Enough is said to indicate the absurdity of such situations, which would scarcely be brought to pass by an organist who had been liturgically trained.

We, however, of this age are not alone in having suffered from the perversion of church music for even in the early centuries debasing influences were soon at work. We quote a passage dealing with that period as being not inapplicable to our own times. "It must have already become a matter of complaint, however, as well in the Western as in the Greek Church, that the ecclesiastical music had taken too artificial and theatrical a direction, and departed from its ancient simplicity; for we find the Egyptian abbot Pambo, in the fourth century, inveighing against the introduction of heathen melodies into the church psalmody. The monks,' says he, 'have not retired into the desert to sing beautiful melodies, and move hands and feet;' and the abbot Isidore of Pelusium complaining of the theatrical style of singing, particularly among the women, which instead of exciting emotions of penitence, served rather to awaken sinful passions; and Jerome in remarking on the words of the Apostle Paul in Eph. 5: 19, says, 'Let our youths hear this; let those hear it whose office it is to sing in the church. Not with the voice, but with the heart must we make melody to the Lord. We are not like comedians, to smooth the throat with sweet drinks, in order that we may hear theatrical songs and melodies in the church; but the fear of God, piety, and the knowledge of the Scripture should inspire our songs; so that not the voice of the singer, but the divine matter expressed, may be the point of attraction; so that the evil spirit which entered into the heart of a Saul may be expelled from those who are in like manner possessed by him, rather than invited by those who would turn the house of God into a heathen theatre."

Upon the proper rendition of even the best of music depends largely its effect. We recall the story related of the world renowned Miserere as sung in the Sistine Chapel at Rome. A copy of this famous music was at one time sent to a specially favored church, but the attempt to render it was so disastrous that accusations were made that the copy was not an authentic one. The cause, however, of its failure was finally located in the manner of rendition. Thus the entire musical part of public worship depends very much on the manner of rendition for its proper ef

fect and for this the organist is held responsible. Here again appears the value of his liturgical study coupled with his musical knowledge in properly adjusting the forces of the organ and choir to meet the requirements of the situation. And if he is wise, he will endeavor to inspire his choir with the same general liturgical spirit in order that they may co-operate with and not unknowingly oppose him.

A further value to the organist of consistent and constant liturgical study, is that it gives to him a proper appreciation of the dignity and power vested in his position. Not that the individual is to become puffed up in his own conceit, rather that his attitude should be one of humility. He is the leader of the congregational musical and liturgical life and may, in a large degree, form a proper spirit of worship. But he first of all should be a devout worshiper or how can he properly form the worship of others. "Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?"-Having understood the responsibility of his position, the organist should earnestly seek the knowledge necessary to the proper discharge of his duties. This will give him a correct spirit of worship and will give him the power to properly express the same. A spirit of worship, however, which is not that of the individual but the "geist" of the church body, whose animating spirit he seeks to express. His ministration will not then be ruled by caprice but a masterful hand will rest upon the helm to guide the ship into the peaceful waters of devotion. No longer will he be imbued with the idea simply to entertain, even if the less enlightened would thus be pleased. He will rather elevate them than pamper to a taste vitiated by unwholesome food. His study will give him the necessary command of resources which will enable him the better to meet the obligations of his position. These sources are not all at hand but are coming to the light. The progress may be slow on account of the less studious and more effeminate influences which are all about us, but we bespeak success and a return to a robust, healthful spirit of worship.

To the church one of the greatest reasons for thankfulness will be the homogeneity of the service as a result of liturgical study among organists. No longer then will the organist be going in one direction, the pastor in another and the congregation, perhaps, in still another, but there will be unity of aim and pur

pose. The opening part of the service will be a gradual unfolding of spiritual worship until it reaches the climax, then gradually subsiding receives the word of peace. The Sermon will thus reach the hearts of the people who have been prepared to receive it, and its effect will not be nullified by the vagaries of an organist who is unable to rise to the dignity of his position. The thematic arrangement of the changeable portions of the services will not remain a matter of theory but will be reduced to practice. The liturgical beauty and consistency we have, but many musical excrescences and outrages are with us. The remedy lies largely with organists who have proper liturgical taste and feeling. Then their endeavor will be to give proper expression to every part of the liturgy and the much desired result will be unity and homogeneity of the services, liturgically and musically.

The advantage to the congregation can not help but be marked where served by such a consistent combination of forces. It will be as a strong lever uplifting the devotions of the people, while where this is not the case the lever is unable to sustain the weight and when it breaks returns the participants to their ordinary level. The heart of man seeks to be elevated to the proper plane of divine worship, and the higher that plane is, so is the greatness of his spiritual enjoyment. All matters, not leading to that end or distracting the attention, are out of place. Man's sense of worship should be increased not diminished, and that sense should not be simply sentiment but a true relation to God, truly expressed in a true spirit of worship. The result will be a positive, beautiful, uplifting sense of the spirit and privilege of worship, which is to commune with God as becometh the sons of God. Hence the value of liturgical study for organists that, having obtained a proper comprehension of the subject, they may give an adequate and soulful expression to the spirit of true worship as incorporated in our liturgy,-that God may be honored in the hearts of men.

Chestnut Hill, Pa.

GOMER C. REES.

A GENERAL SURVEY

OF THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER.

LITURGICAL orders are as truly confessional as properly designated and regularly received confessions of faith. The Liturgy is the expression of the faith. It is the creed translated into terms of worship. The relation between confession and Liturgy, however, is far closer and more intimate than that of cause and effect. The Service, it is true, grows out of the confession but the longing of the heart after God and its crying out in prayer and praise and thanksgiving for the living God, resting its plea on His sure promises, certainly precede the formal expression of that belief in carefully-defined, logically-distributed terms and phrases constituting an ecclesiastical symbol. The heart's worship is simultaneous with the heart's faith. Just as the child lisps its prayers long before it realizes their meaning, so by sacrament and prayer and Christian fellowship did the Apostolic Church express its devotion to the risen Lord many years before the completion of its first formal confession.

These facts of Christian experience in no wise depreciate the value of ecclesiastical symbols. They simply bring vividly before our minds the truth that the heart's faith expressed in worship is its earliest confessional act and that in the growth of this faith and its constantly-increasing appropriation of revealed truth lies the beginning of the later scientific statement in the confession of faith. The symbol is the product of a historic crisis, laying hold upon the strength of the past in order to meet the dangers of the present, and in its determination no thoughtful student will deny that the Service, the expression of the common creed, has a recognized value. Many features of the Liturgy, especially the mystery surrounding the celebration of the Sacrament of the Altar resulting from the highly-developed sacerdotal doctrine, prepared