Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-06-29
SONG OF THE BIRDS.
SUNDAYS SERMON AT TAR/ia-
NACLE PULPIT.
DR.. Tainage Falls In with the Season
By Them Shall tho Fowls of Heaven
Have Their Habitation Which Sing
Among the Branches.

| BROOkLGN, une ~, 1910. LII ia-
mage this morning chose for the subject OF
his sermon Tho Song of Birds" This,
like many of his sermons, is suited to the
season OF the year in which it is preached.
Ii is well fitted to DO read under the trees,
and has in it the health of outdoor life.
Text Psalms lO4: II, BY them shall the
fowls of the heaven have their habitation,
which sing among the branches"
There is an important and improv-
ing 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 written concerning
music by human voice or about music
sounded on instrument by finger or
breath were put together, volume by
The side OF volume, it would fill hun
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 its
wing, swept the door latch of heaven,
and as though never Il whlppoorwill
had sung its lullaby to II slumbering
forest at nightfall. We give passing
smile to the call of a bObOlink or the
chirp of canary, but about the origin,
about the fibre, about the meaning,
about the mirth, about the pathos,
about the inspiration, about the relig-
ion 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-
bic of being written out in note and
staff and bar and clcf as much as any
thing that Wagner or Schumann or
Handel ever put on paper. AS we pass
the grove where the ilOcks are holding
matin or veSper service, we are apt to
think that the sounds are cXtempor-
lied, the rising or falling tone is Il
mere accident, 1t is flung up and down
by haphazard, the bird did not know
what it was doing. it did not care
whether it was long metre psalm or
madrigal. What mistake. The
musician never put on the music rack
be fore him MendlcssOhn'S elijah or
Beethoyen's "COnCcrtO' in q or SpOhr S
b 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 OratOrieS the chants.
the carols, the OvertureS. the inter-
ludes, the ballads the canticlcS. that
this morning were heard or will this
evening be heard in tie forest have
rolled down through the ages
without Il variation. Even the chip
hunks song was ordained clear lack
in the ctcrnitics. At the gates of para
disc it sang in sounds like the sylla-
bles "Kuk.' "Kukm "Kuk," Just as
this morning in Long Island orchard
it sang "Kuk," "Kull." "kuk' The
thrush at the creation uttered sounds
like the word Teacher" Teacher"
Teacher" as now it utterS sounds
like "Tcachern' ''Teacher," Teacher,
In the summer of the year one, the vel
lOw-hammer, trillcd that which
sounded like the WORT If" "lf.' If
as in this summer it triil> If If"
If. The Maryland Yellow Throat
inherit, and bequeaths the tune sound
ing like the wOrls "pity me. pity me.
Il pity me. The White Sparrow :
"Tscep, tsccp, woke our great grand
fathers IA, il will awaken our great
grandchildren The "Tee-ka-teeka-
tcr-ka of the birds in the first century
was the same as the Tee ka-tee ka
tcc-ka" of the nineteenth century.
The goldfnch has for c,OCO years
been singing "Dc-ree-dee-ccr rec.
, But these sounds. which We put in
harsh words, they put in cadcnces,
Rhythmic, soulful and cnr4pturing.
Now, If there is this order and system,
atiZation and rythm all through Gods
creation, does ii not imply that we
should have the same characteristics
in the music we make or try TO make
Is il no. 4 wickedness that SO many
parents give no opportunity FIR tn
culture of their children in the art OF
sweet sound? If God stoops TO edu,
cate every blucbn'd. Oyiole and @ros
beak in song, how can parents be Sc
Indifferent about the musical develop
meut of the immortalS IN their house.
hold? While God will accept our at,
temptS TO sing. though it be only 4
hum or drOnc, if We can do no better
what a shame that. in this last decade
of the nineteenth century, when SC
many orchestral batons are waving
and 50 many academies of music arc
. IN full con crt, and SO many skillc.
men and women are wa ting to Offer
instruction, there are so many people
who cannot sing with any confidence
in the house ofGol, because they have
have had no culture in this sacred art
or, while they are able t. sing a fan
tGslG ut piano amid the hutterine
fans of social admirers, nevertheless!
= feel utterly helpless when, in church
the surges Of an Ariel or an Antioch
roll over them. The old-faShionet
country singing school. now much d,
rided and caricatured and indeed
sometimes il was diverted from III,
| real design mo lie culture sc the sof
emotions rather than the voice. never
theless did admirable work, and in on
churches we noel singing schools T.
prepare Our sabbath audiences TO
prompt and spontaneous and multipo
tent psalmody. This word needs t
be stormed with hallclujahs. We wan
hem Sphere campaign of hOsonnahS
From hearing blind begger sing
Martin Luther went home at 10 year
: OF age to write his first hymn. In tn
autumn, hope to have congrega
= tional singing school here during tn
= week, which shall prepare the pcopl
for the songs of the holy Sabbath. !
the church of God universal is going I,
take this world for Righteousness
there must he added Il hundred-fold O
| more harmony as we'll n nundredfolr
Of more volume to sacred music
III lllNl' IOllIt III lllt SOIR 4 vi q
. that il is Acknowledgment song. Tn
! rJrcst prima donna of all the cart
: could not teach the robin one musica
} note. \ kin2iisher flying over tn
70 roof OF a temple aquake with harmon
> les, would not catch up one melody
n From the time that the first bird
y throat was fl shioncd on the banks o
d the tiihon and lliddel;el until to-da
: On the Hudson or Rhine, the winget
ie creature has learned nothing from tn
ID human race in the way OF carol o
L. anthem. ! he feathered songster
learned all their music direct frou
God. lie gave them the art in a mes
pc of straw or moss or sticks. aud taugh
ch them how TO lit that song into tn
~ higher heavens and sprinkle the cart
s. with its dulcet entertainments God
fashioned. God-turned, God-lauuchcd
od God-lifted music. And there is a kin
+, OF music that the Lord only can i'm
IA. part to you, my hearer There hay
ID on IpDrrypI ranrpb.t.