MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1830, 16 August 1913, Page 9

MUSIC.

IBi Treble Clef."l Paul Dufault. Writing of the neception accorded to Mr. Paul Dufault, the Canadian tenor, on his reappearance in Sydney (with Madame Nordica), the "News" says:—Mr. l'aui Dufault had a gTeat welcome. His artistic singing is well known hero. Such an artist is never forgotten. Who could furBlot his noble interpretation of Bruno Hull-it's "Inviotus," which people would go miles to hear again? He stirred tho uudienco with it last night, and will ho asked to repeat it as the season advances. His tenor was'used in artistic fashion in an aria from H. Massenet's opera "Lo Cid" (rendered iai French), and, subsequently ho gave Pfeilfer's "Malgro Moi," (J. Tipton's poetic "Spirit Flower," Binding's sweet song, "Sylvelin,". C. 13. Hawley's "Spring Awakening," sung in a joyous strain, and, i as cncores, "Mignon" and Harriot Ware's delightful -"Boat Song." Nordica in Sydney. Madame Lillian Nordica. (says the Sydney "Sun") is of queenly presence, graceful in movement and gesture, and with a line command of facial expression when singing. She is not, like Madame Melba, ■ a quiet, concert artist. Her methods are those of the operatic stage rather than the song platform. She acts her songs as ttuU as sings thom, and in this manner 6he is somewhat reminiscent of La Calve, but without the letter's extravagance of gesture and movement, Her's is the "golden" voice, with the porfection of techniquo and the lovely melodic curve which are the proud Iwast of tho true Italian method. Tho tone still remains fresh and vibrant, powerful, and of wide compass. on 9of tho most remarkable things about tho technique of tho prima donna is her marvellous "breath control, a power of sosteirato which enables her tr> take double phrases without an apparent effort. Then she has a glorious shake, the most perfect in its "closeness" and purity of intonation that has ever como under tho notico of tho writer. With Mine. Nordica aro Mr. Paul Dufault, the French-Canadian tenor, who is already well known to Sydney audiences; Mr. i'Yanldin Holding, a young and temperamental violinist, well equipped technically, and with a pure singing tojio; and Mr. 'Koniayne Simmons, an accompanist of raro gifts, and undoubtedly one of tho finest visiting artists in this allimportant department who lias yet appeared in this city. Mr. Holding, tho violinist, is able to -at onco grip his audience by the most prized of all art qualification?, temperament. He has not as yet comb into 'the full promiso of his gifts, and vears should in his case see him capable of much higher things. At present he lacks Tepose, rather pronounced mannerisms in the way of standing with his legs wida apart, and tho swaying of his body whilst playing marring his renditions. A Futurist in Music. "You know of Stomberg, don't you?" asked Madame Maiy Conly. ' "Oh, he's the latest in music—the very latest. He's really before Ms time—the futurist in music. You know —like the artists, whose work no one can understand. You don't know whether they intend their mysteries to bc> 'An elephant drinking' or 'A storm at ssa.' Guessing what' tliey may bo is good fun, but no one is ever by any chance right. That is Sternberg in music, lie actually tikes tho bar marks away altogether in places, so that there will bs no breaks for refreshment-. He outStrausses Strauss, and the most complicated bit of Wagner -is as simple as a children's story book compared with Sternberg's 'music. I should say ho has written so fair into the future that he has struck Chaos. In tho meantime everyone is guessing at what new emotions he is attempting to depict. Whatever they are, they are not human, lie makes no attempt to write melody—that, would bo too ridiculously old-fashioned. He just makes weird noises that give pain. I

have given up trying to mulei'stan him."

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY, { $ . DECISIONS OF THE BIBLICAU COMMISSION. a TEE ACTS AND THE PASTORAL a EPISTLES. t: £ Tho Eomo correspondent of tho "Tab- 0 lot" (London) writes:—"Tlio Biblical Com- q mission Jia6 given l answers to a number o£ 0 important questions concerning tlio data j und tho historical character of tlio Acts of j, tlio Apostles, and on. tho author, tho in- j tegrity, and dato of the pastoral Epistles jj of St. Paul. It replies in tho affirmative s to tlio question as to whether tlio Acts of the Apostles must certainly bo considered ns tlia work of tlio Evangelist Luke; in tlio affirmative also to tho question as to , whether Luko is tho solo author of tho , Acts; it donics that the passages in tho Acts in which tlio uso cf tne third person „ singular is substituted by tlio iirst person "J plural weaken the unity or authenticity , v of tho composition—historically and philo- : logically tliey must ho considered aa 1 strengthening them; tlio faot that tho c book closes abruptly after a more mention of tho two years of tho first captivity of St, Paul does "not justify tho assumption that the author either wroto another book which was lost or that ho intended to write another book, and that tho dato of tho composition may therefore 1» placed long after that pariod of captivity, and it affirms that it is rightly and justly to bo ( held that Luke finished tho book at tho <, close of tho first Roman captivity of tho Apostlo Paul; it affirms that wo must hold ij for certain that Luko had in his hands c most reliable sources of information, that ] ho used them diligently and accurately, , and that lie can therefore claim full Lis- j torical authority for bis work; finally, it ; doiiies that the difficulties raised against 1 tlio historical authority of tho Acts are ( of a kind to make it a matter of doubt j or to diminish it. Tho Commission j four questions regarding the pastoral Epistles of St. Paul. First, it ( affirms that wo must hold for certain that | the pastoral Epistles of St. Paul were j really written by tlio Apostlo Paul, and | have always been held as genuine and canonical; it denies that tho "fragmentnry" hypothesis—viz.; that which teaches ' that tho pastoral ' Epistles are merely . fragments of old Epistles put together and , increased by unknown authors—has any „ weight against the clear testimony of ' tradition; it denios that there is anything to weaken tho teaching as to the certainty of the genuineness of the pastoral Epistles, , in tho difficulties raised from tho stylo and { language of the author, from tho fact that the errors of the gnostics tiro described in ; them as current, from tho faot that they , describo tlio ecclesiastical hierarchy in a : developed state; and finally it affirms that on tho evidence it is safe to affirm that the pastoral Epistles were written during tho period between fcho liberation from the first captivity and tho death* of the Apostle. These answers wero approved) and ordered to 1)G published by, the Holy Father on Juno 12,

BIBLICAL CRITICISM, VIEWS OP THE REV. GEORGE JACKSON, Some weeks ago a cablegram appeared in Tub Dominion giving an account of a discussion by the English Wesleyan Methodist Conference on certain, views regarding tli-o Biblo expressed by tho Rev. George Jackson. I'urHier particulars by the latest uiadl fchow that Mr. Jackson was tocontly appointed to a Theological College. But certain views expressed by him in his rornley lootuiro have bean made the grounds for objection to his appointment. And now a brother minister has issued broadcast aji explanatory pamphlet calculated to do'harm. ■ For this indiscretion tlie . 'Mothodist Times" rebukes him. It says:'"The'account given in the panipMet is a travesty of Mr. Jackson's position, which is only made possible by leaving out of account many of the main features of his book. If this is' the way in which 'a great theo- ' logical controversy' is to ba conducted iwe weiro amply justified in our recent declaration that the .greatest need of Methodism 'to-dayis to keep, absolutely clear of it. ' ~ , "aiir. Bennetts, tho writer of tno pamphlet, reac'hes i'ho conclusion tint uho position in whidh wo aro left bj'Mr. Jackson's teaching,is this: 'That if t-hera bo & God, Ho lisXS t mankind without any ascertainable definite revotation. "This is indeed" an astounding sta-te-meut," saiys the "Metrodist Times," "and that it may lose iiono of its terrifying forco Mr. Bennetts gives to it tho emphasis of italics. In our judgment it shows an entire misunderstanding of tho nature of revelation and of tho _infalliMo guarantees upon which our belief in its reality should rest. It gives away tho case by staking ovca-ytihing, not upon essentials, but upon accidental frmgos ' where differences 'Of opinion may exist without touching either tho substanoo ot tho faith or tho whole-hearted integrity of belief. "It gains whatever plausibility belongs to it from a refusal to consider tho limitations to winch our Lord submitted Himself in the Incarnation and their bearing upon tho form in whidli IBs teaching was conveyed. It sets up an a priori assumption as to tho way in winch tion must have been given instead of a patient investigation as to the way in which. as & matter of fzLct> it has been given. All this should bo oarefully: noted. "A panic is to be spread' under tho influence of Which representatives. are to flock to tile Wosleyan Conferenco to demand Mr. Jackson's 'head in a charger in tho interests of theological truth and Methodist standards of belief. This, adds tiie "Methodist Times," ' is tho vory last 'way in which wiso n\en with a sense of responsibility and. a dosivo for justice should act." In his Fcrnley lectui'e, Mr. Jackson, as tho "Methodist Times" -points..out, affirms his belief in all tho great miraclcs of our Lord's life from the Virgin Birth to tho Resurrection, and he sums up his position on tho subject in tlio follow mg 11 " l 'l'his, then, is tho conclusion of tho n'hoie matter: tho frankest investigation of tho Gospel narratives, wliile it may compel us to revise, and in revising to reduce, our (Stimato of a few individual incidents, not only leaves .ills .with a Christ who wrought great miracles, but fccts our faith -on surer founduuon£> thou over.'' . . . .. . • a In a notablo articlo in tho new issuo of tlio London "Quarterly Review (July), tho Rov .Georgo Jackson lurther fciates his points of view,'and these 'have a. wido general interest. Ho allows— _ "How urgent is our need of Reformation principles to-day if wo are to deal' truly alike with Scripture and our Irotestaut freedom. - "If, as tho Reformers never weaned of insisting, the Biblo is not a body of- abstract religious truth, but the rerord of God's gracious self-revelation in history, such a record must admit of investigation according to the recognised methods of historical research. Nor can the iwdincs of honest and impartial inquiry in. any wiso affect tlio authority with which the Biblo speaks to tho souls of men totla"it is by a return to tho first principles of Protestantism that we can most effectually silence tho taunts of our foes, and at tlio same time bring relief to tho overburdened minds and hearts of many of our friends. So long as wo find tho ultimate- authority of our religion in a book, so long—in other words—as tho foundations .of our faith aro not to Lilly religions, but rather literary and historical, what answer can wo make to writers like Dr. Martincau, who tell us that wo aro at tho meroy of learned inquiries which by - their very nature are wholly bcyoiul tlio reach of tho vast majority of mankind! 1 , ~ "Hitherto wo have wasted our strength on indefensiblo outworks; let us tall oil oui'i forces and. concentrate them |u tjie citadel: and in so doing wo shall both bring to an end much futilo couiroycrsy —for men will not long go on shelling an eniptv fortress—and wo shall quiet tlio fears' of multitudes who, because - fliey know that the outworks can 110 longer bo held, often tremble for tho citadel itself. ■ "It will, of course, be said.?? >t h: J B been said so often-, that all this leads straight to a ruinous subjectivity. .11 wo have no authority certified by adonuate external guuranToes, if that nlono is true for us, which appeals to us as truth what is this but 'a subjecting ot curves to Scripture, bilt of Scripture to ourselves'? And, undoubtedly, tho gift of liberty means hero as everywhere the perils of liberty. "It is urged against tho Lutheran position that it reduces tlio standard of truth to that which appeals to us individually. But, as Dr. Denny says, is not this as if one should say that I do not see, or do not seo truly, becauso I only see with my own eyes? What other kind

£ real Boeing is possible to nip? And ow can tho Biblo spctfk villi authority, -with authority to mo—except in so far s in it I find God aJid God finds mo? "But this does not at oil moan that I m making my own spiritual perceptions ho measure of all tilings., "When X am told that tho Biblo is, in senso that lickings to no other took, lio Word of God, I cannot receive tho aying merely on.' the authority of anther, not even of tho Apostles, nor of Jhrist himself-; for "mo it is God's Word nly as I hear God speaking in it. Yet rcro again, in tho prosenco of such a iook, coming to mo with 6uch a history, sit down with n hurnblo and obedient leart that to mo also it may ba given tc "••'Now I believe, not because of thy peaking, but bccauso I havo heard for uyself, and know that this ifl indeed tho Vord of God which livctli and abidethi °Tho Wosloyan Conferenco approved by G. votes to 27 that Mr. Jackson's views fcro in pcrfcct general accord with Wcseyan doctrine, but stated that somo o£ lis expressions wero insufficiently guardid and liable to misunderstanding. THE WORLD'S NEED OF THS CHRISTIAN FAITH. SERMON BY DR. GIBB, Last Sunday evening in St. John a Church, Dr. Gibb delivered another fcor-. lien- lof tho courws dealing with tho iVorld's Need of tho Christian Faith. Fhey had, ho said, in previous discourses ionsidered tho nature of tho spiritual ife, and had seen how,broad, how' comirehonsivo, that lifo is. Wo oro not jorn into this world spiritual men andi vomou. Tho natural lifo is tho lifo to vhicli wo instinctively turn. TJie spiri- , ;uaL lifo is for us only a, possibility—a,' najestic possibility, but only o. posslbil,ty. To make it an actuality is llio.su« )iem© end of, our existenco and tho call )f God to each ono of us. Wo pass into ;1«> now lifo by what tho Scriptures term the new birth—tho birth from above. In irliis birth tliero wero two factors, a tlw( livino and tho human. Of tho divina iido\of this great transaction wo know 1 , nothing save that it is a profound reality. It\was as our- Lord liad said: "l'hof ivind bloweth where it listeth, and liearost tlio sound thereof, but canst not tell wlienco it oomotOi nor whither it loeth; so is every ono that is born of tho spirit." But of the human factor wo kuoiv much. Tliero wero two aspects o£j this. First there was repentance. Just' us tho idea of tho .spiritual life required lo bo widened 'out, so as to includo much, more than mero ethical propriety of lieliaviour, so must tlw idea of repentance. Repentance was not merely sorrow for and'.turning from what was ordinanlj" understood as sin. It was the opposition of our entire selves—mind, heart, feelings, will, and especially tho will, against all that hinders tho awakening and dc vclopment of tho spiritual life. The soo« ond factor was faith—faith ; in God'. What was faith? It was often explained / by synonyms such as belief,,trust, etc,, and tlieso "carried us a certain distance on tho way to an intelligent realisation of tho meaning oi faith. But faitlii 111 tho last analysis was an attitudo-tho at< titudo of tho soul to God. It is tho surrender of the lifo to God that Ho may work in it all tho good plcasuro of Hia And now tho great question emergodi What is tho relation of Jesus Christ to this spiritual awakening which they wero justified in anticipating. W 9uld_Ho continuo to occupy tho placo in tho faitiu. and life of believing of spiritual men which he had hold in all tlio. past Christian oenturics? That was a great que3< tion—tho greatest indeed of all questions. Two tilings might bo claimed as certains (1) This spiritual lifo entered into by the gates of a now biith was part and parcel of tho ovangol proclaimed bv Jesus of Nazareth. They had been defining, faith, as a set of tho soul towards God. ino first throo Gospels wore keyed, to tins: If you would livo do tlio will of God. TOo fourth Gospel was keyod to tlnsi lo must 1)0 born again. (2) Those ideals originated with Jesus Christ. It was as Eucken had said: . "Jesus was tho .fountain liead of so mighty a movement that old ideals wero shattered and new ones arose; that tho whoto previous balance of lifo was upset and previous standards failed to satisfy; that a m*hty longing took possession of mankind, a stormj- unrest "'Well even now after hundreds of years is not allayed." _ . ' But tho question remained.: Even grant-. ing that Jesus was tlio originator' of tho now ideals of tho spirit; granting that no nobler conception of man s obligation, to God and to ln's fellow men was ovoc formed; that nothing higher is so nrucJh as conceivable-granting all tliis:_ Dooa Christ still hold his former place in tho heart and affections of mon? Are wo now to regard Him as at'best Gods classic adorer and devoulest servant, tho example and inspiration of our .ivcs; or is Ho as tho Church 'has ever regarded Him God manifest in the flesh? Wo cannot dispense with His toaclnng-<ill mem worthy of tho namo wore assured of that ,■ but Himself? Biblical criticism Iliad been at work and certain inferences from tho natural sciences, wero supposed to have undermined the! Cihurchs faith m Jesus as tlio eternal Son of God. What were tliey to think? Tlmt,question would fully consider m tlio next but this might bo now eaid. lor him« self Iho Tiad come to the conclusion thaW if the spiritudl is to triumph in hupiaa life' if the kingdom of God is to becomo ; a reality among men; if tho betto that are now inoVing athwart tlio minds; of multitudes aro to bo ised in liumaai experience; then S ll ",''' 1 must coutinno to hold His placo in tho: faith of men not only as tlio best and, wisest of tho sons of men, but as tlio. uniquo Son of God and Saviour o£ tho. world. Saul of Tarsus, tho natural man, bcoa.no Paul tl,o Apostle tho Ritual man only wlien lie could sa>, I v amJ crucified with Christ, nevertheless I liven vet not I, but Christ hvoth m me; and) tho lifo Which I now livo m tlio flosh, P livo bv tlio faith of tine Son of God who lovotl mo and gavo Himself up for me. Tt lwd over been so. It would bo eo to tho ond. What answer was thero to th<r nupstion 1 : How canio a Jew s son, a craits~ man of Nazareth, to bo and to stand for all that Christ had stood for in tho of mon—to respond to all mo variety' and complexity of human instinct tmoj aspiration through nil tlio centunes-what answer save this: Tkou art tho Juiw of Glory,. 0 Christ. Thou art the cvcilast* ing Son of tho Father. YOUNG SCOTLAND IN LONDON, MR. BALFOUR ON CHRISTIAN UNITY. For tho second tirno 6ine& its founda* tion thirty-two years ago, tlio'Church of Scotland Young Men's Guild has held its annual conferenco in London. Tho delegates, somo 300 in number, wero welcomod, by tho Lord Mayor at a Mansion House reception. • • Mr. Balfour presided at a public moot* ing in tho Loudon Scottish Drill Hall, and referred'at somo length to tho movement for l'resbjterian Union in Scotland, recalling tho "memorable scene" in tho General Assembly of tlio Established Church when tlio Moderator of tho United li'reo Church declared 'there could bo no turning back in .this great work of reunion, exoept at infinite cost to tho spiritual welfare of tlio Scottish people." That, Mr. Balfour said, was his own view. No Christian organisation had a wider outlook than tho Presbyterian Church of Scotland—in which term ho, included tho whole Presbyterian, body o£ thought in that country. They had in proportion to their numbers taken a leading placo in absorbing all that modern, criticism and culture c<(iild toll them without lapsing into or losing hold of tho historic continuity of tlio Christian faith. It was more and morn evident that tliero was a deep bowl of real unity among Christian men and. women. Tlio thinking man must never forget that tho denomination to which ho belonged was but ono in a greater whole. To wasto in fraternal conliict forces that ought to bo combined against tho common onomy was not only folly, but it verged upon wickedness. Tlio Bishop of London said it gavo a' real.backing to tho causo of Christianity, both in England and Scotland, when a leading statesman spoko liko that. Ho did not believe that in tho great doctrines of Christianity there was much dillcrcnco botwoen their Moderator nnd • himself. Let thorn seo from tlio beginning ngain whether Christendom might not onco inoro bo really united.