The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-09-21
THE SERVICE OF SONG.

We read in the book of Ezra that
when the builders laid the founda-
ton of the temple Of the Lord, they
set the priests in their apparel with
trumpets, and the Levites the sons
OF Asaph with cymbals, to praise the
Lord, after the ordinance of David the
king of 1sreal. And they sang togeth-
er by course in praising and giving
thanks unto the Lord {; >. And all
the people shouted with great shout
when they praised the Lord" What
with the blare of trumpets, and the
clash of cymbals, and the shouting OF
the people, that was verify great song
service and eminently worthy OF an
occasion SO august.
Yet we have Known good people
who, We think, If they had been there
would have been greatly grieved a.
such extravagant carrying on" in the
house OF God, or in connection Will
the foundation laying of the house OF
God. Their sensitive souls are greatly
shocked by anything that sayors of en-
thusiasm In connection with the sane
tuary. They are great believers in the
proprietles, and so we trust are We !;
but it does not follow that the propri-
cites are always best preserved by
mournful music drearily drawled out
There is much complaint of the jolly
jingle of large proportion of our Sun
day school songs, and even the Moody
and Sankey books are severely de-
nounced by very large class OF crit
les.
But We make bold to affirm that
dismal dirge may on many occasions
be just as execrable as rollicking dit
ty. The songs that have most moved
the worlds heart have not always, nor
commonly indeed, conformed to the
highest rules of art. The patriotic
airs which made the welkln ring, both
North and South, in the time of the
Ciyil War, and which still have power
to stir the blood and thrill the nerves,
are for the most part of this descrip-
tion, but yankee Doodle" and "Dlx.
ie," and many another like them are
here to stay. We are not pleading for
doggerel verse or hand.organ tunes,-
by all means let us seek to educate
all classes, and especially the young
to proper appreciation OF the high
est standards of musical performance,
but let us make allowance for average
human nature, for its love OF melody
even more than harmony, and is pas
SION for loudness as well as sweetness !;
and let us not so tone down our music
and refine 1t away that the great ma
jority, both OF hearers and singers.
shall be constrained to cry, ''Behold,
what weariness 1t is !" -
Many a preacher tails to hit the
mark because he aims too high, and
the same may be said OF musicians
as we'll. A brusque old gentleman,
after haying listened to the perform
ance of a famous musician, expressed
himself as having been intolerably
bored. "Do you know" said the friend
sitting by his side, "that that piece
lust executed is prodiglously difficult"
II could only wish, sir" replied the iu-
corrigfble old man, "that it were ut
terly impossible" Such, alas, is hui
man nature, and there is great deal
OF it in boys and girls and it has to
be reckoned with in the services OF
the house of God. Let it have a little
swing and sweep in song and let us
have large measure Of juvenile jubil-
alton, even though the seyerer taste
OF the musical critics be offended, and
the more sensitive nerves of the elders
IN Israel be sometimes sorely pained.-
Baptist Teacher.