further evident from the fact that
he bears title. He Is the ''prophet. -
That is, he was no obscure, unknown man
who rose up suddenly, in some emergency,
to preach. He had right to preach. That
was what he was for; to that he was COM
missioned. He was one OF the official re-
liglous teachers OF his time. 1t is further
to be noticed that he belonged to q church
choir This appears in the last chapter of
his book. Thus he represents the two ends
of the church, the choir-loft and the pulpit.
This is worth considering.
The Religion of the Choir.
1t is said sometimes that the choir is the
least religious part OF the congregation. I
hope that this is in some cases true. For if
the rest of some congregations is not more
religious than some choirs, am sorry for
the parish The proper name for such a
church would be the Synagogue of Satan. I
have never had any experience with any
other than Christian choir; but I have
been told of choirs in Pittsburg, some Of
which, I understand, have not yet been
converted, where the rehearsals are dis
grace to decent respectability. The organist
has been drinking too much, and the tenor
has put his lips to the same cup, and the
singing and the playing are an elaborate and
operate blasphemy.
1 confess that cannot understand the
objection which is SO strongly felt by some
good people against the organ. But 1 am
surprised that among all the sects of Chris
tendon there is not one which takes its
stand upon the abolition OF the choir.
Choirs are said to fight like cats on mid
night fences; they are said to read novels
and newspapers during the prayers, and to
play cards behind the organ during the SER
mon. and they are known to sing such
fendish anthems as to justify the para
phrase of the preacher: "Then cometh the
anthem, and taketh away the word which
was sown in their hearts.
Singing So People Do Not Understand.
Even the most Christian choirs will some
times sing SO that nobody can understand
them. The other day 1 heard the first
verse Of "Greenland's Icy Mountains" sung
in Ojibway. 1t did not sound SO much un-
like the singing of some Anglo-Saxon
choirs. But this is the least of choral Of
lenses. A decent choir-and, still more,
Christian choir-may be pardoned for
much wish that somebody could deny
that good many choir singers sing partly
for money and partly for reputation, and
not at all for the service of God; but 1 do
not like to believe it. '--.''---
Here now, in the face of all this, is
book of the Bible written by member of
choir Yes, and more remarkable still, by
one whose place in the choir loft was with
the orchestra. Habakkuk played horn or
a violin in the Jerusalem orchestra And
it is sometimes said that orchestras are
mostly pagan. Here is book by member
of an orchestra, which shows that his music
was an offering to the glory and honor of
God. Habakkuk, it is true, was also
preacher; but, doubt not, he felt that he
was about a business just as religious when
he stood at his music rest as when he stood
at his. pulpit.
Tie Time When Habakkuk Lived.
Nobody knows just when Habakkuk
lived. Probably, however, it was in the
days of Jehoikin. Zephaniah, who was
Habakkuk's predecessor in the great work
of preaching to the nation and having all
Palestine tor parish, died before the
ofnru ,ofi inn vvhi oh f0n Al in he
Of Josiah This appears from the TACT that
when that reformation began, when they
found the old Bible in the rubbish
of the church cellar and began to learn
new lessons out of it, Josiah did not call
Zephaniah to his aid. He called, instead,
upon woman, Huldah the prophecies,
who was good faithful preacher in the
days when women preached. That, under
any circumstances, even though u dozen
Zephaniahs were in call, was a wise thing
to do. No reformation can have better help
thxn the counsel of a good wise woman.
However, there being no mention Whatever
of the prophets name, it is sale to infer
that he was dead
The reformation was effected, and for a
dozen years all thing went we'll. There was
order, justice, good government. and relig-
ion, Then Josiah did very foolish thing,
aid all came to an end.
The War Against Chaldea.
The foolish thing was this: Over in the
northwest there had been great revolution.
General Nabopolassar, the officer in
charge of the garrison at Babylon, had re-
volted, Joined hands with the Medes and,
thus strengthened. had attacked and ruined
Nineveh. The old Assyrian empire fell and
and the new Chaldean empire took its
place. The capitol was no longer Nineveh,
but Babylon. In the meantime in the
southwest there had also been events and
changes. The King of Egypt had gone the
way of all the earth and q new king sat