The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1894-09-21

The congregation who open their va
riety shows, festivals and sale-room in
some hall or other building in hopes of
removing the stigma from the church.
are simply doing such blindfOlding work
as pure-minded and hOnest-hearted peo-
pie would not be engaged in. A prayer
in the spirit, or a godly exhortation Of
fered in the midst of one of these festiv-
ties, would be as dynamite, and put an
end to the fun and money mongering.
These sonl-deadening church frolics.
where joking levity and gossip run high.
unfit the heart aud mind for prayer.
Anything that does that is manifestly not
of God; and Luther has truly said that
whatever is not of God must necessarily
be of the Devil
A congregation so fearfullv withered
and backslidden as to indulge in such
fleshly, demOralizing worldliness, as a
means of keeping itself afloat as to out
ward appearance, should founder, and
the preacher, if he has been party to it,
should go into worldly business that
offers more money than is to be had by
preaching the gospel.
The Old-time christians filled their
neighborhOOds with the news of saliva
ton, and not with tickets for suppers and
announcements of festivals and concerts.
Sensible worldly people are disguised
with these vanity fairs and opera amuse-
ments, while enlighted Christians grieve
and must confess the apOstasy of the
church.
Music.
''In psalms and hymns and spiritual |
songs, singing with grace in your heart |
to the Lord. Col. 2:l6. In the sing |
ing of hymns. with the spirit and with
the understanding" God may be wor-
SHIPPED as in prayer, meditation or preach
ing. but the way in which operate
church singers so often render these sa-
cred songs, chills the spiritual heart and
is shameful libel on the hymn.
A man from the country dropped in
TO ore of the fashionable towns churches.
The choir consisted of certain persons
employed to do the singing. The min
stcr gave out the hymn:
"Welcome. sweet day of rest,
That saw the Lord arise;
Welcome to this reviving brest
And these rejoicing eyes,"
The music was scientifically rendered.
md the language of the above hymn as
sung by the choir sounded he said as
OllOws:-
Waw-kaw, swaw daw aw raw,
Thaw saw thaw law aw waw;
Waw-kaw taw thaw raw vaw yaw Draw
Aw thaw raw jah saw avs
Some years ago we lived and travelled
lmOng various Indian tribes of North
America, often witnessed their war and
calp dances and heard their songs, and
must confess that the rendering of the
hove verse by the fashionable church
hOir reminds us somewhat of the Sioux
hants.
The mockery often manifested i'll the
evity of the uncOnverted men and wOm-
N who constitute, in part at least, many
hurch choirs, is painful in the extreme.
their dress and general appearance and
resemble more the operate
display of the stage than that of meek
nd devoted children of God.
There is no mode so harmonious and
as congregational singing
When the sweet songs of Zion are sung
o tunes that all can understand and join
n, without the silly accompaniment of
airing theatrical airs and
'ipe-organ strains.
In New England town after the choir
ad rendered their piece the pastor
ravely put on his spectacles, and said:
Nov let the people of God sing"
gain, following the performances of
mother choir, the minister said: You
must try again; for it is impossible to
reach after such singing"
1t is safe to say that concerning much
f the opera air and singing in church
hoirs, the majority of the congregation
o more comprehends than if rendered
a Latin. Surely this is far from ''Sing-
ng with grace in your hearts to the
ord
SOCIABLES.
''I.et us not sleep, as do others; but
Il us watch and be SOber"-1 TheSS sc.
| is really astonishing to notice how
sociables, mechanical organ
.ation and carnal machinery in church
'Ork is crOwding out the presence and
'orking of the Spirit. These things be-
ct frivolity, and destroy spirituality.
nd teach the young to lean on mere
umanlty trappings. This striving to
Institute the social and the mechanical
,r the influence and power of the Spirit
fearful mistake. The work of the