It should be laid down as an unalterable rule that the object of all sacred music intended for the use of the sanctuary is to enable as many of the congregation as have voice and inclination to join in the service of holy song. Tested by this principle the congregational adaptation of music would seem to be the most, if not the only, suitable method. We would not say that other forms might not occasionally be employed with advantage to musical expression, and, perhaps, to the exciting of religious feeling in the hearer; but _choral-singing_ and _anthems_ ought not to be adopted as constant and principal parts of public worship, as is now the case in many churches. The reasons against this are obvious: it excludes the people from participating in the devotions, and is apt to turn them into mere admirers of human art and skill, whilst it tends to the introduction of a florid style, bordering too closely on secular music, and not consistent with the solemn grandeur, the mingling joyousness, and plaintive emotion which ought ever to attend Christian worship. Some years ago it was felt, and justly so, that the musical part of public worship had been too much neglected, and had fallen into disrepute. A revival to a proper standard of efficiency was necessary, and in seeking to promote this some have fallen into the other extreme. In a number of parish and district churches the choral, that is, cathedral service, is adopted, without any regard to the fact that this form of song was never designed for such use, and intended only for cathedral and college foundations, where the entire body performing it were understood and expected to have a competent knowledge of the musical art. Its general application was never contemplated, and, as far as our observation goes, it cannot be done without prejudice to other and still more important branches of public worship. It will be seen that in some churches nearly the whole of the service is now song, and to such an excess is this carried, that there is scarcely any time left for the sermon. And this is intentionally so; for some clergymen do not hesitate to say that the sermon is of little consequence, and that they make no account of it as compared with the other parts of their service. The minister chants his portions of the Liturgy from beginning to end in a monotone. The choir with the people alternately chant the versicles and responses; the Psalms for the day are chanted. Then there is the service of the hymns, alternate chanting of the Litany, intoning and responding to the commandments in song, singing of the Nicene Creed, the Sanctus, and Gloria in Excelsis, and other parts permitted to be sung by the rubrics, and, added to all, the anthem by the choir, which is often of considerable length. In this kind of service there is scarcely any thing left soberly to be _said_ which the common people can readily appreciate and heartily join in. If they are not up to the music they cannot follow, and if they cannot imbibe the words they have no profit. The music, too, is often of that kind which bars their uniting in it intelligently. It would seem proper that the Psalms should be chanted. Their very name seems to point out that there can be no objection to this; but the objection lies against the music to which they are generally set. The _Gregorian_ and other cognate chants are adopted because of their ease and simplicity, being within the compass and ability of every one’s voice; but the sense of the words, upon the meaning of which the very essence of devotion depends, is almost totally sacrificed to the music. The words are slurred over, and often whole sections of verses are necessarily dropped, so that if what is really sung were put down on paper no sense whatever could be made of it. Unless music can be rendered more conservative of the words and sense of these inspired compositions, it would be better far to read them alternately, as is done with good and lively effect in many churches. On what ground the Nicene Creed is chanted instead of being said, and why the minister monotones the commandments as well as the people sing the responses to them, is not easy to comprehend. Notwithstanding the superstitious belief of the Jewish people, we dare believe that the Ten Commandments were never given by Moses from Mount Sinai in a recitative.