Democratic messenger., 1893-05-20

hSSuagel anu nealeu. n soldier IN the
United States army said that on the days
the regimental band played near the hospi
tails all the sick and wounded revived, and
men who were SO lame they could not walk
before got up and went out and sat in the
sunshine, and those so dispiritcd that they
never expected to get home began To pack
their baggage and ask about timetables on
steamboat and rail train.
TheOdosius, the emperor, wrathful at the
behavior Of ths people of Antioch who on
some sudden provocation tore down the
statues of emperor and empress. resolved
severely to punish them. but the bishop
knowing that the emperor had group oi
boys sing TO him while eating at the table.
taught the boys plaintive song in which
the people lamented their bad behavior.
and the king. under the pathos Of the music.
cried out: 1.-The city of Antioch Is for
given" The rage of Achilles was rssuaged
by harp. Asclepiades swayed rebellious
multitudes by a harp.
After the battle OF Yorktown, when
musician was to suffer amputation, and he.
fore the days of anesthetics, the wounded
artist called for musical instrument and
lost not n note during the 40 minutes oi
amputation. Filippo Palma. the great mu
sician, confronted by an angry creditor.
played SO enchantingly before him that tn,
creditor forgave the debt and gave the debt
or 10 guineas more to appease other cred
itOrs. An eminent physician of olden time
contended (of course, carrying our theory
too farl that all ailments of the world could
be cured by music. The medical journals
never report their recoveries by this mode
But in what twilight hour has many "a
saint of God solaced a heartache with u
hymn hummed or sung or played, Jerome
Of Prague sang while burning at the stake
Over what keys Of piano or organ conso
lation has walkedl Yea. in church one
hymn has rolled peace over thousand of
the worried, perplexed and agonized. Will.
there are hymns and tunes ready for the
jubilant, there is a rich hymnology for the
suffering-"Naomi" and "Eventide" and
Autumn Leaves" and Come, Ye Discon
solate." and whole portfolios and librettos
Of tears set to music
All the wonderful triumphs OF surgery
and all the new modes OF successful treat
ment Of physical and mental disorders are
discussed in medical conventions and spread
abroad in medical books, and it is high
time that some of the millions of souls that
have been medicated by music, vocal and
instrumental. let the world know what
power there is in sweet sound. whether roll
ing from lip or leaping from frightened
chord or ascending from ivory key. Music
is universal language. At the foot of the
Tower of Babel language was split into
fragments never to be again put together,
but one thing was not hurt, and that Is
music, and it is the same all the world over.
Last summer in Russia mt watering
place we were greeted as we entered "a great
auditorium which was filled with thousands
of Russians. whose language could not un
derstand any more than they could under
stand mine. But after the grand band had.
out Of compliment to us, played our two
great American airs stepped on the plat.
form and said to the bandmaster, Russian
airl Russian air!' and then he tapped with
his baton ON the music rack. and with
splendor and majesty of power that almost
made us quail the full band poured forth
their national anthem. They understood our
American music, and we understood their
Russian music. 1t is universal language
and 40 good for universal cure.
should not wonder If in the day Of judy
nent il should be found out that more
souls have been saved by music than bv
preaching | should not wonder il, out Of
the IA. 900 ransomed souls that John fore
saw before the throne Of God, at least l3O,
600 had been saved by sweet song. Why
does not the church on earth take the
hinti Heaven is the great musical center
ofthe universe. the place Of doxologies and
trumpets and harps, and in preparation for
that place we ought TO make more Of music
on earth.
The band Of music at Waterloo played
the retreat of the Forty-second Highland
ers back to their places, and sacred music
lae f.Is fs..H
into the Christian conflict with as much de
termination and dash as Tennyson's six
Hundred" Who can tell what has been
accomplished by Charles Wesley's 1,0nO
hymns, or by the congregational singing Of
his time. which could be heard two miles
OFF, When my dear friend Dio Lewis
(gone to rest all too soonl conducted a cam
paign against drunkenness at the west, and
marshaled thousands Of the noblest women
of the land in that magnificent campaign,
and whole neighborhoods E.id villages and
cities shut up their grog shops, do you
know the chief weapon used? IL was the
song:
Nearer. my God. to thee.
Nearer to thee.
They sang Il mt the door of hundreds If
liquor saloons which had been open for
years. and either at the first charge Of the
campaign or the second the saloon shut up
AT the first verse Of Nearer, My God, to
Thee" the liquor dealers laughed; ut the
second verse they looked solemn; at the
third verse they began to cry. and at the
fourth verse they got down on their knees.
You say they opened their saloons again.
Yes, some of them did. But it is great
thing to have hell shut up IL only for u
week. Give full swing to good gospel
hymn, and il would take the whole world
for God!
But when in my text see Saul declining
this medicine of rhythm and cadence and
actually hurling n javelin at the heart of
David. the harpist, ] bethink myself OF the
fact that sin would like to kill sacred music.
We are not told what tune David was play
ing on the harp that day, but from the
character of the man we know it was not n
crazy madrigal, or "a senseless ditty, or a
sweep of strings suggestive Of the melo-
drama. but elevated music, God given mu-
sic, inspired music. religious music. a whole
heaven of il encamped under "A harp string.
No wonder that wicked Saul hated il and
could not abide the sound and with all his
might hurled an instrument of death at ii.
know there are styles OF music that sin
ndmires, and you hear it as you pass the
casino or the dance hall. and the devil has
stolen most of the iiddles, though am glad
the Ole Bulls have snatched up the charmed
strings from their desecration; but il is n
fact that sin has a javelin for sacred sounds.
I'm many churches the javelin of criticism
has killed the music, javelin flung from
organ loft or from adjoining pew of the
supersensitive. Saul's javelin aimed at
David's harp. Thousands of people SO
afraid they may not sing scientifically they
will not sing at all or sing with such low
tone that no one hears them.
In many "A church the javelin OF criticism
has crippled the harp Of worship. II satan
coufi silence all the Sunday school songs
and the hymns of Christian worship he
would gain his greatest achievement. When
the millcnnial song shall rise land it is be-
ing made ready, there will he such IL roll
of voices. such concentrated power Of
stringc,l ,,nd wind Instruments, such majes-
~, such unaninity, such continental and
hcmisphelic and planetary reclamation