SERENDIPITY
This outlandish word was coined by Walpole, who also built a mansion with secret passageways and sliding panels. The term is a splendid trap-door to spring on unwary intellectuals, although the esoteric charm has been spoiled a bit through the use of the word in national advertising. Very well, I’ll admit that I never heard of it either until I saw that ad.
In fact, I’m not out of the passageway yet. I know that serendipity is the fortunate capacity of finding things one wasn’t looking for. The advertisement stressed the debt science owes to serendipity. I have also discovered that Walpole was referring to the legendary exploits of the Three Princes of Serendip, who possessed this quality.
But just there serendipity takes over. I have accumulated a modest collection of Buddhist legends, Hindu fables, and European folk-tales for which I was not looking, but not even one Prince of Serendip (alleged to be Ceylon) can I find. It was a surprise to find Bonnie Prince Charlie hidden in Mother Goose, and to learn the political implications of Old Mother Hubbard, but I have yet to uncover a lead in the Serendip affair.
Perhaps a learned reader knows the answer, having come upon it by accident while investigating agriculture in Ceylon, or haunted houses in England.
Any information will be gratefully received. Serendipity must have a place of honor in our vocabulary. I suspect that for every instance of serendipity in the laboratory there must be a score in the history of the church. Recall the serendipititious experience of Saul who set out to find his father’s asses, and found a crown instead. David once marched forth to punish an ingrate and discovered a charming wife. Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus had the most dramatic experience of all in finding what he wasn’t seeking.
Outside of sacred history there are many more instances. There is a wonderful serendipity in the sequel to Martin Luther’s effort to earn salvation through monkish zeal.
On second thought, perhaps we can get along without the term serendipity, so long as we remember the meaning of such words as Christianity and grace. “But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.”
EUTYCHUS
MUSIC IN THE CHURCH
The feature interview Music in the Church Today (Aug. 29 issue) expresses, I believe, a philosophy of church music that is held by many of today’s church musicians and laymen: to wit, a middle-of-the-road, balanced program of service music is the most effective approach to worship through the art of music. I should suggest, however, that other issues might better determine the nature and quality of the church musician’s offerings.
Rather than being concerned with gearing church music to the musician or to the man in the pew, might we not rather present music as a worthy offering to God who deserves and demands only the best? This can be achieved by using consistently only such music that has genuine artistic merit; and this includes much that is uninvolved, simple, and devotional. If the objective of true art is sought, then the church musician need never be plagued with the criticism that his music is too lofty or intellectual for some people or too naïve or trite for other members of the congregation.
Mr. Prussing expresses the crux of the matter when he says that a choir which has studied and understands its music can communicate its message, regardless of the type of composition. If this be so, why not confine its music solely to that which constitutes noble and artistic musical expression? Regarding the panel’s comments of Gospel hymns, the observation could have been made that the message of the Gospel set to poor poetry and worse music does not make the hymn a sacred art work.
Dr. Ellinwood’s conclusion is noteworthy in recognizing the importance of seeking to praise God with the best means possible. It is my observation, however, that we cannot do this as long as we compromise our standards of musical excellence in an effort to satisfy alternately the various segments of the congregation whose tastes demand personal gratification rather than encouraging only God-directed art in the music ministry.
ARTHUR BIRKBY
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Mich.
The information of the music experts certainly was very interesting but one thing about anthems not mentioned is that the organists often play too loudly, no doubt to cover up off-key singers.
EDWIN L. LEHMAN
Woodbury, N. J.
That was a splendid article; in fact, the August 29 issue as a whole was one of your very best.
HOYT L. HICKMAN
College Hill Methodist Church
Beaver Falls, Pa.
F. R. Webber’s article “The Gospel in the Great Hymns” (Aug. 29 issue) contains good advice. We should be careful to select hymns that contain definite evangelical truth. This same care should be taken in selecting a church hymnal.… There are … denominational hymnals … that have deleted gospel hymns about the Trinity and the blood of Christ. Committes appointed to choose new church hymnals should keep this in mind.
WILLIAM N. RANDALL
United Congregational Church
Sharon, Pa.
I certainly enjoyed the excellent interview article on church music, Webber’s article on “The Gospel in Great Hymns,” and Mary Lebar’s article on the preschool child.
W. L. GAST
The Lutheran Church of Peace
Platteville, Wisc.
ADENAUER (CONTINUED)
After my remarks about the West German Chancellor Dr. Konrad Adenauer were published in CHRISTIANITY TODAY (Jan. 18 issue) I received many letters containing remarks about my report. Some letters agreed with my opinion, some of them objected and tried to repudiate my statements by questioning the sources of my knowledge. It did not, therefore, surprise me that even the Hon. Representative Walter H. Moeller of the 10th District of Ohio, and the Department of State, represented by Assistant Secretary William B. Macomber, Jr., found it necessary to reply to my remarks (July 4 issue). The letters objecting to my statements use a variety of arguments, but all of them have one thing in common, namely the idea my report is just the product of my imagination or an invention for personal … purposes. But the report about the rift between Dr. Adenauer and Dr. Heinemann was published in a magazine … in Germany a long time before the Treaties of Paris (May 5, 1955) to which the State Department refers and which now are given as reasons for Dr. Heinemann’s resignation. From that article I learned for the first time that Dr. Adenauer had restored the concordat with the Vatican, but had refused to restore the privileges of the Protestants. I doubt that a paper in Germany would have published such criticism, if it would not have been based on facts.
The writers of the letters criticizing my first statements will do well to learn the sources for my report. After the last election in West Germany, The Daily News, a paper published in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, a city with a Catholic majority, brought the following report:
BONN, Germany (AP)—The Bundestag today elected Konrad Adenauer to his third 4-year term as Chancellor of West Germany. He instantly ran into trouble in forming a new Cabinet.
He was faced with a revolt from the farmers and from the Protestants within his own party. They were reported angry because they were given too few seats in the reorganized Cabinet.
So serious were Adenauer’s problems that he was forced to cancel plans to introduce his new Cabinet to the Bundestag tomorrow.…
… Protestant members of Adenauer’s party were reported incensed over the fact the Chancellor had only six of their number on his 18-member Cabinet slate, while he had chosen 10 Roman Catholic party members. Adenauer is a Catholic.
The remaining two Cabinet posts were to go to deputies from the German party, a small coalition party.…
… Protestant deputies also were reported complaining that Fritz Schaeffer, 69, former finance minister and a Catholic, had been slated to be Vice Chancellor. They said the post should go to a Protestant.…
The magazine Church and State published monthly in Washington, D. C., in its April, 1960, issue brought the following report:
The so-called prayer-book formula by which top governmental posts in West Germany since World War II would be divided or alternated between Protestants and Roman Catholics has been abandoned by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, it has been announced by the Christian Democratic Union, his party. With the recent election of a Catholic president, Heinrich Luebke, the four highest positions are now held by Roman Catholics: chancellor, president, minister of foreign affairs, and minister of defense.”
Here the critics of my statements have the opportunity to learn that now even American newspapers, whose editors don’t know me, become critical of Dr. Adenauer’s Catholic tendencies in his political activities. The statement of Assistant Secretary of State, Mr. William B. Macomber, that in three national elections since the establishment of the Federal Republic Chancellor Adenauer has received the majority of the national vote, loses its weight if one looks into the manner of Adenauer’s propaganda. Every time, before an election in West Germany, the Chancellor suddenly shows up for a visit in the U.S.A., though there does not exist any special reason which would make his visit necessary. Many American newspapers, mostly those influenced by the Roman Catholic hierarchy, hail Adenauer as a devout Catholic and report that a full agreement was reached between him and the American government. But it is never said in what matter an agreement was reached. Then the West German newspapers, influenced by Adenauer, continue to make propaganda by claiming that Adenauer is the only man favored by the Western Allies and that it is doubtful that they would accept and recognize another German representative in their midst. The newspapers published in Germany after World War II during the years before the establishment of the West German Republic under the supervision of the occupation authorities repeatedly announced that the Germans would be treated without mercy for many years and never would be allowed to make their own decisions in political matters of their country. Now, the people in Germany, scared by sad experiences, try to prove themselves as obedient coworkers of the Western powers by voting according to propaganda developed in American and German newspapers.
RUDOLPH FLACHBARTH
Duquesne, Pa.
