tunes nearly syllabic; but when asked by a Low Churchman, why they should be better than all others, generally give as a reason that they are correct and orthodox, or some such cant word. No wonder that this produces contempt and dislike in the mind of the Low Churchman-he has humbly asked the reason why, but gets only a hint of his inferiority. We will now see if a good and substantial reason cannot be given why syllabic tunes should be preferred to all others. It is very difficult for the ear to catch the meaning of a word as it is passing through the contortions and ramifications of

the syllable so sung stands a great chance of being drawled. This great abomination-dividing the semibreve-proceeded from the drawling manner; triple-time tunes before being purely syllabic, that is, their bars consisting of one semibreve and one minim. Bedford is a tune which has suffered much from the drawlers and almost as much from the opposite side, for they have caused it to be generally sung in common time. The melody as originally written stands thus, and thus it ought to be sung. (See plate, No. 2).

There are one or two more which have thus suffered, and

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over one another and tripping up each other's heels, as when they are drawled and droned. This very fast singing must be deemed more intolerable than the other, for while that has all the appearance of earnestness, this style carries with it a careless manner, as if the great object in singing the psalm were to reach the end as soon as possible.

It will be seen how both these styles militate against the great principle of rendering the words clearly and distinctly, and it does not require any great amount of thought to see that the only proper manner of singing a psalm is to follow -the mean between these two stalas

calo ago, and the enect on

those who knew the solemn stateliness of the original can be better imagined than described. But with the majority these tunes are not now popular; if however the reason for their objecting to them were to be asked, few would be found who could give a reasonable answer. I have often fancied that it is this inability to give a reason, in this and also in other matters, which so often produces contempt and dislike between the High and Low Church parties. Most, I might say all, of the High Church party prefer syllabic tunes, or

tunes nearly syllabic; but when asked by a Low Churchman, why they should be better than all others, generally give as a reason that they are correct and orthodox, or some such cant word. No wonder that this produces contempt and dislike in the mind of the Low Churchman-he has humbly asked the reason why, but gets only a hint of his inferiority. We will now see if a good and substantial reason cannot be given why syllabic tunes should be preferred to all others. It is very difficult for the ear to catch the meaning of a word as it is passing through the contortions and ramifications of an elaborate flourish; it is puzzled by reason of the variety of the changes rung on one syllable, and confusion is produced in the mind of the listener. In order to promote clear and distinct pronunciation it is almost indispensable that to every syllable there should be one note, and no more. This may at first sight appear rather fanciful, but a few experiments will convince any one of its truth. It might be thought too that such a sweeping demand would clash very materially with the principles of harmony; that there would be few tunes which could be syllabic through all their parts; but this is unnecessary. The Canto is the part to which people trying to catch the words would listen, so that a passing note in any of the other parts when required would be quite admissible. This appears to be the method on which our old tunes were written; the melody purely syllabic and when harmony required it, a passing note in the inner parts, but only a very occasional one in the bass.

There is another point, however, about which I have sometimes observed a curious prejudice. Many object to any tunes written in triple time, because, say they, they are jerky and monotonous. This may contain a little truth, but against a syllabic tune in triple time there can be no valid and general objection. When the semibreve is divided into two minims and slurred, the tune ceases at once to be syllabic, as these two minims are sung to one syllable, and the syllable so sung stands a great chance of being drawled. This great abomination-dividing the semibreve-proceeded from the drawling manner; triple-time tunes before being purely syllabic, that is, their bars consisting of one semibreve and one minim. Bedford is a tune which has suffered much from the drawlers and almost as much from the opposite side, for they have caused it to be generally sung in common time. The melody as originally written stands thus, and thus it ought to be sung. (See plate, No. 2).

There are one or two more which have thus suffered, and

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among them is St. Mary, which is now usually sung in common time, thus utterly destroying the original character of the tune.

We have come then to this conclusion about Psalmsinging that all tunes should be sung at that pace at which the words can be pronounced clearly and sharply, and that syllabic tunes are much to be preferred to all others. We have tried to put the matter in a reasonable light, laying aside all enthusiasm and prejudice, and we have arrived at the same conclusion as our ancestors did more than ten generations ago. But the subject ought not to be dismissed without a notice of some Tune-books which have lately made their appearance. These are three in number: the last in date being one edited by Sterndale Bennett and Otto Goldschmit; the next, that which has received the largest share of popular favour, having the musical portion edited by Dr. W. H. Monk; and the last by the Rev. W. H. Havergal. The first-mentioned of these is never likely to be extensively used in our churches, as the tunes have more the character of Chorales than Psalm-tunes. "Hymns, Ancient and Modern," has had singular success, an unheard of number of copies being sold in a very short time; but, in our opinion, the setting of most of the tunes is flimsy and light, and the harmony has a cloying and palling effect. The very convenient form and arrangement of the book has obtained for it greater popularity than "Old Church Psalmody," by Mr. Havergal; but in point of sterling worth 'Hymns, Ancient and Modern," does not come near it. There is a character of solidity about the harmony of the tunes in "Old Church Psalmody," which is highly refreshing after the prettiness and elegance of "Hymns, Ancient and Modern." There is all the difference between these two volumes that there is between Handel's "Messiah," and Spohr's "Last Judgment;" in point of style and real worth they cannot be compared. A fair trial will, we are sure, convince any one of the truth of this criticism, and as space cannot be given for more words on this subject we strongly recommend one.

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I have been induced to send these remarks to the Editors of The Eagle in the hope that they may be serviceable in some degree to those readers who are intending soon to undertake the care of a parish, and have not the time, perhaps not the will, to give these matters close consideration. These thoughts occurred to me whilst I had the management of a small country church choir, so that they may be said to be based upon experience, and not to be the mere fancies of a dreamy theorist.

T.K.

LETTERS FROM THE EAST.

III. FROM MONGHYR TO DARJEELING.

TO be gazetted to a Hill Station is the luck of but few officials in India, and they are most justly objects of envy who are thus distinguished as the favourites of fortune. The idea of the free mountain air, after that burning feverish atmosphere of the plains; the possibility of once more seeing and handling frost and snow, and feeling oneself to be in a more genial climate; the thought of the glorious scenery and still more glorious tropical vegetation, after that endless tract of level as far as the eye can reach; the delight of healthy active out-door exercise, inducing supple limbs and sturdy frame, after that daily morning ride before the sun is up, or that evening drive after sunset; perhaps too the anticipation of the pleasures of society, the life and gaiety of a fashionable season, after a solitary sojourn in a subdivision, or that dull plodding station, queened by a single member of the gentler sex; these and possibly other considerations crowd upon the mind, and cause the fortunate individual selected to bless the horoscope of his nativity. In such a position I found myself on the 5th of October last, when I was appointed to act as Assistant to the Superintendent of Darjeeling-the sanitarium of Bengal. My first thoughts concerned my good luck, and, on the whole, I do not think that my self-congratulation was lessened to any great extent by the overwhelming solicitude of those contemporaries in the service who most considerately volunteered to relieve me of the post. But my second thoughts were as to how I should get there, a question always attended with some anxiety in India; and, having now accomplished the journey, I imagine a brief account thereof may not be uninteresting to some of Aquila's readers, comprising as it does the three phases of modern travel-the Rail, the Road, and the River.