U niversity o f O regon M onthly
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as the"waves overwhelmed the bewitched sailor who listened
to the voice of the charmer.” W ithout dpubt this ancient
theory is true and so long as it is confined to “false and sensu
ous music,” it can readily be accepted ; but the condemnation
of the class of men just mentioned is not confined. They
maintain that all music, because it arouses the emotions to
a high pitch, is liable to result in wrong. To be sure a man
who has been* cherishing murder in. his heart might be
spurred on to the evil deed by music, but should we condemn
the art for that reason? I cannot think so; it is an extreme
case and such extremes will always exist. Music is just as
likely to calm evil meditations as to arouse them and in my
opinion good music, rightly interpreted, need not be feared
by anyone.
$ The Bible and the whole history of the church would
seem td substantiate this belief. Since early times music has
grown dp side by side with religious faith, at every outburst
of renewed fervor, there has been an accompanying outburst
of song. The Psalms are full ed commands to bring the harp,
the trumpet, the psaltery, and every kind of instrument in
order to praise the Lord in aong. In another place in Samuel
we read, “And it came to pass when the: evil Spirit from Cod
was upon Saul, that David took an harp and played; with his
hand. j5o Saul was refreshed and the evil spirit departed
from him.” Thus we see that the opinion of there being
virtuè in music is not of recent origin. Later on there grew
up the great body of hymns which have made our church
services $.o;much, more beautiful; and indeed, it is said, that
they intensify the emotions and prepare for the reception
of the accompanying moral teaching or sermon.. Today in
foreign lands missionaries often find the sway of harmony
potent where all else; fails.
But even should we leave opt of our consideration all
of these m anifestations,of the elevating influence: o f music
we.could still fall back upon thè teachings of psychology as
an even safer basis for conclusion. We are told there that
the power or music is Over the feelings, that feeling is the