Let all the People Sing [pp. 321-333]

LET ALL THE PEOPLE SING.
was that of religious hymns, a fact which thousands in this
country of the same class of people which included myself
would confirm as equally true for themselves. It is undeniable
that Almighty God has implanted in the heart of the people
an intense love of common, congregational singing. It awaklens
in their souls the profoundest emotions of religious fervor
and zeal, combined with sentiments of a holy, inexpressible joy.
This fact we see exemplified in a remarkable manner by the
whole monastic system and life, the fundamental idea of which
is devotion of one's life to prayer and contemplation of divine
truth, together with a free offering of one's talents and strength
for the glory of God and the good of others. What has at tracted such vast numbers of men and women of all classes in
every age to embrace that spiritual life and nerved them to
endure its self-sacrificing labors? Not the least of all motives
has been the divine beauty and charm of the celestial song,
of the monastic choir-the singing together, congregationally,
the praises of God for many hours of the day and night.
Though, to be sure, there were more monasteries and more
monks when the common people were more familiar with the
church's song, and we, in this perplexing and brain-tiring
age of action, may be permitted sometimes to envy the peaceful joys of our ruder forefathers, who were by sweeter paths
of contemplation led; yet, because fewer are called now to
that special form of life, that does not excuse us from bestowing upon our own people, who look up to us for their daily
spiritual food, sotnething of that banquet of the soul's delight
by inviting themn to come and join their voices with ours in
singing the divine praises during those few hours spared to
them by their insatiable task-masters when they can draw nearer to the L')ving Majesty of God and shut out from view and
thought the carkingr cares of the baser things of life. Neither
should we shunt off all responsibility by declinting to do any
thing because we, in particular, may not be able to do all that
might be done. There are plenty of opportunities afforded for
the singing of devout and instructive English hymns, and the
teaching of these is not a difficult task.
It must be plain to the least observant that the church
recognizes this power and attractive charm about congregational singing from the very fact of the first institution of
a sung, or High, Mass, as being, what it ought to be-but where
congregational singing is abolished it is not-a service more
popular, calculated to inspire more devotion and spiritual joy,
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