The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-07-12
"THE SONG OF BIRDS"
Theme of a Discourse by Rev. T.
Dewitt Talmage, D. D.
The Feathered Songsters Learned All Their
Music Direct from Coda HymnOlogy
Suggested for All Changes of
Conditions - Anv Out-of-
Doors Religion.

"By them shall the fowls OF heaven have
their habitation, which sing among the
branches"
There is an important and improving
subject to which most people have
given no thought, land concerning which
this is the first pulpit discussion, name
ly, the Song of Birds. If all that has
been written concerning music by hui
man voice or about music sounded on
instrument by finger or breath were
put together, volume by the side of
volume, it would fill hundred alcoves
of the national libraries. But about
the song of birds there is as much ST.
lence as though thousand years ago
the lark had, with his wing, swept the
door-latch of heaven, and as though
never whippoorwill had sung it's lul-
laby to slumbering forest at night
fall. We give passing smile to the
call of bobolink or the chirp of ca
nary, but about the origin, about the
fiber, about the meaning, about the
mirth, about the pathos, about the in
spiration, about the religion in the
song of birds, the most of us are either
ignorant or Indifferent. A caveat
this morning file in the High Court OF
Heaven against that almost universal
irreligion.
First, remark that which will sur.
prise many, that the song of birds is. a
regulated and systematic song, capa-
BILE of being written out in note, and
staff and bar and clef as much as any
thing that Wagner or Schumann OIL
Handel ever put on paper. AS we pass
the grove where the f1ocks are holding
matin or vesper service, we are apt tt
think that the sounds are extemporized
the rising or falling tone is mere acci
dent, it is flung up and down by hap
hazard, the bird did not know what II
was doing, it did not care whether il
was long meter psalm or a madri
gal. What mistake. The musi
clan never put on the music
rack before him Mendelssohn's eli
jah" or Beethoven's concerto" il
G or Spohr's b fiat Symphony with
more definite idea as to what he wa.
doing than every bird that can sing al
all confines himself to accurate ant
predetermined rendering. The ora
torios, the chants, the carols, the over
lures, the interludes, the ballads, the
canticles, that this morning were heart
or will this evening be heard in the
forest have rolled down through the
ages without variation. Even thu
chipmunk's song was ordained cleal
back in the eternities. AT the gates O
paradise, it sang in sounds like tn,
syllables "Kukr' "Kuk." "Kuk!'
just as the morning in Long ISLAND
orchard it sang 'Kukr' "KulS." "Kukl'
The thrush at the creation uttered
sounds like the word Teacher.
Teacher Teacher as now it utter
sounds like "Teacher!' Teacher.
"Teacher!" In the summer of the yea
one, the vel owhammer trilled tina
which sounded like the word eff
"If!' "Ifr" as in this summe
it trills "If!'' "Ifr' 'If!' Th
Maryland yellow throat inherit
and bequeaths the tune sounding lik
the words pity me, pity me, pity me.
The white sparrow's "tseep, tsecp.
woke our great grandfathers as it vii
awaken our great grandchildren. TIL
Tee ka-tee-ka-tee-ka' of the birds il
the first century was the same as tn
'"Tee-ka-tee-ka-tee-ka of the nine
teeuth century.
The goldfinch has for six thousan
years been singing Decree dee-ee-ree.
But these sounds, which we put il
harsh words, they put in cadcnces
rhythmic, soulful and enrapturing
Now, if there is this order and system
atization and rhythm all through God
creation, does it not imply that W
should have the same characteristics i
the music we make or try to make? |
it not wickedness that SO many pal
ents give no opportunity for the Gu
ture of their children in the art G
sweet sound? If God stoops to educat
every bluebird, oriole and grosbeak i
song, how can parents be SO indifferen
about the musical development of tn
immortals in their household? Will
God will accept our attempts to sing
though it be only hum or a drone,
we can do no better, what sham
that, in this last decade of tn
| Nineteeth century, when so man
orchestral batons are waving and S
many academies of music are in flu
concert and so many skilled men an
women are waiting to offer instruction
there are so many people who cannc
sing with any confidence in the hous
of God, because they have had no Gu
turc in this sacred art, or, while the
are able to sing fantasia at plan
amid the fluttering fans of social az
mirers, nevertheless feel utterly he'll,
less, when, in church the surges of a
Ariel or an Antioch roll over then
The old-fashioned country singing
school, now much derided and carrie;
tured land indeed sometimes it was d
verted from the real design into til
culture of the soft emotions rath,
than the voicel, nevertheless did az
mirable work, and in our churches "
need singing schools to prepare OF
Sabbath audiences for prompt an
spontaneous and multipotent psalm
dy This world needs to be storme
with halleluiahs. We want hemi
phere campaign of hosannahs Fro
hearing blind beggar sing, MART
Luther went home at forty years
age to write his first hymn.
In the autum | hope to have a col
gregational singing school here durin
the week, which shall prepare the pc
pie for the songs of the holy Sabbatl