The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-02-23
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
BISHOP BURGESS.
Subject Church Music.

preached Sunday morning in the
Church OF the Redeemer. The occasion
was the dedication of the beautiful
memorial organ. gift 10 the church.
The bishop spoke on Church Music"
The text was from Psalm Xciy:9: He
that planted the ear, shall He not hear
He that formed the eye. shall He not
see;" Bishop Burgess said during his
sermon:
This organ, which we dedicate to-
day, 10 the glory of God. has been
placed here in memory of one who was
faithful and devoted worshiper in
this church, George Parker. There is
peculiar appropriateness in the gift.
for church music appealed to him with
an especial power. To make this part
Of our worship worthy of our church's
traditions, 10 make its ritual, when
ritual of some kind was necessary,
seemly and historic, he was willing 10
sacrifice his time. his money, his
strength. 1t has seemed 10 me- that
il would not be out of place for me 10
speak 10 you to-day OF church music
and TO trace its history so that we may
be better able 10 estimate the value of
what must always be an adjunct TO the
service, the handmade, not the mis-
tress, of worship.
The Bible never seeks to prove the
existence Of God. The prophets. poets,
philosophers. historians Of the Old TeS-
lament. as well as the Apostles and
Evangelists Of the new, everywhere as
sumo the Being and Personality of
God. They do not argue for this posi-
ton. They simply claim il as their
right. Only the fool. and lie only un-
der his breath. can deny the existence
Of God. But if any argument is hinted
at. il is rather this argument from de-
sign, which is today, after all. the adj
vance of modern science. considered
the most cogent of them all and which
is struck off at white heat. as ii were,
in this glowing sentence of the Psalm
ist. He thar planted the ear, shall He
not hear? He that formed the eye.
shall He not see?" The writer may not
have known. perhaps, rs much of
human anatomy and of the physiology
of the brain as Professor James, he
may not have been aS COgniZant OF the
delicate structure of the eye and ear
as one Of our modern specialists, hut
the marvelS and the beauty were b Z
fore his mind i'm all their power when
he wrote those words. 1t Is an arGu-
ment which the fool alone can set
aside. that such things do not come 10y
chance and that in the Supreme Being
something corresponding TO hearing
and seeing exists. that the music which
delights the ear Of man is known 10
God and the glow of the sunset, the
sweet unfathOmable beauty Of the
world. of the stars and of the flowers
have their existence primarily for God.
The Mortified philosopher may call ont
"anthropomorphism but for my part
do not fear that rs much as the i'm
personality of pantheiSm or material
ism. If it is true. as Professor Sholer
says. that the naturalist has Il right
to conclude that the universe is under
the control of power in ways like unto
the mind Of man then surely we have
q right TO believe that all our art, our
music. our architecture. our paintings
and sculpture are heard or seen by God
and are pleasing or unpleaSing to Him
according as they are or are not found
ed upon the principles Of truth. Let us
not argue about this. Let us assume II
now as we speak of church music.
We can watch their ways with our
microscope. but We dare not assert that
they do not hear commands ana live
in a world of the source of which we
know nothing. So with the universe.
We can plow the heavens with the
telescope. but we know not that what
we call the music Of the spheres has 40
existence and that il is only a poet 5
fancy which asserts that the heavens,
the stars and the planets accompany
the sons Of God in their praise Of the
Father in Heaven.
In all civilized nations believe music
has always had some connection with
religion The Greeks had no doubt
carried il. as they did every art they
touched. 10 high grade Of excellence.
In Plato we find music il constant
source of illustration. In those days,
as in these, they had the mere musi'
clan. who prided himself on his ear
and lost the poetry and the meaning
Of the art THE musicians one OF
the characters says bitterly. put their
ears in the place of their minds
YES" replied Glaucon, Il like 10 see
them laying their ears alongside OF
their neighbors' faces. some saying.
That's a new note others declaring
that the two notes are the same But
for Plato music had n deeper signifi-
canoe and in one single sentence he
brings out its connection with morals.
Simplicity in music" he says. was
the parent Of temperance in the soul,
n truth which we need 10 remember
to-day as never before.
But to the Hebrews the art was sa.
cred. Miriam with her timbals and
her dances accompanied her song Of
victory. The majestic rhythm OF the
Psalms We're blended. no doubt. with
an equally majestic music. When the
people were carried away into captiv-
ity their conquerors wanted TO hear
them sing their beautiful national airs.
But the young voices refused 10 an
swer. How can We sing the Lords
songs in a strange landT Browning
has dramatized the scene. but the peo-
pie must have been naturally musical
when the shepherd lad could come with
his harp and drive away the worst
melancholy from the heart Of the trou-
bled monarch.
7 douht NOT that our Lord loved the