Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-05-26


the suffering-"Nsomi" and "Eventide" and
Autumn Leaves" and "Come ye disconso-
late, and whole portfolios and nbrettos OF
tears set to music. All the wonderful
triumphs OF surgery and all the new modes
OF successful treatment OF physical and men,
tai disorders are discussed in medical con-
ventions and spread abroad in medical books,
and II 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
rolling from lip or leaping from tightened
chord or ascending from ivorykey.
Music is a 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 II is the same all the world
over. Last summer In Russia at a watering
place we We're greeted "a we entered great
auditorium, which was filled with thousands
OF Russians, whose language l could not
understand any more than they could under
stand mine.
But after the grand band had. out OF COM
pliment to US, played our two great Amer-
can airs, l stepped on the platform and said
to the bandmaster: Russian air Russian
air !" and then he tapped with his baton on
the music rack, and with a splendor and
ma jesty 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. II is universal language, and SO
good for universal cure.
/ should not wonder If In the day OF judg-
ment 1t should be found out that more souls
have been saved by music than by preaching.
| should not wonder IL out OF the ono hun
dred and forty and four thousand ransomed
souls that John foresaw before the throne OF
God ut least 1870, 900 had been saved by sweet
song. Why does not the church on earth
take the hint? Heaven Is the great musical
center of the universe, the place OF doxolo-
gies and trumpets and harps and in prepara-
ton for that place we ought to make moro OF
music on earth.
The band OF music at Waterloo played the
retreat OF the Forty-second Highlanders back
to their places, and sacred music has re-
turned many n faltering host OF God into the
Christian conflict with as much determine
and dash as Tennysons "Six Hundred"
Who can tell what has been accomplished by
Charles Wesley 1000 hymns, or by the con-
gregational singing OF his time, which could
bo heard two miles of? When my dear
friend Dio Lewis (gone to rest all too soon)
conducted campaign against drunkenness
ut the West and marshaled thousands of the
noblest women OF the land in that magnin-
cent campaign, and whole neighborhoods and
Jillages and cities shut up their grog shops
10 you know the chief weapon usedi II was
Me song.
Nearer, my God. to Thee,
Nelrer TO Thee.
they sang 1t at tho door OF hundreds OF
liquor saloons which had been open for
jears, and either at the first charge OF the
campaign or tho second the saloon shut up.
At the first verse OF Nearer, My God, to
Thee" the liquor dealers laughed, at 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 a great thing to
have hell shut up If only for IA week. Give
full swing to good gospel hymn. and it
would take the whole world for God
But when i'll my text | see saul declining
this medicine OF rhythm and cadence and ac-
tually hurling iavelin 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 playing on the
harp that day, but from the character OF the
man we know il was not crazy madrigal, or
q senseless ditty, or a sweep OF strings sug
gestive OF the meodrama, but elevated music
God given music, inspired music, religious
music, whole heaven Of it encamped under
q harpstring. No wonder that wicked Saul
hated IL and could not abide the sound and
with all his might hurled an instrument OF
death at it.
know there are styles OF music that sin
admires, and you hear It as you pass the
casino or the dance hall, and the devil has
stolen most of the tiddies, though am glad
the Ole Bulls have snatched up the charmed
strings from their Dissertation, but 1t is fact
that sin has javelin for sacred sounds. In
many churches the javelin OF criticism has
killed the music, Iavelln flung from organ loft
or from adjoining pew OF the supersensitive.
Saul's javeiin aimed at David's harp. Thou
sands 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 church the javelin Of criticism
has crippled the harp OF worship. II satan
could silence all the Sunday-school songs
and the hymns of Christian worship, he
would gain his greatest achievement. When
the millennial song shall rise-and It Is be-
ing made ready-there will be such roll OF
voices, such concentrated power OF strtnged
and wind instruments, such majesty, such
unanimity, such continental and hemisphere
and planetary acclamation, that 1t will be i'm
possible to know where earth stops and
heaven begins Roll on, roll in, roll up, thou
millennial harmony.
See also In my subject a rejected oppor-
tunity OF revenge. Why did not David pick
up Saul's javelin and hurl 1t back again2
David had a skillful arm. He demonstrated
on another occasion he could WELD sling,
and he could have easily picked up that
javelin, aimed it at Saul, the would-be
assassin, and left the foaming and demented
monster as lifeless under the javelin as he
had left Goliath under sling. oh, David,
now is your chance. No, no. Men and
women with power of tongue or pen or hand
to reply to an imbittered antagonist, better
initiate David and let the javelin lie at your
feet and keep the harp in your hand. Do
not strike back. Do not play the game OF
tit for tat.
Gihhon, In his history, tells OF Bajazet. the
great Moslem General who was brought a
captive to the tent OF Timur. He had at
tempted the massacre OF Timur and his men.
Timur said to him Had you vanquished US
| am not ignorant Of the fate which you re-
served for myself and my troops, but l dis
dain to retallate. Your life and honor are
secure, and | shall express my gratitude to
God by my clemency to man." Beautiful
Revenge on Christians tongue or pen or
hand Is inapt and more damage to the one
who employs 1t than the one against whom
1t Is employed. What A javelin hurled at
you and fallen at your feet, and you not hurl
1t back again? Yes. l have tried the plan.
| learned it from my father and have prac-
ticed 1t all my life. and it works well, and by
the help OF God and javelins not picked up
have conquered all my foes and preache
funeral sermons in honor OF most Of them.
The best thing you can do with javelin
hurled at you is TO let it lie where 1t dropped
or hang it up In your museum as curiosity.
The deepest wound made by a javalin Is not
by the sharp edge, but at the duh end Of the
handle to him who wields it. l leave 1t to
| you to say which got the best Of that fight In
| the palace-Saul or David.
See also in my subject that the fact that O
man sometimes dodges is not against his
courage. My text says that when Saul as
sailed him, "David avoided out OF his pres
ence twice'-that is, when the javelin was
flung, he stepped out Of its direction or bent
this way or that-in other words, he lodged.
But all those who have read the life OF David
know that he was not lacking in prowess.
David had faults, but cowardice was not one
OF them. y
When David, who was, guess, about four
and half feet high, went out to meet the
| giant who was / guess about 10 feet high