of State, of church, of education, of fraternity and of society, he did all his part. His devotion to home,-to wife, daughter and sons,—was in keeping with his manly character. His friendships were many and strong. All these things, when added to the demands of his profession, made up a busy life. That it was a useful life every acquaintance knew. Kansas lost much in his death a personality that stood for higher, nobler literary ideals, and the courage to live up to them. His intellect was a helpful monitor in the world of literature, of music, and of all Art's highest and best expression. POETRY IN SONG. C. M. H. POETRY IN SONG. USIC and Poetry have become widely separated one from the other. Nowadays the best poetry is not intended to be set to music and the best music is not intended to be set to poetry. In olden times the Egyptian devotee sang and danced and perhaps played some musical instrument before his god, and the three arts of Music, Poetry and Dancing were united in the closest bonds. The same was true to a certain extent among the Jews, David danced and sang his own poetry before the Ark. Even the Greeks practiced this trio of arts together. Dancing, however, early became a distinct and separate art,-perhaps, because all the poets could not do it gracefully. If there was any one thing that an old-time Greek could not endure, it was awkwardness, and we are considerably like him in that respect. It may be that music became divorced from poetry because all poets could not sing, but history is silent upon that point as well as upon the other. It would be a blessed law to require every alleged poet to sing his own verses nowadays, for it might force the people to resort to that old Greek custom of ostracism,-which would be an excellent preventive of much bad poetry. It gives an added charm to the wonderful works of that greatest of all lyric poets, King David of Israel, to think of his Psalms as being sung. One cannot help imagining and longing to know the melody of the music to which the Twentythird Psalm was sung. No oratorio or grand opera of mod POETRY IN SONG. ern times could present so inspiring and thrilling scene and chorus as must have been that when those mighty men of Israel, led by David, marched up to the gates of the new city bearing the Ark of the covenant and singing, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; And then came back in holy song the chorus from the men of the city, "Who is this King of glory?" and the answer of the men with the Ark, "The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle;" and then the final answer after the command and question had been sung again, "The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory." There is something more than beauty in that. It is sublime. It moves and elevates the soul-and that is the true object of music and poetry. We do not often think of Moses as a musician and a poet, but he was both. He was the only man who ever saw God upon earth, and it is hard to believe that God would have revealed Himself in person to one who was other than a musician and a poet. Moses' songs are few, but he who is said to have written the Ninetieth and Ninety-first Psalms deserves the laurel. How majestic must have been those well-remembered words, when sung: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." And nothing but music could have shown the full tenderness of those sweet words which come later in the same Psalm: POETRY IN SONG. |