Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-05-15
harp. may God grind into dullness the

of? 1t suggests to me music as a medl-
cine for physical and mental disorders.
David took hold of the musical instru-
ment which he best knew how to play
and evoked from it sounds which were
for King SauTs diversion and meGica-
ment. But, you say, the t.. t'nent in
this case was failure. 7, vas it 81
failure? Saul refused to t." 9 medi-
cine. A whole apothecary q cura-
tive drugs will do nothing tOwa1 healing
your illnesses if you refuse to take the
medicine. 1t was not the fault of David's
prescription, but the fault of Saufs OBJ
Btinacy.
David, one of the wisest and best of
all ages, stands before us in the text ad-
ministering music for nervous disorder
and cerebral disturbance, and David was
right. Music is the mightiest force in
all therapeutics. Its results may not be
seen as suddenly as other forms OF cure,
but it is just as wonderful. You will
never know how much suffering and sor-
row music has assuaged and healed. A
soldier in the United States army said
that on the days the regimental band
played near the hospitals 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 dispirited 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 the people of Antioch
who. on some sudden provocation tore
down the statues of emperor and en-
press, resolved severely to punish them,
but the bishop, knowing that the emperor
had group of boys to sing to him while
eating at the table, taught the boys a
plaintive song in which the people la
mented their bad behavior, and the king
under the pathos of the music cried out,
THE city Of Antioch is forgiven" The
rage of Achilles was assuaged by harp.
Asclepiades swayed rebellious multi
tudes by harp.
THE POWER OF MUSIC.
After the battle of Yorktown, when a
musician was to suffer anputation, and
before the days of an@sthetics, the
wounded artist called for musical in
strument and lost not note during the
40 minutes of amputation. Filippo Pal
ma, the great musician, confronted by
an angry creditor, played SO enchanting
ly before him that the creditor forgave
the debt and gave the debtor 10 guineas
more to appease other creditors.
An eminent physician of olden time
contended (of course carrying our theory
too far) 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 saint of God solaced heartache
with hymn hummed or sung or played
jerome Of Prague sang while burning at
the stake Over what keys of piano or
organ consolation has walked. Yea, in
church one hymn has rolled peace over a
thousand of the worried, perplexed and
agonized.
While there are hymns and tunes ready
for the jubilant, there is rich hymnol-
ogy for the suffering-'Na and
''Eventide" and Autumn Leaves and
Come, We disconsolate," and whole port
folios and hbrettos of tears set to music.
All the wonderful triumphs of surgery
and all the new modes of successful
treatment Of physical and mental dis
orders are discussed in medical conven
tons and spread abroad in medical books,
and it is high time that some of the mil
lions Of souls that have been medicated
by music. vocal and instrumental, let the
world know what power there ism sweet
sound, whether rolling from lip or leap
ing from frightened chord or ascending
from ivory key.
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 it is the same all
the world over. Last summer in Russia
at watering place we were greeted as
we entered a great auditorium, which
was filled with thousands of Russians
whose language [ could not understand
any more than they could understand
mine.
But after the grand band had, out Of
compliment to us. played our two great
American airs, stepped on the platform
and said to the bandmaster, Russian
air. Russian airr' 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 lOIUl CDOlI IdUlOl1dl duUnolus
s'hey understood our American music
and we understood their Russian music
It is universal language and so good
for universal cure.
| should not wonder if in the day of
Judgment it should be found out that
more souls have been saved by music
than by preaching. should not wonder
if out of the one hundred and forty and
four thousand ransoned souls that j. ohm
foresaw before the throne of God at
least 200 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 doxologies and trumpets and harps,
I'D l., -,,o,,n,.n 4io,, for. Hot 1,1aco We