The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-09
MONDAY. OCT. 9. 1911.
THOSE CHURCH HYMNS.

Governor Woodrow Wilson. erst-
while governor Of mosquito infected
New Jersey, and would-he president
Of the United States, has stirred up
something of hornets nest by his. re-
cent criticism of modern church
HYMNS, his particular remarks pelnE
directed against Beautiful Isle OF
somewhere" He declared that the
d words to which music is set
DO meaningless, insipid and uninspir-
ing. Whether Mr.. Wilson's criticism
of church music will fall as nat as
President Roosevelt's attempt to IN
trouce reform spelling remains 10
he seen, incidentally it may start
something in church music circles
hat will ~overshadow the proveroiai
choir quarrel.
Az TO the merits Of the old and new
church hymns there are various ways
Of looking at the whole p%roposition'
Rnt two require consideration. Ihese
arrange themselves under the mead
ING. which the German metaphysi-
clans have dubbed the objective n
the subjective. In other words, the
discussion should be rightfully con-
fined to a critical analysis OF what the
aforesaid hymns and poems contain
IN the way of intrinsic worth: ano'
secondly, to what extent the prepos-
session of any 6 or generation gov
erns it's attitude toward the proouc-
lions Of its time.
This being admitted even provision
ally. 1t will not be difficult to reach
a conclusion. Celebrated critics are
YER much like celebrated gourmets.
The latter prefer their game after
a1e has added a perceptible flavor
to its otherwise gustatory qualities.
The former appreciate the
lation Of their literary pabulum most
uhen It has arrived at the whiskered
stage. In literature. as in religion.
ue stone the prophets in life and build
monuments to them afterward. Nnen
Poe wrote THE Raven and Anna
he'll Lee,"'the iconoclast was busy with
his hammer. Cardinal Newman voic-
Cd his souls travail in Lead. Kindly
Light" The sequel threw him INTO
the ri of Mother Church. to the
satisfaction Of his newly found breth-
rem. hai brought only scorn from
king, ,,lwart defender Of the
Anrlj .,h. Nearer, My God. to
Thee. ..een an inspiration to mil.
lions; ard yet. by the confessions OF
its author. it meant only a hopeless
reaching out into the dark.
Great men are those who lived a
generation ago. Great hymns n
noems are those that have stood the
test Of time. Reverence n homage
have to do with things that are past.
Nothing is altogether satisfactory in
it's own time. A few years ago a wo-
man wrote some really beautiful
.tanzas beginning. IT want to go
home." The best she got was a dis
custom of the comparative merits OF
her production and that Of a contem-
ragtime effort entitled.
"show me the way to go home. babe.
The old hymns are always the best.
Those who defend the modern pente-
costal effusions can never hope to
make Roadway. Yet they will event.
,ally be avenged by the great e
ger. Time. For the things they now
defend will one day become the clas-
sizes. and around their present favor
ties will then cluster the popular
sanction and sanctity that today halo
"wandering Boy" 1.-The Ninety and
Nine" and Pull for the Shore, Sail
or, Pull for the Shore"
When all is said 1t Is the spirit in
which they are rendered that gives
to church hymns their religious ele-
ment. A few years g In an eastern
city, one of the churches installed a
pipe organ, the bellows Of which was
operated by a motor run by water
power. over the newspaper account
of the installing Of the pipe organ, the
headwriter placed the line. "praising
God by water power" The church
people we're indignant and justly so.
But after all there was not so much
wrong with the line. If by the use
of such agencies the hearts and minds
of men could be caught with the spir-
IT of the music and carried by the
inspiration Of its melody to a better
realization Of the beauties Of the
religion they professed: II the vibrant
chords from that organ could reach
the souls Of the listeners and enkindle
the fires Of zeal for h doctrines they
believed, certainly that music to
which the water power contributed
in the making was the real praise Of
God. And so 1t comes back to the
real point that the spirit in which il
is uttered and not the words them
selves are the true test of the merit
of religious hymns.