The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-05

Songs OF the Ages.
If one should judge the public taste
and intelligence by the popular
songs of the day, he would have war
pie really think of these current
jingles is shown by the short duration
of their vogue: few weeks, or
months at the most. is the longest that
the public will endure them, and then
others, equally bad, take their place.
Not so with the old songs. The
great poems of our tongues find in
creasing favor as the years pass. The
old songs grow dearer against the
ugly background of these new produc-
tions. The poems that touch the
depths of nature abide.
And it is striking fact, of more
than strictly religious interest, that
the most popular songs in all human
speech are an inheritance from the
ancient Hebrews, the newest of the
songs being older than the Christian
era A simple, pastoral people, ex-
pressing at once the primitive and the
sublimest human emotions. have given
the world its loftiest literature.
The Permanent Passions.
A rather ludicrous group of social
faddists believe that they can make
over human nature by hanging choice
pictures on the walls of ignorance.
providing fine music ~for undiscrim-
ism to men and women engrossed in
the hard realities of life. Little they
reckon of persiSting human nature.
They think to evolve an ideal civlliZa-
ton in generation or two; but they
conveniently ignore the long millen-
NUNS in which human nature has re-
manned essentially the same.
The power of the appeal of the
Psalms resides in their fidelity to the
fundamental abiding passions of life
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 a nicely tie expert
ence of all sorts and conditions of
men. The tremendous 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-
cession Of thirsty hearts that have
been refreshed at the fountain of He
brew psalmody. The picture thrills.
There are the captive exiles in chains
leaving the Land of Canaan; some of
the same, and their children, returned
to the land of Abraham, marching to
the music of the Psalms. These were
the songs of ascent to Jerusalem upon
the occasion of the yearly feasts. The
hunted Christians of the apostolic age
voiced their ineXtinguishable faith by
the same old melodies. The Cru
saders, the Puritans, and a countless
company of kindred high souls, have
been heartened by the inspired and in
spring Hebrew songs Kings and
statesmen and men of large affairs
have turned for comfort ard susie
nance to these melodies from royal
pens. Armenians, deported to death,
have quaffed the comfort of these
lines. The aspiring youth, the bur-
dened man and woman, the grief
stricken. the doubling. the fearful and
dying, in innumerable hosts, have
turned first to this never failing
spring of sustenance.
Davids share of the Psalms is
greater work than Staying Goliath. or
shifting the Philistines or ruling a
kingdom. And of the other writer's,
some of them unknown, we can only
rejoice that there have been men who
have spoken from the depths and the
heights, and that their heart-crieS
have lived. In the wine-press of in
tense experiences, their souls have
given forth the wine of comfort to
an uncounted company. Similarly,
Matheson's rejection because of his
been blessed to millions in his hymn,
20 Love That VIII Not Let Me GO"
Samuel Rutherford's imprisonment at
Aberdeen bore fruit in his Letters, "
and from these Mrs. Anne Cousins eX-
tracted the phrases which she wove
into the exquisite hymn, THE Sands
of Time Are Sinking"
When Heart Speaks to Heart.
AS we consider the Psalms and this
particular one in which the souls of
returned eXiies found utterance, the
query is forced upon US, ''Whe- e are
the great soul songs for today" Triv-
ial verses we have a plenty; eSoteric,
PnlC nRDlIlOllS musings in
rhyme, burden the mail OF eu4,ors;
but where are the songs that vocalize
the deep sentiments OF the people ?
The woman SuffragiStS of New oTk
once offered a prize for a hymn"
and all they got was twaddle. Various
publications and organizations are Of
fering substantial sums for a new
American national anthem, but in
vain. Thel seem to be no ringing
English awords to express the stirred
emotions of men in a mass. The ma
tional anthems to both the United
States and Canada are confe.sedly
inadequate. We have not yet reached
the great songs OF our own time.
The best l4usic is religious. there
are many hymns, in addition to the
Psalms, that voice the deepest ceilings
of the soul. Even here, however,
there are strange hiatuses. Who can
pick out worthy hymn of invitation
to the unconverted. Most of the So
called missionary hymns are filled
with bad geography, bad history, and
inexcusa BILE provincialism. With a
spirit of brotherhood sweeping over
the world, there is as yet no worthy
brotherhood hymn. Good citizenship
has evoked no distinctive and great
hymn; nor has the passion for social
anticipation. What a field for poets.
if they would but forget themselves
and catch a vision,
Still we turn to the Psalms for the
clearest echo of the souls mood They
speak from heart to heart. We are