Gleanings From Our Vineyard: Seven Lectures (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Gleanings From Our Vineyard: Seven Lectures

I was sitting at my desk, the other day, pondering on my subject of this morning, and trying hard to find a fitting introduction to it, when my train of thoughts was suddenly and rudely interrupted by loud and unmelodious strains of some hand-organ near my window. I was doubly provoked at this ear-piercing intruder, first, because of the annoyance it caused me, secondly, because of the cruel manner in which it tortured Mascagni's beautiful Intermezzo. I had been privileged to listen to it, the first time it was rendered in this country. I remembered the rapturous applause that followed the well-trained orchestra's performance of it, and that suffered no abatement till it had been encored three times in succession. And when I contrasted my admiration of it then, with my irritation over it now, I could not but wonder what its fate would have been, had it been first brought to the notice of lovers of music by means of a shrill, rattling, discordant barrel organ.

When the din and noise had ceased at last, and I reverted to my theme, I had the introduction for which I had vainly sought before. Has not the treatment of the Intermezzo been that of Religion? Like it, and infinitely more than it, it was given to man as a most sublime, as a most comforting melody. When played by well-trained hands, on the instruments of well-tuned hearts and souls and minds, it awakened most "blessed thoughts and yearnings, most inspiring hopes and ideals, and lifted man, up, up, from this vale of strife and tears and misery, into the regions of heavenly peace and joy. But wicked hands seized upon it, chose stony hearts, unstrung nerves, insane minds for their instruments, and upon these they placed this divine melody as upon a rack or wheel, and tortured it into a maddening confusion of shrieks and howls, that rational men could no longer distinguish it as the creation of God, and put it down as the work of the devil.

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