The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1915-08-07
Religious Mork
Thrashy Hymns.

Thrashy Hymns.
The recent attack on the .vulgarity Of
certain revival hymns. which were not
specified. but which were referred to
as silly and sentimental and as poverty
stricken In music as they were In
words. brings up an old question which
has bothered all denominations from
time immemorial," to use a good old
phrase. but such Is the case. There Is
no question about 1t that the priests Of
Bel or Marduk, In Babylonia, 5000
years B. C. objected to the intrusion OF
current phrases and popular songs into
the old rituals. and the Egyptians. un-
der Rameses XII. no doubt also had
qualms on this subject. as did the
Greeks and the Romans, as well as the
Israelites. since rescensions of hymns
and liturgies is m Of the Oldest known
pastimes of human beings, being only
exceeded In hoary antiquity by the
writing Of hymns themselves. since
hymns represent the oldest efforts at
literature running back to the very
horizons Of history.
or course We know that the young
men of the prehistoric periods In the
springtime indited canticles to ''tbelr
mistresses' eyebrows" since we have
the prose records of love letters In
cuneiform. But the love songs were
not carved on rock and temple wall
and We're not considered important or
sacred enough In the earliest periods
to be handed down according to strict
traditions. and hence they were lost.
while the hymns remain. Consequent
ly the various clergymen who have
been objecting to current hymnodies
of an ultra popular revival character
have back of them the approval of
centuries In their efforts to keep the
text Of hymns free from current trash
and the fleeing literary and musical
emotions of the moment.
AS to the words, oil denominations
are agreed that just as annie Room
ney." Sweet Marie" and 1.-The Girl of
My Heart have no permanent place
in song literature. so the occasional re.
vfval hymn, with its swing and slang,
has no place In permanent hymnodies.
Very few Of them break in. It is true.
so far as the regular church hymnals
go. their chief ingress being through
the nondescript publications of the
Sunday school. since. for the most
part, hymns that have stood the test
Of ages are still the criterion. But
even this Sunday school lenity is OBJ.
jectionable. for surely when all the
little sunshine" hymns have faded
away those who are in the church and
out of 1t will turn for consolation and
exaltation to Bernard Of Clugny's IA
nous hymn oil the Toys Of the New
jerusalem the type Of "hymns OF
heavenly inconsistencies"
Some Baptist Statistics.
According to the Baptist Year Book.
there are in the United States Of that
denomination 52.41O churches, 1871 or
dained ministers and a total member
ship Of 5,932. 1854, an increase Of 1885,
III. The Increase for the last ten
years is as follows: For 1905, S,515;
for 1905, 1O3.342: for 1907. 1851: for
1908, 1868; for 1908. 151, 1872; for
1910. 1888: for 1911. 170,254; for
1912, 1885; for 1918, 269, $50; for 1914.
1873, III. making a total Of 1881, SOS, or
an average yearly gain of 1873. 156. Dur
ing the year 1914 there were S09,243
baptisms, an increase over the previ-
Gus year of 1882. There are AZ. 769
Sunday schools. 325,475 officers and
teachers and 3.2SS. 992 scholars. There
was given for church expenses $22;-
4S6,24S. an increase of 81, 701,516; for
Sunday school expenses. SLOTS, 900; for
state missions. 81. 1853. 914: for home
missions. $685.. Cos; for foreign mis-
sions. $1.231. 664: for Bible and publi-
cation work. $113.619: for education.
$~424.391; for miscellaneous, $780,, 4S8.
making a grand total of $29.043,1S1 an
increase of 81. 493. 470.