1794—September 22, 1843, Framingham, Massachusetts. His family was for
three generations an outstanding one in the liberal ministry; his
father, Dr. Henry Ware, Sr., was called in 1805 from a pastorate in
Hingham to serve as Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard; his
younger brother, William Ware, was the first minister of what is now
All Souls Church, New York; and his son, J. F. W. Ware, was later the
minister of Arlington Street Church, Boston. Henry Ware, Jr. graduated
with high honors from Harvard in 1812, and after teaching for two
years at Phillips Exeter Academy returned to Cambridge, to continue
his theological studies. He was licensed to preach on July 31, 1815,
but was not ordained as minister of the Second Church in Boston
(Unitarian) until January 1, 1817. Never vigorous in body, he offered
his resignation in 1829, but the congregation refused to accept it,
appointing R. W. Emerson to be assistant minister. In 1830, however,
he resigned, to accept an appointment as Professor of Pulpit Eloquence
and Pastoral Care at the Harvard Divinity School, a position which he
held till 1842. He then moved from Cambridge to Framingham,
Massachusetts, where he died a few months later. Harvard gave him the
degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1834. In spite of ill health he wrote
much, and he was a greatly beloved teacher, whose saintly character
commanded the highest respect. For several years he edited the
_Christian Disciple_, established in 1813, and he was author of many
printed books, addresses and sermons, listed in the _Memoir_ of him,
published by his brother, Dr. John Ware, in 1846. His collected works
were published in four volumes in 1847, the first volume including his
occasional poems and his hymns. Some of these last reached a high
standard of excellence and brought him wide recognition in the liberal
churches of Great Britain as well as in this country. No less than
eight pieces of his verse were included in _Lyra Sacra Americana_,
published by the British Religious Tract Society in 1868. His hymns
are some of the choicest poetical expressions of liberal religious
thought in the first period of American Unitarian hymnody, but almost
all have dropped out of present use. Most of them will be found in
Putnam’s _Singers and Songs_, etc.
1. _All nature’s works His praise declare_, (Worship)
Headed “On Opening an Organ” and dated November 9, 1822. In view
of the almost universal use of organs in modern churches it is
rather surprizing that this should be a well-nigh unique example
of a hymn for the dedication of such an instrument. It is also a
good general hymn of worship. It was included in Horder’s British
_Congregational Hymns_, 1884, and in a number of American
Unitarian collections.
2. _Around the throne of God, the host angelic sings_,
A hymn of “Universal Praise,” based on Revelation IV, 2, 3; XV, 3.
Dated 1823 and published in the _Christian Disciple_, vol. V. A
fine hymn of its type, but little used, perhaps because of its
metre, 6.6.6.6.4.4.4.4.
3. _Father of earth and heaven, Whose arm upholds creation_,
(Thanksgiving for Divine Mercies)
Included in Cheever’s _Common Place Book_, 1831, and in _Lyra
Sacra Americana_.
4. _Father, Thy gentle chastisement_ (In sickness)
Dated March, 1836. In _Lyra Sacra Americana_.
5. _Great God, the followers of thy Son_, (Ordination)
Written for the ordination of Jared Sparks, the historian, as
minister of the First Unitarian Church, Baltimore, Maryland, May
5, 1819, but suitable for any service of worship and perhaps the
most widely used of Ware’s hymns.
6. _In this glad hour when children meet_ (Family Gatherings)
Dated August 20, 1835. In _Lyra Sacra Americana_.
7. _Lift your glad voices in triumph on high_ (Easter)
Dated 1817, and published in the _Christian Disciple_ of that
year, in 2 stanzas of 8 lines. In _Lyra Sacra Americana_ and
included in many 19^th century hymn books. In a few cases the
second stanza alone is given, beginning
_Glory to God, in full anthems of joy!_
8. _Like Israel’s hosts to exile driven_ (The God of our
Fathers)
Written for the Centennial Celebration of the Boston Thursday
Lecture, October 17, 1833. It is a quasi-national hymn in praise
of the Pilgrim Fathers. Included in Hedge and Huntington’s _Hymns
for the Church of Christ_ and in _Lyra Sacra Americana_.
9. _O Thou in whom alone is found_ (Laying Foundation Stone for
a Place of Worship)
Not dated. In _Lyra Sacra Americana_, and in Thring’s _Collection_
(British) 1882.
10. _O Thou who on thy chosen Son_, (Ordination)
Written “For an ordination, March, 1829.” Included in Dale’s
_English Hymn Book_, 1874.
11. _Oppression shall not always reign_, (Anti-Slavery Song)
Dated March 15, 1843, it is the last of the author’s writings in
verse. In its original form it was a poem in several stanzas
unsuited for use as a hymn, but 3 stanzas, beginning as above, had
been taken from it, altered and transposed, and thus adapted for
worship. Stanzas one and two were included in Hedge and
Huntington’s _Hymns for the Church of Christ_ and in Longfellow
and Johnson’s _Hymns of the Spirit_, 1864.
12. _To prayer, to prayer, for morning breaks_, (Prayer)
In 1826 he wrote a poem of 10 stanzas, 6 lines each, entitled
“Seasons of Prayer,” printed in full in _Lyra Sacra Americana_ and
in Putnam, _Singers and Songs_, from which at least three variant
centos were in use in the 19^th century. One beginning with the
first line, as above, adapting it for morning worship, was
included in Lunt’s _Christian Psalter_, 1841, and in later
collections. Another beginning with the second stanza
_To prayer, the glorious sun is gone_,
was adapted for evening worship. A third selection, beginning with
the third stanza of the poem,
_To prayer! for the day that God hath blest_,
was included in Hedge and Huntington’s _Hymns for the Church of
Christ_.
13. _We rear not a temple, like Judah of old_, (Dedication of a
Place of Worship)
“For the dedication of a church, April, 1839.”
14. _With praise and prayer our gifts we bring_ (Opening of a
Place of Worship)
In Dale’s _English Hymn Book_, 1874. Not in Putnam’s _Singers and
Songs_, etc.
None of the hymns listed above are in current use except nos. 1 and 5,
both of which are included in _The New Hymn and Tune Book_, 1914, and
_Hymns of the Spirit_, 1937.
J. 1233, 1595
Revised by H.W.F.
Waterston, Rev. Robert Cassie, Kennebunk, Maine, 1812—February 21,
1893, Boston, Massachusetts. He studied for a time at the Harvard
Divinity School. In 1844 Harvard gave him the degree of Master of
Arts, following the publication of his book on _Moral and Spiritual
Culture_. In 1839 he was ordained to the ministry-at-large (Unitarian)
in Boston, in charge of the Pitts Street Chapel, where he remained
till 1845. From 1845 to 1852 he served as minister of the Church of
the Saviour, Boston, and from 1854 to 1856 he was minister of the
First Religious Society of Newburyport, Massachusetts. Thereafter he
gave himself to educational and literary pursuits. He was a member of
the Massachusetts Historical Society and was long active on the Boston
School Committee. He wrote many essays, addresses and poems, the most
important of which are listed in Putnam’s _Singers and Songs_, etc.,
pp. 390-410. He contributed one hymn to the Cheshire Pastoral
Association’s _Christian Hymns_, 1844, and eight to his own
_Supplement_ to Greenwood’s _Psalms and Hymns_, 1845.
1. _God of the soul_ (The soul and God)
2. _Great God, in heaven above_,
Written for a Sunday School.
3. _Great Source of Good, our God and Friend_ (Worship)
4. _In ages past, majestic prophets_, (The Coming of Jesus)
5. _Nature with eternal youth_
Written before 1853 and included in Hedge and Huntington’s _Hymns
for the Church of Christ_, published in that year. It is a
selection of 4 stanzas, numbers 4 to 7, from a longer poem
entitled _Nature and the Soul_, printed in full in Putnam.
6. _Lord of all, we bow before Thee_
Entitled “Christian Benevolence.”
7. _O God of Light and Love_,
Written for the annual meeting of the American Unitarian
Association, Boston, 1845.
8. _O Lord of Life! to Thee we pray_,
Written for the dedication of a church.
9. _One sweet flower has drooped and faded_,
Included in the Cheshire _Collection_, 1844, entitled “Death of a
Pupil.” In Putnam the opening line reads
“_One bright flower has drooped_”, etc.
and the hymn is entitled “On the Death of a Child”, with a note,
“Sung by her classmates.”
10. _Theories, which thousands cherish_, (Truth)
Published in _The Religious Monthly_, Boston, and included in
several collections.
11. _Thou who didst aid our sires_ (On leaving an old house of
worship)
Written for the last service of worship held in the Federal Street
Meeting House, Boston, March 13, 1859.
All of these hymns, and a number of other poems by Waterston, are
included in Putnam’s _Singers and Songs_, etc., but few of them are
dated or annotated as to use. The author was a popular writer of
verses which were respectable expressions of the religious thought and
feeling of his community, in which they had considerable vogue, but
they rarely rise above mediocrity and have long since dropped out of
use.
J. 1235, 1724
H.W.F.
Weir, Hon. Robert Stanley, D.C.L. 1856-1926. Judge in Admiralty of the
Exchequer Court of Canada. He translated, from the original French by
Calixa Lavallée, the hymn beginning, in his English version,
_O Canada, our home, our native land_,
which was adopted by the Canadian government as Canada’s national
hymn. It is included in _The New Hymn and Tune Book_, 1914. He was a
member of the Church of the Messiah (Unitarian), Montreal.
H.W.F.
Weiss, Rev. John, Boston, Massachusetts, June 28, 1828—March 9, 1879,
Boston. He graduated from Harvard College in 1837, and from the
Harvard Divinity School in 1843. He was ordained minister of the First
Church, (Unitarian) Watertown, Massachusetts in 1843; was minister of
the First Church, New Bedford, Massachusetts, 1847-1858; and served
the church at Watertown again 1862-1869. He was a leader in the
anti-slavery movement and a prolific author of books and essays. For
Visitation Day at the Divinity School, 1843, he wrote a hymn
beginning,
1. _A wondrous star our pioneer_,
which was included in the _Book of Hymns_, 1846, compiled by S.
Longfellow and S. Johnson, and in their later book, _Hymns of the
Spirit_, 1864. The _Book of Hymns_ also included a hymn “For a
Summer Festival” beginning,
2. _Beneath thy trees we meet today_,
which is in the Universalist _Church Harmonies_, 1895.
His hymn
3. _The world throws wide its brazen gates_
was included in Hedge and Huntington’s _Hymns for the Church of
Christ_, 1853.
Three other hymns by him, which have not found their way into any hymn
books, are printed in Putnam’s _Singers and Songs_.
H.W.F.
Wendte, Rev. Charles William, Boston, Massachusetts, June 11,
1844—September 9, 1911, San Francisco, California. He graduated from
the Harvard Divinity School in 1869 and served Unitarian churches in
Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Newport, Rhode Island. From
1885 to 1900 he was engaged in denominational work on the Pacific
Coast and thereafter was Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the American
Unitarian Association, Boston, spending a part of each year in Europe.
Long interested in Sunday Schools he published in 1886 _The Carol, for
Sunday School and Home_; a book of songs for use by children and young
people entitled _Jubilate Deo_ in 1900; and another in 1908 entitled
_Heart and Voice, a Collection of Songs and Services for the
Sunday-School and Home_. In 1907 he wrote a hymn on “The City of God”
beginning,
_Not given to us from out the sky_,
which was included in _The New Hymn and Tune Book_, 1914, and in
_Hymns of the Spirit_, 1937, (with a slight alteration by the author).
H.W.F.
Westwood, Rev. Horace, D.D., Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, August 17,
1884—December 24, 1956, Clearwater, Florida. Emigrating to the United
States, he served in the Methodist ministry for several years, and
after 1910 served as minister in Unitarian churches in Youngstown,
Ohio; Winnipeg, Canada; Toledo, Ohio; and extensively as a mission
preacher. His hymn in one stanza,
_Spirit of Truth, of Life, of Power_, (1922)
was included in _Hymns of the Spirit_, 1937, and he privately printed
a small collection, _Some Hymns and Verses_, n.d., a few of which
appeared in periodicals, but have not had wider use.
H.W.F.
Wile, Mrs. Frances Whitmarsh, Bristol Centre, New York, December 2,
1878—July 31, 1939, Rochester, New York. Married A. J. Wile in 1901.
Her lovely hymn for use in winter, beginning,
_All beautiful the march of days_,
was written about 1907 while she was a parishioner of Rev. William C.
Gannett, _q.v._, in Rochester, New York, in consultation with him, and
was included in Gannett and Hosmer’s revised edition of _Unity Hymns
and Chorals_, 1911, from which it passed into _The New Hymn and Tune
Book_, 1914, and _Hymns of the Spirit_, 1937.
H.W.F.
Wiley, Hiram Ozias, Middlebury, Vermont, May 20, 1831—January 28,
1873, Peabody, [Danvers] Massachusetts. He was a Unitarian layman who
practised law in Peabody from 1855 until his death, and was the author
of occasional verse contributed to local newspapers. On May 17, 1865,
the _South Danvers Wizard_ published his hymn beginning
_He leads us on by paths we did not know_,
and republished it on May 8, 1867, with a note reading “Some years ago
we published the following poem, which was written for our columns by
H. O. Wiley, Esq. Since then it has traversed the country in all
directions, without any credit being given either to our paper or to
the author. We reproduce it from a Western paper in order to correct
several errors that have crept into it. Ed.” It is the only hymn
included in the small volume of Wiley’s poems published as a memorial
to him soon after his death. Its earliest appearance in a hymn book
was in the 1873 Supp. to the Unitarian _Sunday School Hymn Book_, with
the first line changed to
_God leads us on, etc._,
About the same time it reached England, where it passed into a number
of collections without the name of the author. In Julian’s
_Dictionary_, p. 1647, “J.M.” states that it appears as _Anon._ in
_Our Home beyond the Tide_, Glasgow, 1878, and that in _Meth. Free.
Ch. Hys._, 1889, it is attributed to “Count Zinzendorf, about 1750.
Tr. H.L.L.” (Jane Borthwick) although that attribution is questioned
because the hymn could not be found in any of Miss Borthwick’s
translations. The mistaken attribution persisted, however, long enough
to be included in the second edition of the _Pilgrim Hymnal_, in the
first decade of this century. Since then the hymn has passed, in its
original form and rightly attributed to Wiley, into various other
collections, among them the _New Hymn and Tune Book_, 1914, and _Hymns
of the Spirit_, 1937.
H.W.F.
Willard, Rev. Samuel, 1776-1859. He graduated from Harvard College in
1803, served the First Church (Unitarian) in Deerfield, Massachusetts
1807 to 1829, when he resigned on account of blindness. In 1823 he
published a collection of 158 songs, composed by himself, and in 1830
a compilation entitled “_Sacred Music and Poetry Reconciled_,” a
hymnbook containing 518 hymns by various authors, about 180 of them
written by himself. This book was adopted for use in the Third Parish
in Hingham, Massachusetts where Willard was then living, but had
little circulation elsewhere, and none of his hymns came into general
use.
H.W.F.
Williams, Velma Curtis (Wright), East Boston, Massachusetts, July 29,
1852—January 22, 1941, Boston, Massachusetts. Wife of Rev. Theodore C.
Williams, _q.v._ Her _Hymnal: Amore Dei, compiled by Mrs. Theodore C.
Williams_, was published in Boston in 1890, revised edition 1897. It
was edited with the assistance of her husband, then minister of All
Souls’ Church, New York, where it was used, and in many other churches
as well. Mrs. Williams herself wrote no hymns.
J. 1604
H.W.F.
Williams, Rev. Theodore Chickering, Brookline, Massachusetts, July 2,
1855—May 6, 1915, Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard
College in 1876, and from the Harvard Divinity School in 1882. He was
ordained minister of the Unitarian Church in Winchester,
Massachusetts, in 1882, but became minister of All Souls’ Church, New
York in 1883. He resigned in 1896, and spent two years in Europe.
After his return he served as headmaster of Hackley School, Tarrytown,
New York, 1899-1905. A classical scholar, and gifted as a poet, he
published a fine metrical translation of Virgil’s _Aeneid_, wrote a
number of hymns which are religious poetry of a high order, and
assisted his wife, Velma C. Williams, _q.v._, in compiling her
_Hymnal: Amore Dei_, 1890, revised edition 1897. A few of his hymns
appeared in this book and, with others of later date, are included in
_The New Hymn and Tune Book_, 1914, and _Hymns of the Spirit_, 1937,
as follows:
1. _As the storm retreating_, (Peace after storm)
Dated 1888.
2. _By law from Sinai’s clouded steep_, (Sabbath rest)
3. _God be with thee! Gently o’er thee_ (Inward Peace)
Dated 1889.
4. _Hast thou heard it, O my brother?_ (The Challenge of Life)
Dated 1902.
5. _In the lonely midnight_ (Christmas)
6. _Lord, who dost the voices bless_
Written for the ordination of Rev. Benjamin R. Bulkeley at
Concord, Massachusetts, 1882.
7. _My country, to thy shore_, (Hymn for the Nation)
Dated 1912.
8. _Thou rulest, Lord, the lights on high_ (Universal Praise)
Dated 1911.
9. _To hold thy glory, Lord of all_, (Dedication of a Church)
Dated 1911.
10. _When the world around us throws_, (Lent)
Dated 1899.
11. _When thy heart, with joy o’erflowing_ (Brotherhood)
Dated 1891.
Three other hymns by him, included in _Amore Dei_, have not come into
general use, viz.:
12. _Glory be to God on high_, (Universal Worship)
Dated 1889.
13. _I long did roam afar from home_,
Dated 1889.
14. _My heart of dust was made_,
Of the above all from nos. 1 to 11 are included in the _New Hymn and
Tune Book_, 1914, and, except no. 9, in _Hymns of the Spirit_, 1937,
which also includes no. 12. Nos. 5, 11 and 12 are in the _Pilgrim
Hymnal_, 1934.
J. 1728
H.W.F.
Willis, Love Maria (Whitcomb), Hancock, New Hampshire, June 9,
1824—November 26, 1908, Elmira, New York. She married Frederick L. E.
Willis, M.D., of Boston, in 1858. She was for some years one of the
editors of _The Banner of Light_, Boston, and of _Tiffany’s Monthly
Magazine_, and was a frequent contributor to these and other
periodicals. She wrote a number of hymns, one of which, beginning,
_Father, hear the Prayer I offer_ (Aspiration)
was published in _Tiffany’s Monthly_ in 1859. In Longfellow and
Johnson’s _Hymns of the Spirit_, 1864, it was considerably rewritten,
with the opening line changed to read,
_Father, hear the prayer we offer_,
and was cited as “Anon.” This 1864 text came into considerable use in
various collections in England, and was included in _The English
Hymnal_ as late as 1906. It has also had wide use in America and will
be found in almost all Unitarian hymn books since 1864, most recently
in the _New Hymn and Tune Book_, 1914, and in _Hymns of the Spirit_,
1937.
J. 1728
H.W.F.
Willis, Nathaniel Parker, Portland, Maine, January 20, 1807—January
29, 1867. He graduated from Yale College in 1826. A journalist and
editor, he wrote for the _American Monthly_ and the _New York Mirror_.
From 1831 to 1837 he was in Europe attached to the American Legation
at the French Court. On his return he became, in 1839, one of the
editors of _The Corsair_. His works are numerous and include _Sacred
Poems_, 1843. His hymn
_The perfect world by Adam trod_,
was “Written to be sung at the Consecration of Hanover Street
[Unitarian] Church, Boston,” in 1826. It was included in Hedge and
Huntington’s _Hymns for the Church of Christ_, 1853, and in a good
many other collections, although of no exceptional merit.
J. 1285
H.W.F.
Wilson, Rev. Edwin Henry, D.D. Chester Park, Long Island, New York,
August 23, 1898—still living. He graduated from Boston University,
1922; from Meadville Theological School, 1926; and took the degree of
M.A. at the University of Chicago, 1928. He has served as minister of
Unitarian churches in Chicago, Illinois; Schenectady, New York; and
Salt Lake City, Utah. Since 1949 he has been Director of the American
Humanist Association. His hymn beginning,
_Where is our holy church?_
written in 1928, is included in _Hymns of the Spirit_, 1937.
H.W.F.
Wilson, Rev. Lewis Gilbert, Southboro, Massachusetts, February 19,
1858—April 24, 1928, Floral City, Florida. He studied at Dartmouth,
Harvard and Meadville Theological School, and in 1883 was ordained
minister of the Unitarian Church at Leicester, Massachusetts. Later he
served the Unitarian church at Hopedale, Massachusetts, and from
1907-1915 was Secretary in the American Unitarian Association. While
there he was a member of the committee which edited _The New Hymn and
Tune Book_ published in 1914 by the Association. This book included
three of his hymns, beginning
1. _O God, our dwelling place_,
2. _O troubled sea of Galilee_,
3. _The works, O Lord, our hands have wrought_,
all three of which were written in 1912. The first of these is also
included in _Hymns of the Spirit_, 1937.
H.W.F.
Young, George H. (No information available)
A hymn of 4 stanzas, L.M., beginning,
_With heart’s glad song, dear Lord, we come_,
is attributed to him in the _Isles of Shoals Hymn Book_, 1908.
H.W.F.
FOOTNOTES
[1]Frederic M. Bird, an Episcopalian clergyman, then professor at
Lehigh University, in his day the leading authority on American
hymnody.
[2]Louis F. Benson, a Presbyterian clergyman, the successor of F. M.
Bird as the foremost American hymnologist in the first third of
this century.
[3]See accompanying Catalogue of American Unitarian Hymn Books.
[4]Julian’s _Dictionary_, p. 60, lists Huntington, with Eliza Scudder
and Harriet Beecher Stowe, as Episcopalian. It is true that
Huntington joined the Episcopal church in 1859, as did Miss Eliza
Scudder in her old age, but all the hymns produced by either of
them were written while they were still Unitarians in belief, and
Harriet Beecher Stowe was a life long Congregationalist.
[5]A few graduates of Harvard College (or Divinity School), belonging
to other denominations have also written hymns, the most notable
being Samuel Francis Smith (1808-1895), the greatest hymn writer of
the 19^th century in the Baptist denomination; Phillips Brooks
(1835-1893) with his one famous Christmas hymn; and, in the present
century, Rev. Walter Russell Bowie (1882-_1969_), but the total
number of their hymns is a very small percentage of the number by
Unitarian graduates at Harvard.
[6]The numbers in brackets refer to the books listed in this
catalogue.
_Index of First Lines of American Unitarian Hymns_
which have been included in one or more published Hymn Books, with
names of their authors, to facilitate reference to the preceding
Biographical Sketches for further information. Verses by these authors
printed elsewhere than in some Hymn Book are there noted, but have
not been indexed.
A
A holy air is breathing round— Livermore, A. A.
A little kingdom I possess,— Alcott
A mighty fortress is our God— Hedge
A voice by Jordan’s shore— Longfellow, S.
A wondrous star our pioneer— Weiss
Abba, Father, hear— Anon.
Abide not in the realm of dreams,— Burleigh
Across a century’s border line— Hosmer
Again as evening’s shadow falls— Longfellow, S.
Alas! how poor and little worth— Anon.
Alas! how swift— Adams, J. Q.
All are architects of fate— Longfellow, H. W.
All beautiful the march of days— Wile
All before us is the way— Clapp, see also Emerson
All hail, God’s angel, Truth— Newell
All hail the pageant of the years— Holmes, J. H.
All hidden lie the future ways— Hosmer
All holy, ever living One— Hill
All is of God: if he but wave his hand— Longfellow, H. W.
All nature’s works His praise declare— Ware
All praise to him of Nazareth— Bryant
All that in this wide world— Bryant
All things that are on earth— Bryant
Almighty Builder, bless, we pray— Church
Almighty! hear thy children raise—
altered to
Almighty, listen while we praise— Bryant
America triumphant! Brave land of pioneers— Holmes, J. H.
Amid the heaven of heavens— Bartrum
And wherefore should I seek above— Scudder
Angel of peace, thou hast tarried— Holmes, O. W.
Another day its course hath run— Pierpont
Another year of setting suns— Chadwick
Around the throne of God, the host— Ware
As darker, darker fall around— See: Longfellow, S.
As once again we gather here— Greenwood
As shadows cast by sun and cloud— Bryant
As the storm retreating— Williams, T. C.
As tranquil streams that meet— Ham
At first I prayed for light— Cheney