The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-28

ular songs Of the day. he
would have warrant for
turning pessimist. What peo-
pie really think of these cur
rent iineles is shown by the short
duration Of their vogue; rev weeks,
or months at the most, IS the ionsess
that the public viii endure thenn' anu
then others, equally bad, take thelI
Not so with the old songs. The great
DoemS of our tongue ind increasing
favor as the years pass The old songs
grow dearer against the ugly PACK
ground Of these new productlonls. LIE
poems that touch the depths or nature
And it is a striking fact, Of more
than strictly religious interest, that the
most popular songs in all huiilsn
speech are an inheritance from the
ancient Hebrews, the newest OF the
songs being older than the Christian
era A simple, pastoral people, eA-
pressing at once the primitive and the
sublimest human emotions, nave given
the world it's KOftiegt literature
The Permanent Passions
A rather iudicFous group of social
Taddists believe that they can make
over human nature by hanging choice
yofctures on the walls OF ignorance, pro
vfding fine music for undiscrilninatlns
ears and talkine vague fdealism to
men and women engrossed IN the hard
realities OF life. Little they reck OF
persistfng human nature Ihey thAlA
70 evolve an ideal civilization in a gen
Grafton or two; but they conveniently
ignore the long millennium in which
human nature has remained essentially
the same.
The mower of the appeal of the
Psalms resides in their fidelity to the
fundamental, abiding passions or ne.
They are true to universal sentiments
The poets of today try In vain TO
awaken an answering echo from the
popular heart; these old Hebrews are
still expressing to nicely the expert
ence az an sorts and conditions of
men The trem endous truthfulness OF
the Psalms to life, and to the deepest
needs of mankind. Is the real reason
for their deathless vogue
The Hosts That Have Been Helped
Contemplate for a moment the pro-
eessior of thirsty hearts that have
been refreshed at the fountain or
Hebrew .psalmody. The picture thrills
There are the captive exiles in chalns
leaving the Land of Canaan; some OF
the same. and their children, are re
turning, but the feelings of both are
voiced by the Psalms TO battle, TO
dungeons, to death. through unimagln-
able viciszitudes extending over almost
three thousand years, the chtdren OF
Abraham have marched to the music
of the Psalms. The hunted Christians
of the apostolic age voiced their mex
tincllishabfe faith by the same OLD
melodies The Crusaders the PurltanS
and a countless company Of kindred
high souls. have been heartened. by the
inspired and inspiring Hebrew songs
Kings and statesmen and men or large
affairs have turned for comfort ana
sustenance to these. melodies from
royal pens The aspiring youth, the
burdened man and woman, the grief
stricken the doubling, the fearful and
the dying. in innumerable hosts. have
turned first TO this never-failtng spring
Of comfort
David's share Of the Psalms are
greater work than Staying Goliath, or
shifting the PhiIfstines or ruling a
kingdom And OF the other writer's,
some of them unknown, we can only
rejoice that there have been men VINO
have sroken from the depths and the
heights. and that their heart-cr1eS have
lived In the VEine-press of intense ex-
periences. their souls have given forth
the wine of comfort to an uncounted
company. Similarly, Matheson's re-
lection because of his blindness by the
woman he loved has been blessed to
millions in his hymn, 20, Love that
wilt not let me 60" Samuel Ruther-
ford's imprisonment at Aberdeen pore
fruit in his Letters" and from these
Mrs. Anne Cousins extracted the
phrases which she wove into the ex-
ouisite hymn, 1.-THE sands of time are
sinking
When Heart Speaks to Heart.
As we consider the Psalms (for this
is the only lesson of the year from
fhen1). and this particular one in
which the souls of the returned eXlles
found utterance, the query is forced
upon US, Where are the great SOUL
SONGS for tOday?'' Trivial verse we
nave a-plenty: esoteric. neurasthenic,
nebulous musings In rhyme, burden the
mail Of editors; but where are the
songs that vocalize the deep sentiments
of the people? The woman suffragists
o
hymn and all they got was twaddle-
In a huge labor demonstration in Phil
sdelphia a few tys ago. the prevailing
song was the bloody French Marseil-
Iaise." because there are no ringing
English words to express the stirred
emotions of men in a mass. The ma
tional anthems of both the United
states and Canada are confesSed1y IN
ADEQUATE We have not yet reached
the great songs for our own time.
The best music is religious; there are
many hymns, in addition to the
Psalms. that voice the deepest feelings
of the soul. Even. here however,
there are strange hiatuses- Who can
pick out worthy hymn OF invitation
to the uncovered? Most of the So
called missionary hymns are filled with
bad geography, bad history, and mex
cusabIe provincialiSm. With spirit
Of brotherhood sweeping over The
world, there IS as yet no worthy broth
erhood hymn. Good citizenship has
evoked no distinctive hymn; nor has
the passion for social amelioration
What a field for poets, If they would
but forget themselves and catch g
vision.
still we turn to the Psalms for the
clearest echo Of the souls mood They
sneak from heart to heart. We are not
sure who wrote them all Some seven
fv-three are definitely ascribed tC
David: Moses wrote at least one, and
solomon some; Asaph and the Son.
Of Korah, are also in the index: hu
many OF the $50 are anonymous; ant
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