The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-09-20
m ent Hymn" he composed Is resoundlnl

yet through all Christendom.
congratulate the world and the church
Oh the advancement made in this art-th(
Edinburgh societies for the improvement
OF music, the Swiss singing societies, the
Exeter hall concerts, the trIennial musical
convocation at Dusseldorf, Germany, and
Birmingham, England, the conservatorlea
OF music at Munich and Lelpsic, the
Handel and Haydn and Harmonic and
academies OF music in New York, Brooklyn,
Boston, Charleston, New Orleans, Chicago
and every city which has any enterprise.
Now, my friends, how are we to decide
what is appropriate, especially for church
music? There may be great many differ.
ences Of opinion. In some Of the churches
they prefer trained. choir; In others, the
old style precehtor. In some places they
prefer the melodeon, the harp, the cornet,
the organ. In other places they think these
things are the invention OF the devil. Some
would have a musical instrument played
80 loud you cannot stand 1t, and others
hear 1t. Some think musical instrum ent
ought to be played only IN the interstices
OF worship and thea with indescribable
softness, while others are not satisfied un-
less there be startling contrasts and stac-
cato passages that make the audience ju mp,
with great eyes and hair on end, as from O
vision OF the witch OF Endor. But, while
there may be great varieties OF opinion In
regard to music, 1t seems to me that the
general spirit Of the Word OF God indicates
what ought to be the great characteristics
OF church music.
And I remark, in the first place, q
prominent characteristic ought to be
adaptiveness to devotion. Music that may
be appropriate for O concert hall, or the
opera house, or the drawing room, may be
inappropriate in church. Glees, madrigals,
ballads may be as innocent as psalms in
their places. But church music has only
one design, and that Is devotion, and that
which comes with the toss, the swing and
the display OF an opera house Is him
drance to the worship. From such per-
formances we go away saying: "What
splendid execution! Did you ever hear
such soprano? Which Of those solos did
you like the better1" When, II we had
gone away saying: "Oh, how my soul was
lifted up In the presence OF God while they
were singing that first hymnl never had
such rapturous views OF Jesus Christ as
my Saviour as when they were singing
that last doxology."
I remark also that correctness ought to
be characteristic OF church music. While
we oil ought to take part In this service,
with perhaps few exceptions, We ought
Mt the same time to cultivate ourselves In
this sacred art. God loves harmony, and
we ought to love 1t. There Is no devotion
In howl or yelp. In this day, when
culture In this art, I declare thar those
parents are guilty OF neglect who let their
sons and daughters grow up knowing
nothing about music. In some OF the Eu-
ropean cathedrals the choir assemble
every morning and afternoon Of every day
the whole year to perfect themselves in
this art, and shall we begrudge the half
hour we spend Friday nights In the re-
hearsal OF sacred song for the Sabbath2
Another characteristic must be spirit
and life. Music ought to rush from the
audience like the water from q rock-clear.
bright, sparkling. II all tie other part OF
the church service Is dull. do not have the
music dull. With 80 many thrilling things
stupidity. There Is nothing that makes
me 80 nervous as to sit in pulpit and
look Off on ON audience with their eyes
three-fourths closed and their lips almost
shu., munbllng the praises OF God. Dur
ing one Of my journeys I preached to an
audience Of 1000 or 5000 people, and all the
music they made together did not equal
one skylarkl People do not sleep at cor
onation, do not let US sleep when We come
to Saviour's browning.
Again, remark church music must be
congregational. This opportunity must
be brought down within the range OF the
slippers cannot sing Is OF no more use to
them than q sermon In Choctaw. What an
easy kind Of church 1t must be where the
minister does all the preaching, ani the
elders all the praying, and the ch OR oil
the singing! There are but very few
churches where there are "two hundred
and forty and ave singing men and singing
women"
In some churches 1t is almost considered
a disturbance II a man let out his voice to
full compass, und the people get up on tip
toe and look over between the spring hats
and wonder what that man Is making all
that noise about. In Syracuse in Presby-
terian church there was one member who
came to me when was the pastor OF an
other church In that city, and told me his
troub!e-how that as he persisted In sing
ing on the Sabbath day committee, made
up Of the session and the choir, had come
to ask him II he would not just please to
keep still You have no right to sing.
Jonathan Edwards used to set apart whole
days for singing. Let US wake up to this
duty. Let US sing alone, sing In our famf-
lies, sing In our schools, sing in our
churches.
l want to rouse you to unanimity In
Christian song that has never yet been ex-
hibited. Come, now; clear your throats
and get ready for this duty or you will
never hear the end OF this. Inever shall
forget hearing a Frenchman sing the
"Marsellaise" on the Champs Elvsees,
Paris, just before the battle OF Sedan In
1870. 1 never saw such enthusiasm before
or since. As he sang that national air, oh,
how the Frenchman shoutedl Have you
ever In an English assemblage heard band
play "God Save the Queen2" II you have.
you know something about the enthusiasm
OF national air. Now, I tell you that
these songs we sing Sabbath by Sabbath are
tie national airs Of the kingdom OF heaven,
and II you do not learn to sing them here,
how do you ever ez pect to sing the song OF
Moses and the Lamb? I should not be
surprised at all II some OF the best anthems
OF heaven were made up OF some OF the
best songs of earth. May God increase
our reverence for Christian psalmody md
keep US from disgracing 1t by our indiffer-
ence and frlvolity.
When Cromwel's army went into battle.
he stood at tho head OF It one day and gave