May a mere member of the congregation offer her sympathy to the organist and choir on what must have been to them a disappointment. I refer, of course, to the abandonment of the new pointing to our Psalms. An artist, and such most certainly is our organist, has a natural urge to put originality and something of himself into his work, and surely, just there lies the whole difficulty of the situation.

All true artists are creative, and originality and progress are the essence of all creative work, and the courageous way in which the new Books were laid aside last Sunday and the old pointing so enthusiastically rendered, is deserving of our highest praise.

However great the disappointment there must also have come to them a measure of consolation in the response of the congregation as voices, silent for many a Sunday, were once more raised aloud in praise. For there is another side to it, the side of the inarticulate worshipper. To him the organist so often seems like the examiner of younger days, who lays traps for the unwary, so that if possible he may be caught out.

After all the majority of us come to Church hoping to be allowed to sing quite simply the appointed words and to find there a Choir who will so effectually lead and encourage us that we can lift up our voices without effort or self-consciousness.

It is a hard thing we ask of our organist – to subordinate his art so that others may express themselves; but sacrifice brings its own peculiar reward and the response on Sunday was most assuredly a part of it.