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And, since that truth is the richest heritage which any church can possess, all its friends must rejoice in every process, however painful otherwise, which issues in its clear and simple manifestation.

We have left ourselves little room for observations on Mr. Macgregor's pamphlet. Indeed, it is not necessary to say much; and, but for the pretentious character it assumes, it would not be worth while to say anything at all respecting it.

It

It opens with a series of high-sounding egotistical sentences intended to proclaim the singular impartiality of the writer. And yet at almost every step the reader encounters the grossest forms of special pleading, and feels as if the author was pained that he could find so little to support his case. goes forward to what may be reckoned, in such a production, the very superfluous enunciation of some of the commonest rules for the interpretation of a written document. And, if the reader will take the trouble to examine, he will find that the writer's own example is anything but an observance of his precept. It deals largely in assertions regarding the College business, and in references to Professor Gibson's publications in connection with it. But if a reader will be at the pains to test the former, and to verify the latter, he will be, as we have been, both astonished and grieved at the amount of inaccurate and fallacious matter it contains.

But the chief peculiarity of this pamphlet is, that it lays down what the author repeatedly calls the students' propositions, and is mainly occupied with a by no means novel proof of the same, and with a concurrent attempt to hold up Professor Gibson as its gainsayer. In other words, it propounds and endeavours to establish a theory whose evident object is to exculpate the students charged with unsound and dangerous opinions, and to inculpate Professor Gibson as holding and teaching views of the constitution of men which render a natural theology impossible.

It affirms that the main proposition which the few students in question had before their minds, and which they were set on establishing and illustrating in the papers which their Professor criticised, was this: "That fallen and depraved man, without revelation, can attain to the knowledge of the being and attributes of God, including that of his unity." As Mr. Macgregor hangs so much upon this, he might have condescended on some proof of it. But he advances not a particle. And in a grave question affecting so many vital interests, this is inexcusable. In the absence of this, thoughtful and candid men will pay very little regard to the superstructure he rears.

But even if it were granted that the object of the essayists was as he represents it, he is bound to show that the passages to which exception was taken were really correct. Instead of that, he speaks of them as mere trifles in comparison with the great point to which he says they related; and, in a sort of half-jesting half-sneering way, dismisses them as mere "excrescences," "crudities," "vagaries," "moonshine," and such-like. Since this is all the length he goes, he is not entitled, either on the grounds of sound reason, or common sense, or religious principle, to write as he does of those who hold them to be something else.

And, lastly, if his whole argument is to be of any avail against Professor Gibson, it must show that Professor Gibson denies the proposition he lays down. He is sorely put to it here. He would fain convict the Professor of believing, and of trying to get others to believe, that man can learn nothing at all of the existence or perfections of God but from the Bible, and make out that he is in reality not faithful to the confession which he has subscribed and engaged to teach. But it is all in vain. Neither from the treatises the

Professor has written, nor from his lectures, or speeches, or pamphlets, does he adduce a single sentence in support of it. And he is forced to wind it all up at last with a series of questions which are not more manifestly a confession of the utter weakness of his case, than a specimen of presumptuousness stronger than is meet.

In one word: we have seldom seen a piece of controversial writing of the same extent to which so many exceptions may be taken. In its logical construction it is a glaring instance of ignoratio elenchi: in the body of its composition it abounds with the fallacy of references; in its tone and spirit it wants the gravity befitting the matters with which it deals, and savours too much of the arrogance of one who seemed to think that the credit of the Free Church Assembly for theological learning was gone, if he did not reply to what had been advanced in this College case. And therefore we do not anticipate that it will do much to vindicate natural theology in quarters where it needs vindication, or that it will do anything to weaken the moral strength of that position in which Professor Gibson is now perhaps more firmly established than ever.

SINGING FOR SCHOOLS AND CONGREGATIONS.-No. III.

THAT the singing in our Presbyterian congregations is dismal has already been proclaimed far and wide, in Scotland as well as in England. It has been said that a stranger drawing near to our house of prayer, "hears the opening psalm, and imagines it is the Dead March in Saul, or some funeral dirge, till he makes out the words;" and then he says, "If this be their joy, their cheerful voice-their sorrow must be awful." It is not, however, the natural character of the music itself that is appalling-it is the mode of performing it. The proper tune for the 100th Psalm is not a mournful tune ; it is a joyful tune;, but it is sung generally at such a funereal pace, that it might well be taken for a dirge. Moreover, the air or tune being for the most part vociferously sung by untutored male voices, it is degraded from a sweet song of Zion to a distressed operative's lament.

We must really do something to wipe off this reproach. The minister and the people must put their hands to the work. We, the people, are swift enough to criticise the minister's performance in the pulpit, and too often forget that our own share of the performance is full of blemishes,-no better than the sacrifice of that which is "blind and maimed and lame." And let it be remembered that what we want is not loud singing; we want sweet and true singing. It is not enough that a dozen or twenty men and women volunteer into the singing-pew for the two or three meetings on Sabbath. We want every person with a singing voice trained to take his or her part either in the singing-pew or elsewhere. We want the singing of the church to be independent of hired or volunteer bands, and to have it performed by the congregation. It is no more possible to have it done as it should be, without training, than it is to make a good reader, or a good minister, or a good workman of any kind without it.

Domestic training should be carried on. Let all the family, mistress and servants, old and young, have set times for singing lessons. It is not every person who can afford to provide good musical instruments. But God has

given, in most households, natural instruments of great delicacy, of wonderful variety, and capable of astonishing effects. It would be doing no more

than we are bound to do for God were we to bestow some pains upon the improvement of our domestics in this respect as well as in others. It is not meant that we are to take Betty into the drawing-room and give her a lesson on the piano. We are only speaking about singing. Perhaps God did not intend that Betty should be an accomplished pianist; at any rate he has not given her such an instrument; but he has given her a voice, a very sweet one, it may be the best in the house, and he has intended that it should be used for his glory. Why should you not help her to carry out his intention? If our servants were so aided we should do much to improve the public singing of praise. We should rescue it from the many vulgarities, the absurd attempt at ornament, in which the uneducated are so apt to indulge, Contrive, then, that when the children assemble, and the family practice. takes place, Betty and Jane, as well as the governess, may be there and get their fifteen minutes' practice. There ought to be no more difficulty about this than there is about getting them to take part in our family prayers. Where there is household singing there is one of the elements, and not a small one, of a happy home. Then look a little further a-head. Ten years afterwards Betty is a wife and a mother. She has not forgot her singing lessons. She has persuaded Harry to buy a Modulator, and she has taught him and little Jack and Lizzy to take their parts in many a song. If you are passing the door, you will be delighted to hear how you have contributed to make one home a happy one, among the many miserable ones; how the father has got a taste for home enjoyments, rather than for the beer-shop. You need not fear to enter that house and find Betty with a blackened eye. You will meet with a beaming welcome. Will you not have your reward ?

This is enthusiasm, some one will say. Well, of course it is. We mean to be enthusiastic, and we want people to be so as well as ourselves. We don't expect much from those who have no enthusiasm in their temperament. If Mr. Curwen had not been an enthusiast, the probability is that popular vocal music would not have made the progress which it has made during the last ten or fifteen years. Enthusiasm defended and relieved Lucknow, cut the way to the north-west passage, solved the mystery that hung over the fate of our lost navigators, and has helped more or less to every achievement in science and in social progress. You who have no enthusiasm must be left behind; we must go on without you.

How must we go on? Let a class for instruction, on the Tonic Sol-fa system, be formed in each congregation. Let the minister and his wife and daughters attend and encourage it. And don't let Haman Asaph, Esquire, the elder, with his daughters and sons, be ashamed and keep aloof. Let the sons be trained up to become Chenaniahs in the church. What if the daughters can play skilfully on the harp, and are accomplished singers in the drawing-room? Their dignity won't be compromised by dedicating their talent to the service of the King of Heaven. In the celestial concert the song will have to ring out such words as those of the 98th Psalm. The piano and the cavatina will be of little account then. We urge this strongly, for our church music will never be what it should be until the most dignified amongst us take their proper place and part. What is it to keep back from this duty? Is it not to be a little ashamed of Christ ?

Every intelligent precentor should qualify himself for conducting a class on this system. In most of our large towns there would be no difficulty in this, as there are already many classes in operation. If the precentor merely possesses a good voice, and lacks the tact, or talent, or disposition for teaching, let a competent teacher be engaged for three or four months in each

year-for the "congregational singing season." The remuneration would not be ruinous. In some cases it might be practicable and expedient for two neighbouring congregations to join. This would lighten the expense and secure greater improvement. It would also insure a uniformity of style and harmonies, very essential matters between congregations whose members may not unfrequently mingle together in worship.

The singing class would greatly benefit many persons who probably think themselves past any such teaching; we mean the men and women, or ladies and gentlemen, who are beginning to get, or who are already, greyheaded. As we advance in life our voices lose their compass upwards. But there is a compensation: we generally gain as much downwards. For every high note that we lose we gain one in the lower register of the voice. There is Mrs. ; formerly she could sing any tune and take the highest notes of it clearly and easily; now, when she attempts the same thing, she is distressed to find that her voice is (in the higher notes) tremulous, cracky, false. If the precentor leads off a tune that has many high notes in it, she is punished; she feels her infirmity, and perhaps is compelled, very unwillingly, to sit mute. And the same may be said of Mr. Some there are

who either don't perceive, or don't care for, the infirmity; and who sing as lustily, straining and forcing their voices to take impossible notes, singing them shockingly out of tune, and thus making our music excruciatingly discordant.

Now, by the change which has taken place in these voices they have not become disqualified from singing entirely. They have become disqualified for singing the parts which formerly they took with ease and propriety, but have gained the power of taking with effect the parts which, twenty years previously, they perhaps could not do;-the women for taking a second treble, and the men for taking the bass. A little training would soon put them in the way of doing this, and then they would sing with pleasure to themselves and contribute greatly to the good effect of the whole. None of the harmonies are more pleasing than a well-adapted second treble. If we had more of this in our singing we should be surprised at the sweetness of the effect. Such a tune as French is very bald without the harmonies; yet we seldom hear the second treble part, or the alto, which may generally be sung by second trebles. Let the elderly people then join the class. It is contrary to nature that they should still persist in singing the parts which they did when young. For the most part it is impossible for them to do this in tune. And let them remember, that every effort to force the voice above its natural pitch is injurious to the vocal cords.

Some of our favourite tunes are very trying. Such as Martyrdom and Eastgate should not be attempted unless there is a sufficient force of good trebles. It is in such tunes as these that the old voices are put beyond their strength, and necessarily fail.

A word or two as to the manner. In many cases the singing is confused

and vulgarised by putting in embellishments, such as trills, appoggiaturas, anticipations, glides, &c. All such things are to be discarded, uprooted, abominated. Let there be nothing but the notes as written-pure and simple-each in its own just time. Some people fancy that the more you have of these things the finer the singing is. They are mistaken. It is only the more vulgar. And let the last note of each verse be held its full time. We have seen some people-advocates too of standing to sing-shutting up their books and sitting down just when the last note was beginning; nay, perhaps in the middle of the last line. In this way it is that our singing often makes a shabby finish. The people should stand, if they stand at all,

until the last note is fully sung, in the same manner as we expect the minister to stand until his prayer or his sermou is done.

The faults we have mentioned cannot be weeded out except by training in a singing class; because the unlearned do not know which are the proper notes of a tune and which are the spurious. They have been so accustomed to hear the tune with "embellishments" that they cannot divest themselves of the idea that the supplemental notes are essential and necessary parts of it. Our singing will never be creditable until we have got entirely rid of this habit.

We hope the time is not far distant when we shall have not only better psalmody, but more of it. We wonder why it is that we cannot sing the whole of such psalms as the 61st, 63rd, 95th, 98th, 146th, and others? Why is it that we only get a shred, a fragment, of these very beautiful psalms to sing? It is because our tunes are not suitable, even if we had good singing. They take up too much time. How is this to be remedied? By introducing the double chant. Oh! shade of Jenny Geddes, keep quiet in thy resting place. There is no mass in a chant. If you think there is a "confused babbling of voices," it is because of the grotesque attempts to sing prose psalms to rhythmical music. Certainly that is not an easy affair. One verse of a prose psalm may have only thirteen words in it, and the next may have thirty-one, yet each must be distributed over the same number of notes; and with the thirty-one words, truly, there is a good deal of babbling-very puzzling to the uninitiated. But it is a very different thing with our metrical psalms. The short metres fit into a double chant as easily as into a common tune; and the common metres require very little practice. Nothing can be more touching than to hear the voices of one or two hundred children in the Sabbath or day-school singing the 23rd Psalm to such a chant as Langdon. It puts in the shade entirely all the namby-pamby blasé hymns and ballad tunes that are threatening to vulgarise our worship. The occasional use of a double chant would more than compensate for the want of variety in the metres of our psalms. The melodies of most of the chants are far superior to those of our psalm tunes, and the harmonies are generally simple and most effective. For want of a suitable tune that grand psalm, the 136th, is very nearly useless to us. But there could scarcely be anything finer than the singing of it to the Spanish Chant (Bird's Collection, No. 75. Novello's Shilling edition); the first and third lines (in unison) loud, and the second and fourth soft.

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Many persons think that the only purpose of music is to amuse. But this is a "profane and unholy language." And we have higher authority for this than the philosopher Plato. The Spirit of God taught David to say, My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up my glory! awake psaltery and harp!" Music then is a sacred, a holy art, and it is for this reason that we should strive to spread a knowledge of it among the people. Mr. Curwen is deserving of the careful attention of all parents, teachers, and "rulers in the synagogues," when he says:

"The music for which we contend is linked with poetry, and employed to carry to the heart some cheerful sentiment, some lofty thought, or some ennobling emotion. The importance, to education, of music thus understood, cannot be well overrated. It occupies ground in some degree peculiar to itself-ground which it is very important to occupy rightly in these times. Some advantages it brings to physical, and many, when rightly studied, to intellectual education; but it displays its chief power on the field of æsthetics, morals, and religion. education it joins with poetry to win the attention of youth

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