Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1893-06-03

ever a thousand OF the worried. perrlaxed
ga az onlzed.
While there ara hymns and tunes ready for
the juhilant. there il a rich hTgnroiocv for
the sufferiDg-*Aac1i and 'Lventide.. and
"Aut~u4 Leaves and Come ve disSonso-
late, and whole portfolios and lihrettos OF
tears set 10 music. All the wonderful
triurnpl1s OF surgery and ali the new modes
of successful treatment o. physical and men
tai disorders are discussed In medical con-
y~entions and spreai sh.1ad III medical books.
end I. L L3gn tire that some Of TIE millions
= souls that haze been uesiicated by music,
soea! and Instrumental. let the world know
what power there l. in sweet sound, whether
rolling Iron lip cr Ieapiog from frightened
chcrd or ascnoding -cEli ivory key.
Music i q universal language. A. the
foot ~ the Tower OF BABEL language was
split into fragments never 10 be again put
together. hat one thinC was not hurt, and
that is ma5ic, and il is the 81 ne all the world
ovn-. Last summer IN Russia II a watering
piar@ " were greeted as we entered a great
4GIito-iar. which was dIled with thousands
~ russians. whose language | could no.
understand any more than they could under
stand mine,
Bnt t-et the grand band had. out Of com
p!inent . lis. played our two great Arncri-
IAN airs, | stepped on the platform aid said
to- the taudmaster Russian air Russian
ait 4 ana .hen he tapped with his baton on
the music rex. ana with q splendor and
NASTY q power that almost made Us quail
tn full band poured forth their National
|a4them. They understood our American
|lajlsic. ari we understood their Russian
rn4SIs. II is a universal language, ard So
lroo3 f"- r~i1cizai cure.
should not wonder If in the day of julg-
rent ii should be found out that more souls
nave been saved by music than by preaching.
should not wonder if out of the one hum
3rsi ana forty and four thousand rans0ned
-au!o that John foresaw before the throne Of
Go5t AZ least 40. 00o had been saved by sweet
song. Why does not the church OH earth
t;.e The hintI Heaven is the great musical
center of Che universe. the place of doxolo-
1ie- and trlmpets and harps, and in prepara-
ton Tor that place we ought to make more Of
mus. on Garth.
The tan'tof music et Waterloo played the
retreat 81 the Fortv-second Highlanders back
II their places, and sacred music has re-
turned many a faltering host Of God into the
Christian conflict with as much determina-
and dash as ~Iennyson's six Hundred"
Who can tell what has been accomplished by
Charles Nesl y 5 1000 hymns, or by the con.
-re-ationar singing of his time. which could
te heard two miles Off When my dear
friend bio Lewis (gone to rest all too soon)
conducted q campaign against drunkenness
1t the West. and marshaled thousands of the
modest women of the land in that magniti-
cent campaign, and whole eighbOrhOOdS and
villages and cities shut up their grog shops,
DO you know the chief weapon used? 1t was
the song.
Nearer. my God. to Thee,
Nearer to Thee.
They sang it at the door of hundreds OF
liquor saloons which had been open for
years. AMI either at the first charge Of the
campaign or the second the saloon shut up.
At the first verse Of Nearer, Ny God. to
Ihce' 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 Town on their knees. You
say they opened their saloons again. sYes,
some oftneIn nc But 1t Is a great thing to
have hellshut up if only for a week. Give
full SWING to q good gospel hymn, and it
would take the whole world for God.
But when in my text | see Saul declining
this medicine of rhythm and cadence and ac-
, tually hurting q lavelin at the heart of David,
the harplst, | 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 1t was not a crazy madrigal, or
a senstlesS dltty. or n sweep Of strings sug-
gcstlve Of the melOdrama, but elevated music,
God given music. inspired music, religious
music. q whole heaven of it cam under
a harpsJring. No wonder that wicked Saul
hated it ana could not abide the sound and
with all his might hurled an instrument Of
death at il.
| know there are styles of music that sin
admlrcs, and you bear it as you pass the
casino or the dance hail. and the devil has
stolen most Of the tiddles, though I am glad
the Ole Bulls have snatched up the charmed
strings from their dissertation, but it is a fact
that SIN has a layelln for sacred sounds. In
many churches the javelin of criticism has
killed the music. jayelin flung from organ loft
/ ~ +-Ann a. - ,Ar- - 6
SaClS JayeIln 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 a church the javeiin 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 mlilennial song shall se-an it is be-
ing made ~ready-there will be such a roll of
voices, such a concentrated power Of stringed
and wind instruments. such majesty. such
unanlmlty. euch continental and hemisphere
and planetary reclamation. that it will be i'm
possible to know where earth stops and
heaven begins. Roll on. roll in. roll up. thou
millenlid 81 harmony
See also IN my sQFject a rejected oppor-
tu1lty o. revenS Why did not David pick
up. Sauls javelin and hurl it back again?
David had a skIllful arm. He demonstrated
~. - a. 40 tOAIu W4tIl Il sing.
and he could have easily picked up that
lavelln. aimed Il at Saul, the w0uld-be
assassin, and left the foaming and demented
monster rs lifeless under the javelin as he
had LETT Goliath under a sling. Oh, David.
now l. your chance. No. no. Men and
women with power oftongue or pen or hand
to'reply to an imhittcred antagonist. better
initiate David and let the iavelln lie at your
feet and keep the harp in your hand. Do
not strike back. Do not play the game Of
it for tat.
Gibbon, IN his history. tells OF Bajazet. the
great Moslem General who WAS brought q
captive t. the tent OF Tinur. He had at
tempted the massacre Of 1iraur and his men.
Ilmur said TO him Had you ~yanquished us
| am not ignorant of the fate which YOU re-
served for myself and NY troops. hut dis
lain 10 retaliate. Your life and honor are
secure, and | shall txpres- my gratitude to
Iod by ny clernsnry to man. Beautiful.
feyence on Christian tongue or pen or
aand i laapt an NOR .;.z4a-e to tLe one
@no employs L tran tl- on against whom
Is employed what I ..ayclin hurled at
g22o ana .ali@n n your <eet. and YOU not hurl
! bark - ua .r;e3 the plan.
learn! it from -v father AMI have rrao-
tfEtai i eEL Il : 3fa 4r y w. -. vratF -. -