The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-26
THE SONG OF THE BIRDS.
1t is Capable Of Being Written Out in
Note and Stail.

ObhAb1A A4GhNbA ~ 1AHEb blB s54AbuN0
About the Sweet Music of the Song
sters-Trustful Songs Despite the
Thousand Perils and Disasters How
ering Aroued.
Brooklyn, June 25.--Rev. DR.. Talmage
this morning chose for the subject Of his
sermon "The Song Of Birds" This, like
many of his sermons, is suited to tho sea-
son Of the year in which 1t is preached.
IL is well fitted to be read under the trees,
and has in it the health and outdoor life.
Text: Psalms l04: 70, by them shall
the fowls of the heaven have their habitas
tion, which sing among the branches.n
There is an important and improving
subject to which most people have given
no thought, and concerning which this is
the first pulpit discussion, namely, the
Song of Birds, If all that has been written
concerning music by human voice or
about music sounded on instrument by
finger or breath were put together, vol
ume by the side of volume, 1t
would hll hundred alcoves of the
national libraries But about the song
of birds there is as much silence as
though, q thousand years ago, the last
lark had, with his wing, swept the door
latch of heaven, and as though never q
whippoorwill had sung:its lullaby TO
slumbering forest at nightfall. We give
o passing smile to the call of q bobolink
or the chirp Of O canary, but about the
origin, about the fiber, aabout the mean
ing, about the mirth, about the pathos,
about the inspiration, about the religion
in the song of birds, the most of us are ei-
ther ignorant or indifferent A caveat l
this morning file in the Hight Court of
Heaven against thht almost universal ir-
religion
First, remark that which will sur
prise many, that the song of birds is
regulated and systematic song, capable of
being written out in note and staff and
bar and clef as much as anything that
Wagner or Schumann or Handel ever put
on paper. AS we pass the grove where
the hocks are holding matin or vesper
service, we are apt TO think that the
sounds are extemporized the rising or
falling tone ia mere accident, 1t Is flung
up and down bH haphazard, the bird did
not know what it was doing, ii did not
care whether it was a long meter psalm
or a madrigal. What mistakel The
musician never put on the music rack
before him Mendelssohn's "Elliah" or
Beethoyen's Concerto" in G. or Spohr's
b fiat Symphony with more definite idea
as to what he was doing than every bird
that can sing at oil confines himself TO
accurate and predetermined rendering.
The OratOrios, the chants, the carols, the
overtures, the interludes the ballads, the
canticles, that this morning were heard
or will this evening be heard in the for
est have rolled down through the ages
without variation. Even the chipmunk's
song was ordained clear back in the eter-
mites. At the gates Of paradise, it sang
in sounds like the syllables "Kukl"
"Kuk !" "kukV' Just as this morning in
| o Long Island orchard IL sang "Kuk! ~
| "Kukp ~ "Kukl" The thrush at
the creation uttered sounds like the
word "Teacherl" "Teacheri" Teach
erl" as now IL utters sounds like
"Teaoherln "Teacheri" Teacher"
in the summer of the year one, the yellow
hammer trilled that which sounded like
the word 'Ifp "Ifln as in this summer
It trills 'If!'' "Tfw "Ifp'"Ifl" The Mary
land yellow throat inherits and bequeaths
the tune sounding like the words "Pity
me, pity me, pity men The white spar
rows "Tseep tseep," woke our great
graudfathers as ii will awaken our great
grandchildren. The "Tee-ka-tee-ka tee
ka" of the birds in the hrst century was
the same as "Tee- e-ka-tee-ka -tee-kao Of the
nineteenth century.
The goldhnch has for six thousand
years been singing decree dee-ce-ree.
But these sounds, which we put in harsh
words they put in cadences, rhythmic,
soulful and enrapturing. Now, If there
is tins order and systematization and
rhythm all through Gods creation does
1t not imply that we should have tho
same characteristics in the music we
make or try TO make Is II not wicked
ness that so many parents give no oppor-
tunity for the culture of their children
In tho art Of sweet sound If God stoops
to educate every bluebird, oriole and
grosbeak in song how can parents be 80
Indifferent about the musical develop
ment of tho immOrtals in their house
Il = Ill
attempts to sing. though it be only hum
or drouo, If we can do no better, what
shame that, in this last decade of tho
nineteenth century, when SO many orches-
trail batons are waving and so many acad-
emies Of music arc In full concert and so
many skilled men and women are waiting
TO offer instruction, there are so many
people who cannot sing with any conf
dence in the house of God, because they
have had no culture in this sacred art, or,
while they are able TO sing fantasia at o
piano amid tha fiuttering fans of social
admirers nevertheless feel utterly help
less when, in church, the surges of an
Ariel or an Antioch roll over them The
old-fashioned country singing school,
now much deridad and caricatured
(and indeed sometimes it was di-
verted from the real design into the
culture of the soft emotions rather than
the vOice), nevertheless did admirable
work and in our churches we need sing
ing schools to prepare our Sabbath audi-
ences for prompt and spontaneous and
multipotent psalmody. This world needs
to be stormed with halleluiahs. We want
q hemisphere campaign Of hosannahs.
From hearing blind beggar sing, Martin
Luther went home at forty years of age
TO write his first hymn. In the autumn
hope to have congregational singing
school here during the week which shall
prepare the people for the songs of the
holy Sabbath. If the church of God
universal is going to take this world for
righteousness, there must be added
hundred-fold of more harmony as well as
a hundred-fold Of more volume to sacred
music.
Further, notice in the song Of birds
that it is a divinely-taught song. The
rarest prima donna of all the earth could
not teach the robin one musical note. A
kingisher, flying over the roof of a tenn
pie aquake with harmOnies, would not
catch up one melody. From the time that
the first birds throat was fashioned on
the banks of the Gihon and Hiddekel
until to-day on the Hudson or Rhine, the
winged creature has learned nothing
from the human race in the way of carol
or anthem The feathered songsters
learned all their music direct from God.
He gave them the art in nest of straw
or moss or sticks, and taught them how
to lift that song into the higher heavens