The San Francisco call., 1905-01-01

n Ito be- an estaoli.she9 INSTITUTION
~ in the United :states. Whether
the custom as practiced is.
strictly in musical accord with the har-
rnonious feelings of people who in one
voice indulge a celebration which af-
!. fects:ail alike is another matter.
The bleatjng and the blasts, the
.screeches' and even barbaric sounds
issuing from. the tin horn of. to-day
are brazen. echoes sending UP thank
fulness. to the. lofty Height of heaven
for:.:the benefits. estowed-sounds
from; a multitude of millions express
ling satisfaction with material condi-
tions or giving heartfelt welcome to
f. new year just born or battle victory
or other momentous events which
/. make and mark the pages of history.
. Wlaile the custom of horn blowing
is growing. few. of the 'old heads stop
to think of its origin, and the youth
ful celebrant little dreams that is
all tradition; that in those revelling
sounds which escape neither nook nor
corner. loft nor cellar, are the echoes
re-echoed from thousands of centu-
ries ago-that momentous. period in
the worlds spiritual and material his
tory. when the blasts from the rams
horn. (shophar) proclaimed from
Mount Sinai the giving of the Ten
Commandments to the end of time.
The first mention of it is in the old
Testament at the giving of the law:
And all the People saw the thunderings. and
the lfghtnings. and the noise of the trumpet
Exodus, xx:lS.
Then it was a sound which sent the
blood coursing through every VEN,
s.zousedrs- the souls deepest reverence
and brought together men in one COM
mon brotherhood
AS the sound of the horn signaled
the giving of the law which was to
lead mankind and stand for lifes
moral and spiritual obligations. along
the ages, the multitude bowed with
feelings of awe and humility.
The sounds We're new TO the ears
of the people who listened to their
echoes along the mountain, wondering
ac the distant tone repetitions.
And when the people saw it. they removed.
Speak thou with us and will hear but let
not God speak with US. lest we die"
The fear then in the hearts of the
multitude was significant. They
realized the imp6rt of the occasion,
which had been signaled by the blasts
of the horn. So, from the very first in
PRODUCTION of the instrument its sounds
have generally Had a. significant mean
ing and purpose.
How well one can picture the scene
at Mount Sinai when the people trem-
bled and stood afar off when Moses
bade. them TO fear not; that God had
come TO prove them and that his fear
might be .before their faces that they
sin not.
The sounding of the horn on an oc-
casion SO prolific with divinely poten-
tiaf incidents naturally brought the
Instrument. into use and prominence
during special spiritual exercises and
celebrations, but later its brazen notes
were heard in time of war.
They were also beard in times of ex-
treme jubilation and in. the temples
of the Jews on their: days of rejoicing
and on the day of atonement.
- In Leviticus. xxv:9. is found the fol-
lowing:
Then shalt thou cause the trumpet Of the ju-
bilee.to sound en- the. tenth day Of the seventh
monFl. In the day Of at.nement shall ye make
the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
And even in this age of advanced
thought the Jew, following COM
mandment and the voice of tradition,
assemblies in his temple to hear the
sound from the shophar
What effect must such tones is
suing from holy place have upon the
hearer? They are not musical sounds,
for their loud, piercing notes, with no
range or compass, have never been
found adaptable to concerted music.
But is this description not exactly
and strangely in accord with the tones
from the modern horn, the horn with
which the jubilant man and. youth.
woman and girl, of this period give
vent to their joy at the birth of the
Christian new year?
Try as you will you can get nothing
but a piercing, shrill or inharnonious
tone from the tin instrument, and like
the ancient shophar, its tones are un-
musical, having neither range or COM
pass If needed for such purpose,
however, its blasts from the summit Of
Twin Peaks would summon multi
tudes that would oomport itself accord
ing to the import of the occasion.
In Numbers. chapter xxx: 1. we
find an injunction as to the use of the
trumpet.
Therein the people are commanded
on the first day of the seventh month
to hold IAN holy convocation," to do no
serviIe work. it being "a day OF blow
ing of truinDets unto you''--a feast OF
the trumpets.
Here IS demonstrated the giving up
CT all labor and indulging the tones OF
the shophar as heard in the synagogues
to this day Oh a like festival
Once more this proves that the mod
ern world. with all it's innovations, with
all its many snirks at tradition, with
all its vainglorious boasting or re-
finement overshadowing and even thor
oUgh!y eclipsing the primitive ages FOL
lows closely the precepts invIoiaDiy se'
by the great forefathers, whose. oDe-
dience to. divine commandment was, IN
view of modern usages. no more ioyaly
observed then than now.
The skeptic may say that to-day
outpourings of Joy lack thought, are in-
dulged without the slightest religious