The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-22

| Not long ago, at a church festivity of
some kind, in Karsas, a musician who was
asked to contribute to the gayety of the
occasion did so by playing popular tunes
on the church organ. Some of the older
| church members were scandalzed, but
others maintained that 1t was all right
and that the Salvation Army. in setting
| sacred words to popular tunes, was pro-
gressive and praiseworthy. They quoted
| the remark of n long-departed Church au
| thority that 'it was pity the devil
should have all the good music"
Progress is good. but it seems in this
case that the older folk were right The
incident is worthy of notice as typical of
a certain tendency in the Protestant
churches of this country. There has been
during the last twenty years a distinct
movement toward the mixing of sacred
and secular things in music and other af-
fairs of the Church. and the result is often
inexpressibly grotesque. 1t is time for
reaction,
Music is a language. as expressive in
many respects as written or spoken
words. As a language it has phrases and
tones which convey ideas. Some OF these
ideas are grand, others trivial: some are
pathetic. others gay. martial, or inspiring;
even humor can be expressed by music.
for there are certain quaint phrasings,
especially in folk songs. which suggest
laughter, even when unaccompanied by
words. 1t is obvious. therefore that the
music associated with acts of worship
should be appropriate to the words with
which it is coupled. and that these words
should be worthy of the sentiments which
they are intended to express or inspire.
There is no excuse for bad music and bad
hymns in our churches There are plenty
of hymns which are real poetry, and most
of the older church music is true music.
The reason is that both words and music
grew out of genuine feeling. Some planta-
ton songs. composed by totally ignorant
and illiterate people. are grand and SOL
emn, because. the result of deep senti-
ment. There is one which indicates. in
marked degree. the influence which the
words of Revelation, falling upon wholly
unframed mind and vivid ina gination
must have had. fragment of it reads:
The earth shall be dissolved like snow,
And all the stars shall fade away
King Jesus shall be mine.
There, in the fgurative language which
the old-time exhorter loved, is expressed
the thought that the soul is eternal and
outlasts even those things which seem
most permanent. There is no grander
idea in literature. Contrast this and the
solemn, tremulous rhythm of it's music
with the jingle of the Moody and Sankey
abomination, Pull for the Shore" or
this:
What can wash away my sinf
Nothing hut the blood of Jesusi
What make me pure within2
Nothing but the blood of Jesusi
1t sounds like a hymn of the Chicago
stockyards. Worse than this even is the
polka-lke frivolity of some of the other
tunes. Their popularity has grown out of
the opposition of certain sects of the
Protestant Church to perfectly innocent
amusement. A prayer meeting is not the
place for dance-tune; therefore, since
the desire for such music is natural and
legitimate, let there be dancing outside
the church. The Catholic Church wisely
draws line between the sacred and the
secular. The Protestant Church should be
equally reverent.