Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1907-10-17

his rheumatic Uranium bound in
warming, comfortable red bandanna,
sat therea silent accompaniment to his
son Dawes beautiful tenor voice, per-
chance with due paternal pride.
Though not pertaining to musical
history AN instance ofhi' solemuity will
here obtrude. Once, seated at the
four-o clock piece in the harvest field
with his men, when one of them, Neill,
cutter by profession, cut into a
crisp cucumber pickle leaving a we'll
defined halo of butter on its circular
rim, old Michael turned upon him
with slow, portentou. adjuratiOn:
"Neill, awe-l-wsys wipe your knife
before you cut picklel"
Which solemn rebuke was never
forgotten or forgiven, for you may
blast mans moral character or prove
him a horse-thief without mourning
that everlasting resentment that re-
suits from impugning his table man.
ners.
While the English and Scotch Pres.
byterians worshipped in the smaller
church on the lot east Of that now
occupied by their large brick temple,
their psalmody was led by the broth
ers Melvin, prosperous and cultivated
country gentlemen from the Uvilla
district. Afterward in their new
church they engaged the services of
Mr.. John Gonter, evidently German
by nativity but Methodist by pro-
clivitY, as sexton and prscentOr, in
which double capacity he could raise
both the church tunes and temrera.
ture when necessary. This suggests
the farther possibility that he might
also have been an undertaken, which
three-fold combination would have
been handy in the management of
funeral obsequies.
The traditional Scotch melodic
forms have not been much in evidence
hereabout, except in few old hymns.
1t would seem that the PrsGbyterians,
as they are the exponent, Of the in
tellectusl, unsmotional phase OF
Christianity. would naturally tend to
that same element in music-the har-
monic rather than more primitive
melody and song. But in later years
our Presbyterian brethren have for
gotten Jennie Geddes' stool and their
antagonistic Aings at ritualism, for
in their finest metropolitan church
their poet.minister, Henry Van Dyke,
and their genius organist, Archer Glib.
son, have arranged responsive rit-
ual far transcending in artistic beauty
any service of the Roman or Angli-
can forms, and there also the oratorio
Of Bach, Handel and Mendelsaohn
and the highest flights Of modern mu-
sic are INTERPRETED more perfectly
than in any other American church.
The good sexton precentor would
have suited more properly among our
Methodist brethren, where, as is well
attested, the fervent singing OF their
soul.comforting hymns can raise the
thermometer few degrees as well as
their corporal temperature. In their
old church, which was burned (though
not set afre by any inAsmmsble vocal
fsrvency) they had congregational
hymn exercises Of the most soul-stir'
ring style, its power being only lin
tied by the capacity Of human lungs.
They sang with will and wind, and
with vocal swing at times accented
by the swaying emphasis, as they
stood up to give them a better lever
age at the long and strong pulls they
made. And surely it was both In
terssting and moving, for this going
at it with whole heart and soul is ir.
resistible, and this gave them much
of that motive power that made them
the practical evangelists of our vest
ern civilization and challenges not on
ly our respect but admiration. Mod
ern philosophy now afirms that they
are right in beginning on the emotion
al side for the betterment of human
character.
One incident there may suffice for
description. Their usual tune-raiser
being absent, his role was assumed
By an aged brother named Pinch Mil
ler. with very mediocre success. The
good-natursd old minister, standing
in his pulpit, remarked aPologetical-
ly:
swell, brother Miller, We admire
good, willing soul, but if you can't
reich it any better than that, well
excuse you.
The English Of the Episcopal Church
where at this day Washington, Lee
I'll Nb;af Justioa Marahall ara still