The Penn's Grove record., 1906-02-16

Now why, in such different quarters,
do We find such violent and virulent
a~ntagonism to church music? Let us
first answer that question. and then
see what it was that softened that
a~ntagonism. The reason why music
was condemned was because it had
become a traitor in the camp. During
the Middle Ages the troubadours had
invented many beautiful melodies,
some of them soft and pathetic. some
warlike and some gay. This kind Of
music has developed along with the
sacred. and the church composers and
precentors have adopted the secular
tunes and incorporated them into the
masses so that the people even sang
the prOfane words instead of those OF
the Latin liturgy. 1t is as if to-day
we should have the airs of "Annie
Laurie" or "Way Down on the Suwa-
nee River" used as a theme for the
communion Office or played on the
organ at the time of p%artaking of the
Bread and Wine of the Body and Blood
of our Lord. This abuse of music be-
came a scandal in the chancel. Appar-
emily choirs and organists had not
learned that obedience to the clergy
while on trust has now been acquired,
and the only way which seemed pos
sible to stop the profanity was to 81
lence the voice of organ and choir
alike. You may rest assured that while
there is some obscurity as to the real
state of affairs, yet the Dissertation
must have been very great when Scotch
Puritans and Roman prelates united
in their condemnation of the art.
What saved it, then? In the Prot
estant world it was Luther. His love
Of music was intense. He used to play
on the flute. and said that the devil
fed from its sound when he played.
He wrote some of the stateliest and
noblest of the German hymns. And
if he did not compose the music as
we'll, he certainly superintendent its
composition. This best of hymn music
is really founded on the old method
of plain song which Gregory the Great
advocated.
In these revelations which are going
on all the time now in the social, the
financial and political world. we find
that the standard of ethics is practically
that of men who have no faith in the
hearing and seeing God. 1t is the
morality for the world. Sin is not sin
unless it is found out. Provided the
| scandal is kept out of sight it is of no
consequence. Large sums will be paid
TO the most disreputable papers under
the guise of subscriptions to keep
names out of the scurrilous sheets. Ac-
counts are tempered with and entries
changed or omitted. so that no n may
learn the facts. And all is done be-
| cause in the eyes of such men tile only
| shame is the shame of the police courts
and the cropped hair and striped gar
ments of the prisons. But if the rapid
machinery of modern life would stop
long enough for men to think. maybe
they would hear the psalmist's ques-
ton ringing in their ears, H that
planted the ear, shall He not hear? He
that made the eye, shall He not seeE"
Morality and music are thus seen to
have the same ideal. And the church
which will teach the truth of Christ in
this world of sin, will have her organs
tuned with the heavenly, and her
music will not be made to please the
ear Of man, but to delight the ear OF
God. No more sublime language eX-
lists than the passage in the communion
office. Therefore, with angels and
archangels and with all the company
of heaven we laud and magnify my
glorious name.' The church that
| speaks these words is speaking only
unto God, and the music which must
accord with such thought and Ian
| guage must be the music of a mud
and heart which belong unto the LORD
God Almighty.