Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-10-01
THE POWER OF MUSIC
IMPORTANCE OF CONGREGATIONAL
SINGING IN CHURCHES.

Rev. DIR. TaImage Says There Are Four
Schools of Singing, the New One Being
the School of Christ - Helps and OBJ
stacles.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26.-Dr. Talmage
in this discourse rallies the churches to
more hearty congregational singing and
calls upon instruments of music to join
in the praise Of God. The text is II
Chronicles V, l3, "It came even to pass,
as the trumpeters and singers were as
one, to make one sound to be heard in
praising and thanking the Lord. "
The temple was done. 1t was the
very chorus Of all magniicence and
pomp Splendor crowded against splen-
dor. It was the diamond necklace of
the earth. From the huge pillars crown
ed with leaves and flowers and rows Of
pomegranate wrought out in FURNISHED
metal down even to the tongs and
snuffers made out Of pure gold every
thing was as complete as the God direct
ed architect could make it. 1t seemed
as If a vision from heaven had alighted
on the mountains The day for dedica-
tion came. Tradition says that there
were in and around about the temple on
that day 200, 900 silver trumpets, 40, 900
harps, 40,0 timbrels and 200, 600
singers, so that all modern demonstra-
tions at Dusseldorf or Boston seem
nothing compared with that. As this
great sound surged NJ amid the precious
stones of the temple it must have SEEM
ed like the river of life dashing against
the amethyst of the wall Of heaven.
The sound arose, and God, as if to show
that he was well pleased with the mu-
sic which his children make in all ages
dropped into the midst Of the temple
cloud of glory so overpowering that the
officiating priests were obliged to stop
in the midst of the services.
Sacred Music.
There has been much discussion as to
where music was born. think that at
the beginning, when the morning stars
sang together and all the sons of God
shouted for joy," the earth heard the
echo. The cloud on which the angels
stood to celebrate the creation was the
birthplace Of song The stars that gilt
ter at night are only so many keys of
celestial pearl on which Gods fingers
play the music of the spheres mani-
mate nature is full Of Gods stringed
and wind instruments. Silence itself
perfect silence-is only musical rest
In Gods great anthem of worship
Wind among the leaves, insect hum
ming in the summer air, the rush OF
billow upon beach, the ocean far out
sounding its everlasting psalm, the
bobolink on the edge Of the forest, the
quail whistling up from the grass, are
music. While visiting Blackwell's
island | heard, coming from a window
Of the lunatic asylum. very sweet
song. 1t was sung by one who had lost
her reason, and | have come to believe
that even the deranged and disordered
elements of nature would make music
10 our ear if we only had acuteness
enough TO listen suppose that even
the sounds in nature that are discordant
and repulsiye make harmony in Gods
ear. You know that you may come so
near to an orchestra that the sounds are
painful instead of pleasurable, and l
think that we stand so near devastating
storm and frightful whirlwind we can
not hear that which makes TO Gods ear
and the ear of the spirits above us a
music as complete as it is tremendous.
/ propose to speak about sacred music,
first showing you its importance and
then stating some of the obstacles to its
advancement
I draw the first argument for the inn
portance Of sacred music from the fact
that God commanded it, Through Paul
he tells us to admonish one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
Through David he cries out, Sing We
to God, all We kingdoms of the earth.
And there are hundreds Of other pas
sages | might name, proving that 1t Is
as much a mans duty to sing as 1t Is
his duty to pray. Indeed | think there
are more commands in the Bible to sing
than there are to pray. God not only
asks for the human voice, but for the
instruments Of music. He asks for the
cymbal and the harp and the trumpet
And | suppose that in the last days OF
the church the harp, the lutte, the trum-
pet and all the instruments of music
that have given their chief aid to the
theater and bacchanal, will be brought
by their masters and laid down at the
feet of Christ and then sounded IN the
churchs triumph on her way from suf-
fering into glory. Praise ye the LordF
Praise him with your voices Praise
him with stringed instruments and with
organs
Secular Music.
draw another argument for the I'M
portance Of this exercise from the i'm
pressiveness of the exercise. You know
something of what secular music has
achieved. You know it has made its I'M
preston upon governments upon laws,
upon literature, upon whole genera
tions. One inspiring national air is
worth 80, 900 men as standing army.
nrl,o,.o oo,,oo a time in the hattie when