CCaitn^n ^itbUc Eibrarg
The N£W BERN
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
/ •** THE HEART OP
VOLUME 16
NEW BERN, N. C. 28560, FRIDAY, JULY 27, 1973
NUMBER 20
A service held on Main Street,
in the largest church in town, is
something less than perfect if
the music lets you
down....Regardless of the
organist, regardless of the
choir, a singing congregation
can lift religion higher.
Folks who stand with song
books, yet never lend a voice,
are not the sort of worshipers to
make the soul rejoice....A
sermon’s more convincing
when you’ve had a hymn or two
that rattles on the rafters, as Uie
notes ring strong and true.
It’s convincing ’cause the
parson feels a lighter spark
inside, he warms up to his
message and gives his thoughts
a ride....As for his listeners in
the pews, they’ll have an open
heart, knowing that their
singing plays a most important
part.
"Make a joyful noise,’’ the
Good Book says, you’U find it in
the Psalms, so why stand silent,
looking glum, with primly
folded arms....Give your lungs a
workout, in thankfidness and
praise, you’ll learn to love the
Sabbath as the grandest day of
days.-
Don’t hesitate, explaining
that your bass or baritone is apt
to come out like a grunt, or
sound more like a groan...Or, if
your gender’s feminine, and
your alto has a squeak, if
switching to soprano makes
your hi^ notes aivfully weak....
just do the very best you can,
you’ll probably be surprised,
discovering that you’re better
than you ever realized.
A church house may be worse
for wear, a tiny wildwood spot,
but people in the country seem
to like to sing a lot...And
countless city folks like us, who
think that we are wise, may
often miss the very things our
hearts should learn to prize.
Somehow, I feel that angels,
with great big shiny wings, are
hovering over churches where
the congregation sings.
+++++
Neither violence nor scandal,
and Washington has plenty of
both, tarnishes the Nation’s
Capital as a tourist attraction.
During the month of July alone,
four million visitors have
braved the heat to see the White
House, Capitol, Lincoln
Memorial, and other
noteworthy landmarks.
The city has much to offer, at
any time of year. One could
spend a week in the
Smithsonian Institution. No
matter what your interests are,
you’ll And something there to
intrigue you.
Our two year old grandson
prefers the Washington zoo
above all else, and proudly
boosts, "The monkey talked to
me." Who are we to argue that
he didn’t, since children are
equipped with communication
stmerior to ours?
In Alexandria, Va., John
Dean, a Watergate principal,
and his wife Maureen are neigh*
bors of this editor's daughter
and son inJaw, the J. Carter
Willsons. The two families
reside in what is known as Old
Town.
A baby sitter, knowing
this, mentioned Dean to our six
(Continued on page 8)
A quiet stream
on a summer day.
So many thoughts
but so little to say.
—Photo by Jack Layne
Chick and Jack's Studio