The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-06-27
THE SONG OF BIRDS
WIS THE SUBJECT OF TALMAGE'S
SERMON LAST SUNDAY.
The Rarest Prima Dona in the w orld Gould
Not Teach the Robin One N ote.
Different Kinds OF Song.

to the season OF the year III winch II Is
preached. 1t is well fitted tH be read
under the trees and has i'll 1t the health
of outdoor life. Text: Psalms 1C4, T.,
by them shall the fowls Of The heaven
have their habitatioD, which sing among
the branches"
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 writ
ten concerning music by human vioce or
about music sounded on instrument by
finger or breath were put together. volume
by the side of volume, it would fill hum
dred alcOves Of the national libraries. But
about the song of birds there is as much
silence as though. a thousand years ago,
the last lark had, with his wing, swept
the door latch OF heaven, and as though
never 4 whipoorwill had sung its lullaby
TO Il slumbering forest at nlghtfal. We
give a passing smile to the call OF the bob
olink or the chirp of a canary, but about
the origin about the fibre. about the meall-
ing. about the mirth, about the pathos,
about the inspiration, about the religion
in the song of birds, the most of us are
either ignorant or Indifferent. A caveat
I this morning file in the high court OF
heaven against almost universal lrrelglon.
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 staU and
bar and ccf as much as anything that
Wagner OF Schumann or Handel ever
put on paper. AS we pass the grove where
the fiocks are holding matin or vesFer ser
vice. we are apt to think that the sounds
are extemporized, the rising or falling tone
is q mere accident it is flung up and down
by haphazard, the bird did not know what
it was doing, it did not care whether 1t was
a long meter psalm or a madrigal. w hat
n mistake, The musician never put on
the music rack before him Memberships
"Eliiah' or Beethovens "Concerto' in G
or Spohr's = fiat symphony with more
definite idea as to what he was doing than
every bird that can sing at all confines
himself to accurate and Predetermined
rendering The oratOrios, the chants, the
carols the overtures the interudes, the
ballads the canticleS. that this morning
we're heard or will this evening be heard
in the forest have rolled down through the
ages without a variation. Even the chip
munclls song was ordained clear back in
the eternities. At the gates of paradise,
it sang the sounds like the syllables
"Kuk." "Kuk!" "I[uk.' just as this morn
ing in a Long island orchard it sang "Kuk"
"INuk," "kuk!" The thrush at the crea-
ton uttered sounds like the word Teach
err '"reacher!' rs now it utters sounos
like "Teacher." "Tceuher." "Teacher"
In the summer Of the year one the yellow
Inf cd "a
the word IT, "Ifr' IF us in this sum
Iuer it trills .If"' If III The Mary
land yellow threats inherits and bequeatfs
the tune sounding like the words Pity
Ine, pity me, pity me. Ihe White spar
rows ''Isee, tsce,' woke our Sreat-grand-
fathers as it will awaken our great-srand-
children. The "1ee-ka-tee-katee-ka of
the birds of the first century was the same
as the Observation-Disclosures of the nlne-
teenth century.
The godtinch has for six thousand years
been singing Decree dee-ee-ree.' But
these sounds, which We put i'll harsh words,
they put in cadcnces, rhythmic, soulful and
enrapturing. Now, if there is this order
and systematizatiOn and rhythm all through
Gods creation, does II not imply that ""
should have the same characteristics III
the music We make or try 10 make! Is 1t
I OF 4 wicked less that 50 many parents give
no opportunity for the culture of their chill
dren in the arr of sweet sound! Ii God
StoopS to educate every bluebird oriole and
grosbeak i'll song, how can
parents be so Indifferent about
the musical development of ths
iMmortals in their household! " lille God
Will accept our attempts to sing, though 1t
be only a hum or II drone, If We can do no
better, what shame that, in this laEt
decade of the nineteenth century, when SO
many orchestral batonS are waving and 50
many academies of music ore in full con
-llit l,..l st.fN
are waiting to offer instruction, there are
So many people who cannot sing with any
confidence i'll The house OF God, because they
have had 40 culture IN this
sacred art, or, While they are
able to sing fantasia at Il piano
amid the fiuttering fans of social admirers,
nevertheless feel utterly helpless when
in church the surgcS of an ARIEL or an
Antioch roll over them. The oll-fashioned
country singing school, now much derided
and caricaturtd (and, indeed, sometimes
it WAS diverted from the real design into
the culture of the soft emotions rather
than the voice., nevertheless did admirable
work, and III our churches we heed singing
schools to prepare our Sabbath audleEce.
for prompt and spontaneous and multlpotent
psalmOdy. This world needs to be StOrmed
with hallelujahs. We want Il hemisphere
campaign of hosannahs. From hearing IL
blind beggar sing, Martin Luther went
home at forty years Of age to write his
first HYMN. In the autumn, l nope IL nave
!: conversational singing school here during
the week. which shall prepare the people
for the songs of the holy Sabbath. II the
church of God universal is going to take
this world for righteousness, there must
be added hundrcd-fold of more harmony
as we'll as a hundred-fold or more volume to
sacred music.
Further | notice in the song Of birds
that it is divinely taught song. The rareSt
prima donna of all the earth could not teach
the robin one musical note A kingliSher fly
ing over the roof of Il temple aquake with
harnonies, would not catch up one melody.
From the time that first birds throat WAS
fashioned on the banks Of the Gihon and
UjAlpkel until today on the Hudson or
Rhine, the winged creature has learned
nothing from the human race in the way
OF carol or anthem. The teathered song
Sfers learned all their music direct from God
lie gave them the art in nest of straw or
moss or sticks, and taught them how to
lift that song into the highest heavens and
sprinkle the earth with its ducet enchant-
-nents God fashioned, God-tuncd, Cod
launched. God-lifted music. And there IS
a kind of music that the Lord only can i'm
part to you, my hearcr. There have been
dcpraved, reprobate and blasphemous souls
which could sing till great audilorums
were in raptures. There have been soloiStS
and basSoS and baritOnes and so
pranos whose brallancy i'll con
cert balls has not been more
famous than their debauchcrics. But there
is II kind Of song. which, like the song of