The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-15

the Scots were, who called pipe organ @ 'l1ist O whistles,' or the Puritans, who called it the devils bagpipe," and there are many other sects which share these views. They look upon the church organ as profaning the temple of God, and de- stroying tho true spirit of worship among the people. They hold to the views of the Puritans in the days of Cromwell who pettioned that ''all cathedrals wherein services to God are most grievously abused by the piping of organs, the ring ing of bells, the singing and trowling of chants from one side of the choir to the other, with squeaking of chanting choir boys and such like offenses, which are an abomnation to the Lord," be put down. In this connection it is also interesting to note that these same congregations do not believe in church bells. All told, there are in the United States perhaps 500.000 adherents to those sects which do not be- lieve iii bells and organs.
 Organ building began early in the Uni ted States. The first one was made by John Clark in 1743, for the Episcopal church at Salem, Mass. In 1905 w. H. Goodrich began building organs on a large scale at Boston. Since then the industry has grown steadily, both in the manufacture of pipe organs and reed organs. There are about 930 pipe organs now manufactured annually in the United States, their total value being over s2,000, coo. There are about 115,000 reed organs manufactured yearly, and their total value approximates four and a quarter million dollars. Boston and Chicago are the leading organ manufacturing centers of the United States, 60 pipe organs with an average value of more than 5000 being turned out in single year. One of the developments of recent years is the self playing organ attachment, which is being widely used on expensive pipe organs. It is claimed that there is no effect in hand playing on an organ that cannot be duplicated by a playing attachment under expert guidance, and that orches- trrst arrangements too complex for one organist can Do executed with these at tachments The American reed organ, with perhaps a single exception, is suc- tion instrument, while the European reed organ operates with air pressure
 The first electric action organ ever built was made by a kinsman of Theo- dore Roosevelt, and himself a pearer of that name. It was the one used at the Philadelphia centennial, and was later installed in the mechanics building at Boston. Roosevelt, the organ builder, was as dominant a figure in the organ build ing world in his day as Roosevelt, the President, Is in the political world in his day, And to the former Roosevelt many of the most notable, strides in the fm- provement of pipe organ construction are to be attributed.
 Perhaps the organ with the most pa- thetic fate in the United States was the one built for the Boston Music hall. Walcker. the great German organ builder, was commissioned to construct it. He agreed to make it the most up to date musical instrument then in existence, binding himself to carry out the specifi- cations and to add every known inn proyement that might come out while he was constructing it. When it was com pleted. the instrument was a revelation in the wonders of it's tones. The London exposition wanted it, and later the Crys- tai Palace exhibition sought to arrange terms to get 1t for the season. But It came straight to Boston, and was in- stalled and dedicated with an eclat never before seen at similar function. For years it did fine service, and no sweeter music was to be heard anywhere than that which poured forth from its myriad metallic threats. But it lately became old fashioned, was given away, ana at last accounts was stored in an outhouse in a Boston graveyard.
 The evolution of the modern organ has been a slow one. The Greeks and the Romans had what is known as water or gans. but the modern instrument owes it's origin to one Ctesibius, barpef' or Alexandria, Egypt. His trade was hot SD brisk as to occupy all of his tune, anu he set to work about 200 B. c. to tnlnk ont the details of what was destined 10 he the forerunner of the organ. lie was successful. but 1t was not until Sl0 years thereafter that an organ was piaceu III