The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-11-04


of error. Tartini, the musical COM
poser. dreamed one night that Satan
slatched from his hand an instrument
and played upon it something very
sweet-a dream that has often been
fulfilled in our day, the voice and the
instruments that ought to have been
devoted to Christ. captured from the
church and applied to the purposes Of
sin.
Another obstacle has been an inor-
dlnate fear of criticism. The vast ma
jority Of people singing in church new
er want anybody else to hear them
sing. Everybody is waiting for some
body else to do his duty. If we all
sang then the inaccuracies that are evil
dent when only a few sing would be
drowned out God asks you to d: as
well as you can, and then if yeJ get
the wrong pitch Or keep wrong time
He will forgive any deficiency OF the
ear and imperfection of the voices. An
gels will not laugh if you should lose
your place in the musical scale or come
in at the close q bar behind. There are
three schools Of singing. l am told
the German school, the Italian schools
and the French school of singing.
Now, l would like to add fourth
sch Ool. and that is the school of Christ.
Another obstacle in the advancement
OF this art has been the erroneous no
tion that this part Of the service could
be conducted by delegation. Churches
have said: "Oh, what an easy time we
shall have. The minister will do the
preaching, and the choir will do the
singing, and we will have nothing to
do And you know as well as | that
there are Il great multitude of churches
all through this land where the people
are not expected to sing. The whole
work is done by delegation of four or
six or ten persons, and the audience
are silent. In such a church in SYRIA
cuse an old elder persisted in singing.
and SO the choir appointed commit
tee to go and aslS the elder if he would
not stop. You know that in many
| churches the choir are expected to do
all the singing, and the great mass of
| the people are expected to be silent,
ana if you utter your voice you are in
terfering. In that church they stand,
the four, with opera glasses dangling
at their side, singing: Rock of Ages,
Cleft for Me-" with the same spirit
that, the night before on the stage,
they took their part in the Grand
Duchesse" or Don Giovanni"
My Christian friends, have we right
| to delegate to others the discharge of
| this duty which God demands of us?
Suppose that four wood thrushes pro-
| pose to do all the singing some bright
day, when the woods are ringing with
bird voice. 1t is decided that four
wood thrushes shall do all the singing
of the forest. Let all other voices keep
silent How beautifully the four war
ble. 1t is really fine music. But how
long will you keep the forest still?
| Why, Christ would come into the for
est and look up, as He looked through
the olives, and lie would wave His hand
and say: Let every thing that hath
breath praise the Lord;" and, keeping
time with the stroke of innumera bic
wings, there would be 5000 bird
voices leaping into the harmony. Sup
pose this delegation of musical perform
ers were tried in Heaven; suppose
that four choice spirits should try to
do the singing of the upper temple.
Hush now! thrones and domlnions and
principalities. David, be still, though
you We're the sweet singer of Israel.
Paul, keep quiet, though you have
come to that crown of rejoicing. Rich
ard Baxter, keep stilk though this is
the saints everlasting rest" -Four
spirits now do all the singing. But
how long would Heaven be quiet? How
long? "lIallelujahv' would cry some
glorifed Methodist from under the
altar. praise the Lord!' would sing
the martyrs from among the thrones
"Thanks be unto God who giveth IL:
the victory!!' a great multitude of re
deemed spirit, would cry-myriads OF
voices coming into the harmony, anC
the one hundred and forty and fou
thousand breaking forth into one &C
clamation. Stop that loud singing
Stop! Oh, no; they can not hear me
You might as we'll try to drown tn,
thunder of the sky, or beat back tn,
roar of the sea- for every soul in Heavei
has resolved to do its own singing
Alas. that we should have tried OF
earth that which they can not do il
Heaven, and, instead of joining all ou
voices in the praise of the most higl
!: God, delegating perhaps to unconse
Grated men and women this mos
solemn and most delightful service.
There will be a great revolution o.
this subject in all or churches. Co
will come down by His spirit and rous
, up the old hymus and tunes that hav
not been more than half awake sine
, the time of our grandfathers. The 81
: lent pews in the church will brea
/ forth into music, and when the con
} ductor takes his place on the Sabbat
day there will be a great host c
= voices rushing into the harmony. NJ
| Christian friends, if we have no tast
for this service on earth, what will W
= do in Heaven, where they all sing. an
: sing forever? | would that our sing
! ing to-day might be like the Satu
= day night rehearsal for the Sabbat