Frankfort Pilgrim College - Pilgrim Yearbook (Frankfort, IN)

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The Importance of Music in Divine Worship Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way, Lead us from night to never-ending dayg 'Til all our lives with love and grace Divine, And glory, land, and praise be ever Thine. A lovely painting without a frame shows something lacking in its setting, so a ehureh without music seems to us as coming short OI well-rounded spiritual worship. It is safe to say that much of the p1'aise to 'God in divine worship is due to the sincere singing of good, substantial, old-fashioned, soulful, time- tried hymns. Can you imagine a church, that does not have the singing of hymns in any of its services. Would they appeal to the human soul? Some of the ehurehes today are in a worse condition, since they have taken the blood out of all their hymns, in spite of the fact that without the shedding of Christ 's blood there can be no remission of sins. Hymns are the harmonious expressions of hallelujahs to the King of kings, of glory to the Almighty God, of praise to the blessed Lord of all, of hosamias to God in the Highest, of joyful shouts of the human soul to the Creator of Eternity. For that reason, hymns should be the spontaneous out- burst of the human heart reaching out i11 all sincerity of adoration to his Maker. What person has not at some time in his life been touched and melted by such soul-stirring hymns, that never die, as Just As I Am , Abide Vilith Men, Rock of Oges , or Jesus, Lover of My Soulm? Ur who has not experienced the reverent hush and sensed the very atmos- phere of heaven through the sincere rendition of such sacred hymns as Holy, Holy, Holy , Hark, Hark My Soul , O Paradise , or God of Our Fath- ers' I? And who has never been impressed with the religious dignity of that old missionary hymn, t'From Greenland's ley Mountains , with that universal favorite, Stand Up For Jesus , with the military stateliness of Onward Christian Soldiers , with the spiritual uplift of the Battle Hymn of the Re- pnbiie ? How striking in contrast, are these old classics that will live for- ever, eonpared with some of the modern verses of today. New let us look at the instrumental side of the subject. A simple hymn, sweetly and eifectively played with feeling on any instrument, especially the organ, always creates an atmosphere of reverence and quietness that can Ire accomplished in no other Way. Have we not often wondered what the music of heaven must be like, especially after listening to some remarkable grand organ selection that has thrilled us to the very soul. We have sat spellbound through the thundering and roaring of diapasons, fading away into echoes like the calmness that fol- lows the storm, refreshing as a sp-ring shower, and carrying with it a heaven- ly breeze which wafts the magnificent singing of the Celestial Choir, echoing and revel-bei-ating from the pearly gates of the New Jerusalem, until the heavenly harmonies finally die away into a single note. t'Jerusalem the golden, I know not, O I know not, With milk and honey blest! What joys await us there, Beneath thy contemplation What radiancy of glory, Sink heart and voice opprest. What bliss beyond compare. --De Rizdon Stambaugh.

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The New Song 't USIC is a science which teaches the prospective dependencies and rela- tions of melodious sounds. It excells all other arts in its powers to express sentiments which are allied to the infinite. Music reaches the inner life in man that can not be reached in any other way. When he hears a patriotic song his sentiments and feelings toward our nation climb with leaps and bounds, but when he listens to a more solemn piece of music his feelings change to thc mood of the music. Of course noi every individual is effected to the same extent or in exactly the same way, but there is something Within that follows any particular strain of music. Man in his fallen state has always been a patron of music as though it were an absolute necessity. And is it not such a necessity? Yes. It give.: forth sentiments which otherwise would not be made manifest. Une can not doubt the power of music if he remembers the singing of the Angels at the birth of Christ. The shepherds were filled with awe. Of course, they had never witnessed anything so wonderful before, yet the singing of those hosts made a very profound impression. The supreme duty of man is to glorify his Creator and show his Holi- ness. But the general trend is in the opposite direction. Man is a lover ot' pleasure rather than of God. Thus music has been drawn down to a level which expresses his depraved feeling. Music in the hands of a non-christian is beautiful only in itself. The un- regcnerated man may sing and mean all that he sings but there is a lack. it does not have the magnetic pull that it docs when sung in the Spirit by a child of God. When an individual accepts Christ and is cleansed from every sin he sings a new song. All his powers are concentrated to glorify our Redeemer. When Jesus shall come to set up His kingdom and we will be caught up to meet him in the air. it is then that we will sing a new song of the redeemed. Uur mortals shall put on immortality and we shall be a little higher than the Angels. Then we shall sing the praises of God in Heaven throughout an end- less eternity. -Leonard Cole. A SONG OF THE HEART I gaze at the blue from my Window, And watch fleecy clouds floating by, I'm convinced that our God up in heaven, Is smiling on us as if nigh. I don't understand God's creation, Yet men dare not doubt. when I say I feel Him just now in my beingg And His presence brings light to my day. When my mind is depressed from my struggles, And my thoughts seem to go rambling on, I try to be happy and cheerful, Knowing darkness precedeth the dawn. The stars in the skv while I slumber, Shine on to guide those gone astrayg One glance at them in their splender Removes every fear until day. -Leonard H. Cole. Q. +85-.

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