John Oxenham, English publisher, poet, a_Handbook to the Mennonite Hymnary

Manchester. He wrote this poem in 1908; and in 1939 sent the hymn,

“Peace in our time” (357) with a personal letter to the editors of the

_Hymnary_. The name John Oxenham is a _nom de plume_ for William Arthur

Dunkerley. For some years Dunkerley was engaged in business, in the

interest of which he travelled extensively in Europe and Canada, and

lived in France and the United States. He once investigated the

possibilities of cotton growing and sheep raising in the Southern States

but decided against the venture. He began writing as a relief from

business, and then, later, dropped business in favor of writing.

_MUSIC._ ST. PETER, also known as “St. Peter’s, Oxford,” was composed

for Psalm 118, by Alexander R. Reinagle, 1799-1877, distinguished

organist for thirty-one years in St. Peter’s-in-the-East Church, Oxford.

The tune derives its name from the church which the composer served so

long. It appeared in _Psalm Tunes for the Voice and the Pianoforte_,

published by Reinagle in 1830. It is a majestic tune and should be sung

in moderate time with strong rhythmic accent.

321. Jesus, Lord, we look to Thee _Charles Wesley_, 1707-88

Four simple, lovely stanzas setting forth the unity of believers in

Christ.

For comments on Charles Wesley see Hymn 6.

_MUSIC._ MÜDE BIN ICH, GEH ZUR RUH. For comments on this tune see Hymn

254.

322. All praise to our redeeming Lord _Charles Wesley_, 1707-88

A favorite and appropriate hymn for use at religious reunions and

conference gatherings. Wesley entitled it, “At meeting of Friends.”

For comments on Charles Wesley see Hymn 6.

_MUSIC._ ARMENIA was composed by Sylvanus Billings Pond, 1792-1871,

Albany, N. Y., a piano manufacturer. Billings wrote many fine tunes and

in 1841 issued the _United States Psalmody_, in which this tune

appeared.

323. How sweet, how heavenly is the sight _Joseph Swain_, 1761-96

A beautiful hymn of Christian love, suggesting lines by Alice Carey:

He who loves best his fellowman

Is loving God the holiest way he can.

It appeared in the author’s _Walworth Hymns_, 1792, entitled, “The Grace

of Christian Love.”

Joseph Swain, English Baptist minister and hymn writer, lost his parents

early in life and was apprenticed to an engraver. He led a careless,

frivolous life until his conversion at the age of twenty-two, when he

became a fervent Christian. He qualified for the Baptist ministry and

began serving as minister of a congregation in East Street, Walworth, in

1791. His poetic gifts, formerly given worldly and superficial

expression, were now turned with great effect to his evangelistic

appeals. His short ministry of five years, cut off by a lamented early

death, was very successful.

_MUSIC._ REMEMBER ME. For comments on Asa Hull, composer of the tune,

see Hymn 232.

MISSIONS

324. The morning light is breaking _Samuel F. Smith_, 1808-95

A great missionary hymn, though a little too optimistic. It was written

in 1832 while the author was a student in Andover Theological Seminary.

After reading an inspiring account by Adoniram Judson of his great

missionary work in Burma, Smith put his enthusiasm for missions into

these verses, now sung in all the churches.

Rev. Samuel F. Smith, Harvard graduate in the class with Oliver Wendell

Holmes, became the foremost American Baptist hymn writer of the 19th

century. He is the author of numerous hymns but is best known by “My

country, ’tis of thee” and the present hymn. His desire to be a

missionary himself was never fulfilled, but his son volunteered for the

service and became the successor to Judson in the great work in Burma.

“The morning light is breaking” has been translated into many tongues.

In a letter dated March 17, 1883, the author said of this hymn: “I have

heard versions of it sung in Karen, Burman, Italian, Spanish,

Portuguese, Swedish, German, and Telegu.” Dr. Smith was a great

linguist. He taught modern languages for a time in Colby College and had

a familiarity with no less than fifteen languages. It is said that at

the age of 86 he was seeking a suitable textbook to use in the study of

the Russian language. He served as minister of Baptist churches at

Waterville, Me., and Newton Center, Mass., and was secretary of the

Baptist Missionary Union for 15 years.

_MUSIC._ WEBB. For comments on this tune and its composer, George J.

Webb, see Hymn 65.

325. Far and near the fields are teeming _J. O. Thompson_

A popular missionary hymn based on Luke 10:2: “The harvest truly is

great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the

harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.”

No information has been found concerning the author, J. O. Thompson, or

the composer of the tune, J. B. O. Clemm. The song appeared in _The

Epworth Hymnal_, edited by John H. Vincent, afterward a Bishop, and

published by Phillips and Hunt, Methodist Publishers, New York, in 1885.

It was copyrighted by them as of that year.

326. Father, whose will is life and good _Hardwicke Drummond

Rawnsley_, 1851-1920

A prayer for the sick, and for physicians engaged in medical missionary

work.

The hymn first appeared in _A Missionary Hymn Book_, 1922, published by

the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, in London. The

author, Rev. Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley, was an influential minister

and educator in the Church of England. He spent much of his life in the

Lake District in northern England, and, being a man of public spirit and

a lover of nature, he championed the rights of the people in securing

for public use in perpetuity many beautiful tracts of the Lake District

and other parts of the country. His friends remembered him as one “who,

greatly loving the fair things of nature and of art, set all his love to

the service of God and man.”

_MUSIC._ “TALLIS,” says William H. Havergal in _Notes on Certain Tunes_,

is “simplicity itself. A child may sing the tune, while manly genius

will admire it.”

For comments on the composer, Thomas Tallis, see Hymn 33.

327. Christ for the world we sing _Samuel Wolcott_, 1813-86

The author of this hymn, Samuel Wolcott, born at South Windsor, Conn.,

graduated from Yale at 20, spent two years in Syria as a missionary, and

then, on account of failing health, returned to the United States where

he served as pastor in various Congregational churches. The hymn was

suggested to him by a motto, “Christ for the World and the World for

Christ,” made from branches of evergreen, in a Cleveland church where a

Y.M.C.A. convention was held. One night, walking home from the

convention to which he was a delegate, the words of the hymn took form.

Yankton College, South Dakota, has adopted it as the opening hymn for

each term of school.

_MUSIC._ MALVERN. For comments on this tune and its composer, John

Roberts, see Hymn 131.

328. O Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling _Mary A. Thomson_,

1834-1923

One of the strongest and most useful missionary hymns in the English

language.

Mary Ann Faulkner was born in London but came to this country as a girl

and became the wife of John Thomson, Librarian of the Free Library, in

Philadelphia. A member of the Protestant Episcopal Church, her hymns,

about forty in all, were published in _The Churchman_, New York, and in

_The Living Age_, Chicago.

Of the origin of this missionary hymn, Mrs. Thomson has written:

I wrote the greater part of the hymn, “O Zion, haste,” in the year

1868. I had written many hymns before, and one night, while I was

sitting up with one of my children who was ill of typhoid fever, I

thought I should like to write a missionary hymn to the tune of the

hymn beginning, “Hark, hark, my soul, angelic songs are swelling,” as

I was fond of that tune; but as I could not then get a refrain I

liked, I left the hymn unfinished, and about three years later I

finished it by writing the refrain which now forms part of it. By some

mistake 1891 is given instead of 1871 as the date of the hymn in the

(Episcopal) _Hymnal_. I do not think it is ever sung to the tune for

which I wrote it. Rev. John Anketell told me, and I am sure he is

right, that it is better for a hymn to have a tune of its own, and I

feel much indebted to the composer of the tune TIDINGS for writing so

inspiring a tune to my words.

She was mistaken in the last sentence, for Walch’s tune, strangely

enough, was composed for the words “Hark, hark my soul” (260).

_MUSIC._ TIDINGS was written, as stated above, for the hymn, “Hark, hark

my soul! Angelic songs are swelling” (260), by James Walch, 1837-1901,

an English composer and organist. The tune was never accepted for that

hymn, because there already were several good tunes for it in use. In

the providence of God, it found this hymn. The union was favored from

the beginning and continues so today.

329. Word of Life, most pure, most strong _Jonathan F. Bahnmaier_,

1774-1841

_Tr. Catherine Winkworth_, 1829-78

One of the best and most useful hymns for foreign missions.

The original poem has six stanzas, our hymn comprising the last three,

translated by Catherine Winkworth. The German text is found at No. 551,

the hymn there being a free translation by Percy Dearmer.

For comments on Catherine Winkworth see Hymn 236.

Jonathan F. Bahnmaier was born at Oberstenfeld where his father, J. C.

Bahnmaier, was town preacher. He received his education at Tübingen and

became assistant, in 1798, to his father. Later he had an appointment as

Professor of Education and Homiletics at Tübingen but resigned in 1819

to become dean and town preacher at Kirchheim-unter-Teck, a post he held

until his death. Bahnmaier was greatly interested in education,

missions, and Bible societies and was on the committee which compiled

the _Württemberg Gesangbuch_, published after his death in 1842. One

other of his hymns, “_Jesu als du wiederkehrtest_,” entitled, “Prayer

after School,” has been translated into English.

_MUSIC._ MOZART is adapted from the “Kyrie” of the _Twelfth Mass_ by the

famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756-91.

For comments on Mozart see Hymn 179.

330. O Spirit of the living God _James Montgomery_, 1771-1854

One of the greatest missionary hymns in the English language. It was

composed for a missionary service held in Leeds, England, June 4, 1823,

and was entitled, “The Spirit Accompanying the Word of God.” Its lyric

beauty, its burning passion for the spread of the gospel, combined with

its dignity and healthy-mindedness make it an extraordinarily useful

hymn. Setting forth and emphasizing the relation of the Holy Spirit to

the work of missions, it fills an important place in the _Hymnary_.

For comments on James Montgomery see Hymn 62.

_MUSIC._ ALSTONE. For comments on this tune see Hymn 300.

331. Fling out the banner! let it float _George W. Doane_, 1799-1859

A stirring missionary hymn entitled, “Missions, Home and Foreign.”

It is based on Psalm 60:4: “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear

thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.”

The hymn was written in response to a request from the young women at

St. Mary’s Hall, Burlington, N. J., a girls’ college founded by Bishop

Doane, to be sung at a flag raising. The author, writing what has become

a widely known hymn, gave the occasion a far wider significance than the

girls had foreseen.

Bishop George Doane, a zealous advocate of missions, was known in his

own church as “the missionary bishop of America.” The modern missionary

movement arose and spread in his lifetime. The hymn reflects Doane’s

enthusiasm and aggressive missionary leadership.

For further comments on the author see Hymn 36.

_MUSIC._ WALTHAM—also known as “Doane” and “Camden”—was written by John

Baptiste Calkin, 1827-1905, English pianist and organist, professor of

music, and composer of church music, both instrumental and vocal. The

tune with its martial swing lends itself well for use as a processional.

332. Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning _Thomas Hastings_,

1784-1872

A missionary hymn written in 1832, at the beginning of the modern

missionary movement. It was first published in _Spiritual Songs for

Social Worship_, 1833, a volume compiled jointly by Hastings and Mason,

set to the present tune by Lowell Mason. _Spiritual Songs_ was a notable

volume, publishing for the first time such well-known hymns as “The

morning light is breaking,” “My faith looks up to Thee,” and introducing

in America, Toplady’s famous “Rock of Ages.”

For comments on Thomas Hastings see Hymn 120.

_MUSIC._ WESLEY, also called “Hail to the Brightness,” was written by

Lowell Mason for this hymn. It is a simple, straightforward melody,

whose merit as a hymn tune is unquestionable.

For comments on Lowell Mason see Hymn 12.

333. From Greenland’s icy mountains _Reginald Heber_, 1783-1826

One of the most famous missionary hymns ever written. An interesting

story is attached to its origin, a detailed account of which was written

by Thomas Edgeworth on the fly-leaf of a facsimile of the original

manuscript as follows:

On Whitsunday, 1819, the late Dr. Shipley, Dean of St. Asaph, and

Vicar of Wrexham, preached a sermon in Wrexham Church in aid of the

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. That day

was also fixed upon for the commencement of the Sunday evening

lectures intended to be established in the church, and the late Bishop

of Calcutta (Heber), then rector of Hodnet, the Dean’s son-in-law

being together in the vicarage, the former requested Heber to write

“something for them to sing in the morning”; and he retired for that

purpose from the table where the Dean and a few friends were sitting

to a distant part of the room. In a short time the Dean enquired,

“What have you written?” Heber having then composed the three first

verses, read them over. “There, there, that will do very well,” said

the Dean. “No, no, the sense is not complete,” replied Heber.

Accordingly he added the fourth verse, and the Dean being inexorable

to his repeated request of “Let me add another; oh, let me add

another!” thus completed the hymn of which the annexed is a facsimile

and which has since become so celebrated. It was sung the next morning

in Wrexham Church the first time.

The tune to which it was sung was “’Twas when the seas were roaring,”

from _The Beggar’s Opera_—a fine but somewhat incongruous selection.

The words of the hymn reflect the enthusiasm and zeal of consecrated

youth, eager, like Livingstone, to go out to a distant people needing

help and to sacrifice life for the cause. Greatly interested in

missions, Heber was offered the Bishopric of Calcutta and accepted it

against the advice of his friends. After three years of strenuous,

devoted labor, he was stricken with apoplexy and found dead in his bath

on the evening of a busy day in which he had baptized forty-two native

converts.

The much-discussed second stanza, omitted in the _Hymnary_ because of

its seeming low estimate of man, is as follows:

What though the spicy breezes

Blow soft o’er Ceylon’s isle;

Though every prospect pleases

And only man is vile;

In vain with lavish kindness

The gifts of God are strown;

The heathen in his blindness

Bows down to wood and stone.

The hymn is widely used among German speaking people in the following

translation made by Dr. Ch. G. Barth, 1799-1862:

Von Grönlands eis’gen Zinken,

China’s Korallenstrand,—

Wo Ophirs Quellen blinken,

Fortströmend goldnen Sand,—

Von manchem alten Ufer,

Von manchem Palmenland

Erschallt das Fleh’n der Rufer:

“Löst unsrer Blindheit Band!”

Gewürzte Düfte weben

Sanft über Ceylons Flur;

Es glänzt Natur und Leben

Schlecht sind die Menschen nur.

Umsonst sind Gottes Gaben

So reichlich ausgestreut;

Die blinden Heiden haben

Sich Holz und Stein geweiht.

Und wir, mit Licht im Herzen,

Mit Weisheit aus den Höh’n,

Wir könnten es verschmerzen,

Dass sie im Finstern geh’n?

Nein, nein! das Heil im Sohne

Sei laut und froh bezeugt,

Bis sich vor Christi Throne

Der fernste Volkstamm beugt!

Ihr Wasser sollt es tragen,

Ihr Winde, führt es hin,

Bis seine Strahlenwagen

Von Pol, zu Pole ziehn;

Bis der versöhnten Erde,

Das Lamm, der Sünderfreund,

Der Herr und Hirt’ der Heerde

In Herrlichkeit erscheint!

_MUSIC._ MISSIONARY HYMN, like the hymn to which it is sung, was written

in a few minutes time. Miss Mary W. Howard of Savannah, Ga., read the

words in the American edition of _The Christian Observer_, of February,

1823, and was so impressed with them that she requested a young bank

clerk who had gone to Georgia from New England, to write a tune for

them. He complied, and in a half hour handed her the tune which is now

sung all over the world. The clerk was Lowell Mason. For further

comments on Mason see Hymn 12.

334. We have heard the joyful sound _Priscilla Jane Owens_, 1829—c. 99

A missionary hymn written for the anniversary of a Sunday school in

Baltimore in which the author had been a worker for many years.

Priscilla Jane Owens, of Scottish and Welsh descent, was born and died

in Baltimore where she was a public school teacher and an untiring

worker in the Sunday school. Most of her hymns were written for

children’s services.

_MUSIC._ JESUS SAVES was composed by William J. Kirkpatrick, 1838-1921,

a native of Duncannon, Pa. He was a regimental musician during the Civil

War and was skilled as an organist, gospel singer, and composer, and was

editor and publisher of gospel songs.

335. We’ve a story to tell to the nations _Colin Sterne_, 1862-1928

A popular missionary hymn, breathing the spirit of Christ’s great

commission: “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded

you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

The message of the hymn, in which lies the hope of the nations, is

summarized in the chorus.

The words and music are by the same person, Henry Ernest Nichol, who was

born at Hull, England, December 10, 1862. He always signed his correct

name to a tune, and the anagram “Colin Sterne,” to a hymn. Oxford

University gave him his degree in music. His compositions, many of them

for the church, have the simplicity and directness of the folk song. The

tune here forms a splendid musical setting for the words and may be sung

variously, as a solo, duet, all the voices in unison, or in four parts.

336. On the mountain top appearing _Thomas Kelly_, 1769-1854

Based on Isa. 52:7: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of

him that bringeth good tidings.” The hymn was written after the good

news came from the island of Tahiti that the first little band of

mission workers sent there by the London Missionary Society, was kindly

received by the natives, their message heard and welcomed, and that

there was every prospect for the success of the mission. Hearing the

news, Rev. Thomas Kelly wrote this hymn, entitling it, “On the Good News

from Tahiti.” The London Missionary Society met soon afterward for an

enthusiastic gathering where this hymn was first sung.

For comments on Thomas Kelly see Hymn 119.

_MUSIC._ ZION. This tune is also used with the hymn, “Guide me, O Thou

great Jehovah,” but it is better suited to the present hymn.

For comments on the composer, Thomas Hastings, see Hymn 120.

337. Ye Christian heralds, go proclaim _Bourne H. Draper_, 1775-1843

A hymn, originally of four stanzas, written as a farewell to

missionaries.

The author, Rev. Bourne H. Draper, was born of a Church of England

family, near Oxford, England. He joined the Baptist Church while

employed as a printer’s apprentice at the Clarendon Press, Oxford. He

trained himself for the Baptist ministry and became pastor of the

Baptist Church at Chipping-Norton. A man of great piety and poetic gift,

he wrote numerous books for children as well as devotional works and

volumes of sermons.

_MUSIC._ MISSIONARY CHANT appeared in the composer’s _American Harp_,

1835, where it was identified with this hymn. Concerning the composition

of the tune, Zeuner said: “I was sitting on one of those seats on Boston

Commons on a most beautiful moonlight evening, all alone, with all the

world moving about me, and suddenly ‘Missionary Chant’ was given me. I

ran home as fast as ever I could and put it on paper before I should

forget.”

Charles Heinrich Christopher Zeuner, 1795-1857, a native of Germany,

came to America at the age of 29 and settled in Boston. His musical

ability was soon recognized, and he was made president of the Handel and

Haydn Society, and later its conductor. He published a book, _American

Harp_, of nearly 400 pages of tunes, in 1832, mostly his own

compositions. He moved to Philadelphia where he served as organist of

St. Anne’s Episcopal Church and later of the Arch Street Presbyterian

Church. Due to harsh criticism of his playing, he became despondent and

took his own life one November day at a lonely spot in the woods. Zeuner

was never married and had no relatives in this country.

338. How are Thy servants blest _Joseph Addison_, 1672-1719

A hymn of the Christian traveller, particularly descriptive of the

experience of many Christian missionaries. It is known as the

“Traveller’s Hymn” and has been found useful as a part of the daily

devotions by Christians journeying in foreign lands.

It appeared in ten stanzas in the _Spectator_ for September 20, 1712, at

the end of an article on “Greatness,” with special reference to the

greatness and awesomeness of the sea. The hymn was “made by a gentleman

upon the conclusion of his travels.” Returning in 1700 from the terrors

of a voyage on the Mediterranean Sea, Addison gives here, years

afterwards, a picture of his own trying experiences. The second stanza

describes some of the hardships through which he passed. The omitted

stanzas (3, 4, 5, 7, 8) of the hymn picture the storm at sea, its

subsidence, and the traveller’s trust in God. They are as follows:

Thy mercy sweetened every soil,

Made every region please:

The hoary Alpine hills it warmed,

And smoothed the Tyrrhene seas.

Think, O my soul, devoutly think

How with affrighted eyes

Thou sawest the wide-extended deep

In all its horrors rise!

Confusion dwelt in every face,

And fear in every heart;

When waves on waves, and gulfs on gulfs,

O’ercame the pilot’s art.

When by the dreadful tempest borne

High on the broken wave,

They know Thou art not slow to hear,

Nor impotent to save.

The storm is laid, the winds retire,

Obedient to thy will;

The sea, that roars at thy command,

At thy command is still.

For comments on Joseph Addison see Hymn 50.

_MUSIC._ KILMARNOCK appeared in England as a Psalm tune in _Parochial

Psalmody: a New Collection of the Most Approved Psalm Tunes.... By J. P.

Clark, Second Edition_, 1831.

The composer, Neil Dougall, 1776-1862, son of a shipwright, went to

school until he was 15, then took to the sea. Three years later he met

with an accident which resulted in the loss of his eyesight and his

right arm. He then took up the study of music and for 45 years was a

successful teacher of singing classes. He wrote about 100 psalm and hymn

tunes.

339. See how great a flame aspires _Charles Wesley_, 1707-88

A rousing missionary hymn which Wesley wrote after preaching to the coal

miners at Newcastle. The imagery of the great flame was suggested by the

night scene—the glow in the sky from the blazing fires connected with

the mines. The climax of the hymn, stanza 4, was inspired by an incident

in the life of Elijah. When his servant returned the seventh time from

looking toward the sea from the housetop, he reported: “Behold there

ariseth a little cloud out of the sea like a man’s hand!... And it came

to pass in the meantime that the heaven was black with clouds and wind,

and there was a great rain” (I Kings 18:41-45).

For comments on Charles Wesley see Hymn 6.

_MUSIC._ BENEVENTO is an adaptation from a motet on the words, “_Tibi

omnes angeli_” by Samuel Webbe, 1740-1816, a London organist and

composer.

340. The whole wide world for Jesus _J. Dempster Hammond_, 1719-83

The watchword, “the whole wide world for Jesus,” brings to mind the

motto, “The evangelization of the world in this generation,” which

served to inspire the Student Volunteer Movement in the days of John R.

Mott, Robert E. Speer, and Sherwood Eddy. Two world wars have shaken the

foundations of the missionary enterprise, but those closest to the

movement still declare the motto to be both a possibility and an

obligation. The missionary forces are making resolute plans for giving

the Gospel to the entire world.

No information is at hand concerning the author, J. Dempster Hammond.

_MUSIC._ THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. The composer, John H. Maunder, was born

in Chelsea, England, in 1858, and died in 1920. He received his musical

education at the Royal Academy of Music in London; held various musical

appointments and became a well-known and popular accompanist for

vocalists. As a composer, he was widely known for his anthems, cantatas,

and services which have met with wide approval. His _A Song of

Thanksgiving_, a cantata, has been quite popular in this country, as

have several of his anthems. In the secular field he has written much

excellent choral music, one of the best being his “The Song of Thor.”

341. Jesus shall reign where’er the sun _Isaac Watts_, 1674-1748

Founded on the last part of Psalm 72, this is the earliest of the great

English hymns on missions. It is sung by all Christian congregations in

the homelands and has probably been translated into a greater number of

languages and dialects than any other English hymn.

Watts did not hesitate to use the name of Jesus in interpreting the

Psalm. On this point, he wrote in the preface to his Psalms:

Where the original runs in the form of prophecy concerning Christ and

his salvation, I have given an historical turn to the sense; there is

no necessity that we should always sing in the obscure and doubtful

style of prediction, when the things foretold are brought into the

open light by a full accomplishment.

“Peculiar honors” in stanza 5 means honors appropriate to the various

peoples who bring them.

For comments on Isaac Watts see Hymn 11.

_MUSIC._ DUKE STREET. This is a psalm tune by John Hatton (d. 1793), a

native of Warrington, England, of whom little is known. The tune

appeared first in _A Select Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes_,

Glasgow, 1793. It has long been associated with this hymn, although

other tunes—“Old Hundredth,” “Warrington,” and “Truro”—have also been

used with it.

342. Lord of light, whose name outshineth _Howell Elvet Lewis_, 1860—

Based on the petition, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

The hymn was written for the _Congregational Hymnary_ (England), 1916. A

note by the author explains his purpose in the hymn:

The hymn was written to declare that in doing God’s will, active

co-operation is as much needed as humble resignation. Charlotte

Elliott, in her hymn, “My God and Father, while I stray,” had

expressed the latter thought beautifully. My hope was to supplement

her hymn as best I could.

(Miss Elliott’s hymn is found at No. 245).

Howell Elvet Lewis, of Welsh birth, became an influential leader in

English Congregationalism. He served as minister of the Welsh

Tabernacle, King’s Cross, London, and was at one time chairman of the

Congregational Union of England and Wales. He is the author of a number

of volumes of poems and biography.

_MUSIC._ HAST DU JESU RUF VERNOMMEN appears anonymously in the

_Gesangbuch mit Noten_, set to a missionary hymn beginning with these

words. By repeating the first four lines of the first stanza of the

present hymn the refrain was made possible.

The tune was written by John R. Sweney, 1837-99, a native of West

Chester, Penna., who received his degrees of Mus. Bac. and Mus. Doc. at

the Pennsylvania Military Academy, Chester, Penna. Sweney was a skilled

choir leader, violinist, and pianist. He collaborated with Wm. J.

Kirkpatrick in the production and publishing of numerous gospel hymn

tunes and hymnals. After the Civil War, he taught music in the school

from which he received his degrees and became well known as a

song-leader at summer religious assemblies, especially at Ocean Grove,

N. J.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LIFE—THE NATION

343. O beautiful for spacious skies _Katharine Lee Bates_, 1859-1929

A beautiful poem expressing genuine love for America and faith in human

brotherhood. The historical accuracy of the second and third stanzas may

be questioned. To one familiar with New England theocracy, it is clear

that the Pilgrims were not, as the poet suggests, the champions of

freedom of thought and religion. On the contrary, they were intolerant

of any form of opposition, whether religious or political.

The hymn is less limited to the New England landscape than “My country,

’tis of thee,” and probably for that reason has overshadowed the latter

as a popular national hymn.

Katharine Lee Bates, born in Falmouth, Mass., was educated at Wellesley

College where she later became Professor of English. She is the author

of many books.

A folder published by the author, giving the exact title and words of

the hymn, also contains interesting data concerning its origin and

history:

_America the Beautiful_ was written in its original form, more

literary and ornate than the present version, in the summer of 1893. I

was making my first trip west. After visiting at Chicago the World’s

Fair, where I was naturally impressed by the symbolic beauty of the

White City, I went on to Colorado Springs. Here I spent three weeks or

so under the purple range of the Rockies, which looked down with

surprise on a summer school. This had called to its faculty several

instructors from the east, Dr. Rolfe coming from Cambridge to teach

Shakespeare, Professor Todd from Amherst for lectures on Astronomy,

Professor Katharine Coman from Wellesley for a course in Economics. My

own subject, which seemed incongruous enough under that new and

glowing sky, was English Religious Drama.

We strangers celebrated the close of the session by a merry expedition

to the top of Pike’s Peak, making the ascent by the only method then

available for people not vigorous enough to achieve the climb on foot

nor adventurous enough for burro-riding. Prairie wagons, their

tail-boards emblazoned with the traditional slogan, “Pike’s Peak or

Bust,” were pulled by horses up to the half-way house, where the

horses were relieved by mules. We were hoping for half an hour on the

summit, but two of our party became so faint in the rarified air that

we were bundled into the wagons again and started on our downward

plunge so speedily that our sojourn on the peak remains in memory

hardly more than one ecstatic gaze. It was then and there, as I was

looking out over the sea-like expanse of fertile country spreading

away so far under those ample skies, that the opening lines of the

hymn floated into my mind. When we left Colorado Springs the four

stanzas were pencilled in my note-book, together with other memoranda,

in verse and prose, of the trip. The Wellesley work soon absorbed time

and attention again, the note-book was laid aside, and I do not

remember paying heed to these verses until the second summer

following, when I copied them out and sent them to _The

Congregationalist_, where they first appeared in print July 4, 1895.

The hymn attracted an unexpected amount of attention. It was almost at

once set to music by that eminent composer, Silas G. Pratt, and

re-published with his setting, in _Famous Songs_, issued in 1895 by

the Baker and Taylor Company. Other tunes were written for the words

and so many requests came to me, with still increasing frequency, to

permit its use in various publications and for special services that,

in 1904, I re-wrote it, trying to make the phraseology more simple and

direct.

The new form first appeared in the _Evening Transcript_ of Boston,

November 19, 1904. After the lapse of a few years, during which the

hymn had run the gauntlet of criticism, I changed the wording of the

opening quatrain of the third stanza. The hymn as printed above is the

final version, of which I retain the copyright, not as a matter of

money-making, for I have given hundreds, perhaps thousands, of free

permissions for its use, but in order to protect it from misprints and

conscious alterations.

But here comes a difficulty. Over sixty original settings, some of

them by distinguished musicians, have been written for the hymn, which

thus suffers from an embarrassment of riches. It is associated with no

one tune. The original setting which has, thus far, won widest

acceptance is that of the former Municipal Organist of Portland, Will

C. MacFarlane (sold by Cressey and Allen, 534 Congress Street,

Portland, Maine). His tune, which is played on the city chimes of

Springfield, Mass., he has made the theme of a spirited march,

_America the Beautiful_, arranged for band music. In an octavo

published by Oliver Ditson Company are included four settings, one by

Clarence G. Hamilton, professor of music at Wellesley College, and

another by W. W. Sleeper, formerly pastor of the Wellesley

Congregational Church. Both these settings have found favor with

choruses and made their way into various hymnals. This octavo carries,

also, settings by William Arms Fisher, musical editor of the Boston

house of Ditson. Other tunes that have a strong following are those of

the celebrated composer, Horatio W. Parker (in the _Methodist Sunday

School Hymnal_), Charles S. Brown (in _Junior Carols_, Society of

Christian Endeavor), John Stainer (in the _Pilgrim Hymnal_), J. A.

Demuth, professor of music at Oberlin (in _Oberlin’s Favorite Hymns_,

published by Arthur P. Schmidt), and Herbert G. Peabody of Fitchburg,

Mass., (published by H. W. Gray Company of New York). Other attractive

settings, published, privately printed or yet in manuscript, have

their special circles, and the words have been fitted to various old

tunes, as those of _Auld Lang Syne_, _The Harp that Once through

Tara’s Halls_, _The Son of God goes forth to War_ and _O Mother Dear

Jerusalem_. To this last, Materna, by S. A. Ward, in many hymnals and

well known throughout the country, _America the Beautiful_ is at

present most often sung.

That the hymn has gained, in these twenty odd years, such a hold as it

has upon our people, is clearly due to the fact that Americans are at

heart idealists, with a fundamental faith in human brotherhood.

Katharine Lee Bates

(Quoted by permission.)

_MUSIC._ MATERNA (Mother) was composed for “O mother dear, Jerusalem.”

The composer, Samuel Ward, 1847-1903, resided at Newark, N. J., where he

operated a successful music business and was for 14 years the director

of the Orpheus Club. The tune has by popular preference become

inseparably associated with the words.

344. My country, ’tis of thee _Samuel F. Smith_, 1808-95

The best loved of our patriotic hymns, widely used, and deeply imbedded

in the American soul.

His Harvard classmate, Oliver Wendell Holmes, saluted Smith in a poem

written for their class reunion on the 30th anniversary of their

graduation as follows:

And there’s a nice youngster of excellent pith—

Fate tried to conceal him by naming him Smith:

But he shouted a song for the brave and the free—

Just read on his medal, “My country,” “of thee.”

The inspiration for this hymn came from the reading of a German

patriotic poem sent him by Lowell Mason (See 348). The author, then a

young student at Andover Theological Seminary, says:

I instantly felt the impulse to write a patriotic hymn of my own,

adapted to the tune. Picking up a scrap of waste paper which lay near

me, I wrote at once, probably within half an hour, the hymn,

“America,” as it is now known everywhere. The whole hymn stands today

as it stood on the bit of waste paper.

The hymn was first sung at a children’s festival in Park Street Church,

Boston, July 4, 1832.

For comments on the author, Samuel F. Smith, see Hymn 324.

_MUSIC._ AMERICA is also the tune used with the national anthem of

Britain, “God save the king.” The melody is of obscure origin. It has

been known in England for several centuries. In Denmark it was used

toward the end of the 18th century for a national hymn, “_Heil dir dem

liebenden_,” and in Germany it was widely used in Prussian and other

northern states to patriotic words. In earlier days in the United

States, the words, “Come Thou Almighty King,” were sung to this tune.

The tune has thus nearly come to be an International Anthem.

Henry Carey, 1692-1743, an English musician of considerable ability,

known as the composer of the song, “Sally in Our Alley,” is sometimes

credited with this tune but the evidence is disputed. He wrote songs and

poems for light and burlesque operas but always with regard for decency

and good manners. His life was ended by suicide.

345. Judge Eternal, throned in splendor _Henry Scott Holland_,

1874-1918

A prayer for the nation.

The hymn was written with the English Empire in mind, but its message

and concern for the removal of national evils are such as to make it

appropriate for use nearly everywhere.

Henry Scott Holland had a distinguished career at Oxford and attained to

numerous positions of responsibility in the Church of England. He was

Professor of Divinity at Oxford and later Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The two chief interests of his fruitful life were social reform and

missionary work, both of which are embodied in this, his only hymn. The

poem was published in July, 1902, in _The Commonwealth_, a Christian

social magazine which Dr. Holland edited, and was included in the

_English Hymnal_ in 1906.

_MUSIC._ SICILIAN MARINERS. For comments on this tune see Hymn 45.

346. Once to every man and nation _James Russell Lowell_, 1819-91

A powerful hymn of national righteousness, taken from Lowell’s poem

called “The Present Crisis,” 1845, the crisis being the war with Mexico

which the author held to be unjust and would only result in enlarging

the area of slavery. To make the meter of the poem regular enough to be

sung, some alteration was inevitable.

James Russell Lowell graduated from Harvard in 1838 and was admitted to

the bar two years later. He succeeded Longfellow as Professor of Modern

Languages and Literature in Harvard, in 1855. From 1857 to 1862 he

edited the _Atlantic Monthly_ and the nine years following that he was

editor of the _North American Review_. In 1877 he was appointed minister

to Spain, and in 1881, to England, remaining at the latter post four

years. He wrote various volumes of poetry and was a prominent

anti-slavery writer both in verse and prose.

_MUSIC._ TON-Y-BOTEL, also known as “Ebenezer,” is a “solemn tune, of

very simple structure, being formed, throughout, of imitations of the

first bar.” A letter from the copyright owners, W. Gwenlyn Evans and

Son, Caernarvon, Wales, written by A. Vaughan Evans, throws interesting

light on this tune and the origin of the fictitious story which gave

rise to the name TON-Y-BOTEL. It reads, in part:

... We have pleasure in granting permission to use the tune Ebenezer

(Ton-Y-Botel) free of charge in the Mennonite Hymn Book.... It is an

original Welsh composition by T. J. Williams ... and was part of a

Memorial Anthem ‘_Goleu yn y Glyn_’ (Light in the Vale) in memory of a

friend of the composer....

You will have noticed above that the correct name of the tune is

Ebenezer and it may be of interest to learn how it acquired the

‘nickname’ Ton-Y-Botel (the bottle tune). Not long after the Welsh

Revival of 1904 the tune spread all over Wales and then England and

Scotland ‘by ear.’ There were no written or printed copies of it. A

crowd of young men were singing it on a hilltop just outside this town

of Caernarvon and the usual questions were asked: Who was the

composer, etc., when a lad for a joke said the tune had been found in

a bottle washed up by the tide on the beach at Dinas Dinlle (a small

bathing place in the Irish Sea near here). Ever since the tune has

been called by the Welsh equivalent of “Bottle Tune.” One of the young

men made a written copy of the music as it was sung all over the

country, and brought it to us to print. The demand was enormous and we

published hundred of thousands of copies.... We purchased the

world—except in Wales, the country of its origin. I do not think it is

a case of the prophet being without honour in his own country, but

rather that the popularity was so great that it was sung everywhere—in

taverns and public houses, non-religious words were sung to it,

etc.—with the result that the tune was regarded as not quite

‘respectable’ by the generation which produced it. No doubt it will be

valued by later generations of Welsh people. This has happened with

several of the best-known Welsh hymns as many of them 200 years ago

were of secular origin.

I am giving the above details so that something of its history may be

on record in the United States, and hope they may be of interest.

347. God of our fathers, whose Almighty hand _Daniel C. Roberts_,

1841-1907

A hymn of broadminded patriotism, called forth by the “Centennial”

Fourth of July celebration in 1876, held at Brandon, Vt. It was

published in various papers at the time and included in the _Hymnal_ of

the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1894. Since then it has appeared in a

number of other church hymnals.

The hymn was written by Daniel C. Roberts, a graduate of Kenyon College,

and a clergyman in the Episcopal Church.

_MUSIC._ NATIONAL HYMN was used at the Columbian celebration service at

St. Thomas’ Church, New York City, Sunday morning, October 9, 1892. It

is one of the finest processional tunes in the hymn book. The trumpet

introduction and the interludes, making it unique among hymn tunes,

gives it a quickening martial rhythm yet without losing its spirit of

sanctity and reverence.

The composer, George William Warren, 1828-1902, was an American

organist, born at Albany, N. Y. Though self-taught, he held responsible

positions as organist in Albany and then at Holy Trinity and St. Thomas’

churches in New York.

348. God bless our native land _Siegfried A. Mahlmann_, 1771-1826

_Stanza 3, William E. Hickson_, 1803-70

The first two stanzas are a free translation of Stanzas 1 and 3 of the

following patriotic song for Saxony:

Gott segne Sachsenland,

Wo fest die Treue stand

In Sturm und Nacht!

Ew’ge Gerechtigkeit,

Hoch überm Meer der Zeit,

Die jedem Sturm gebeut,

Schütz uns mit Macht!

Blühe, du Rautenkranz

In schöner Tage Glanz

Freudig empor!

Heil, Friedrich August, dir!

Heil, guter König, dir!

Dich, Vater, preisen wir

Liebend im Chor!

Was treue Herzen flehn

Steigt zu des Himmels Höh’n

Aus Nacht zum Licht.

Der unsre Liebe sah,

Der unsre Tränen sah,

Er ist uns huldreich nah,

Verlässt uns nicht.

A fourth stanza, identical with the first, follows.

It was written by the German song writer, Siegfried Augustus Mahlmann,

and published in G. W. Fink’s _Musikalischer Hausschatz_, 1842. The hymn

was first sung Nov. 13, 1815, in the presence of the King of Saxony. The

hymn was also the inspiration for Samuel F. Smith’s, “My country ’tis of

thee.”

The translation was made in 1834 by Charles T. Brooks, while a student

at the Divinity School at Cambridge, Mass. It was revised by John

Sullivan Dwight, 1813-93, to form our version. Dwight was a graduate of

Harvard Divinity School and became a Unitarian minister in Northampton,

Mass., but gave up the ministry to devote himself to literature and

music. For thirty years he owned and edited Dwight’s _Journal of Music_.

The third stanza, raising the hymn above any narrow patriotism, was

added by William E. Hickson, an English shoe manufacturer who retired

from that business to pursue literary and philanthropic interests. Much

interested in the musical culture of his people, he published various

books on music and composed numerous musical works of merit. For a time

he was editor of the _Westminster Review_.

_MUSIC._ DORT. For comments on the composer of this tune, Lowell Mason,

see Hymn 12.

349. Great God of nations, now to Thee _Alfred A. Woodhull_, 1810-36

Entitled “Thanksgiving Hymn,” this poem was written in 1828 when the

author was only eighteen years old. It was published in the Presbyterian

_Psalms and Hymns_, 1829, Princeton, N. J. There have been many

alterations of the lines.

Alfred Alexander Woodhull, son of a Presbyterian minister, graduated

from Princeton at 18 years of age, and then took a medical course at the

University of Pennsylvania. He began the practice of medicine at

Marietta, Pennsylvania, then moved to Princeton where within a year he

contracted a fever which occasioned his death. Known as a fine Christian

man as well as a skilled physician, his early death was greatly

lamented. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church.

_MUSIC._ MENDON. For comments on this tune see Hymn 211.

WORLD FRIENDSHIP AND PEACE

350. O God, we pray for all mankind _Howard J. Conover_, 1850-1925

A prayer for all the nations.

The author, Howard J. Conover, was born in New Jersey, the son of devout

Christian parents. He was educated at Pennington Seminary, Pennington,

N. J., and Dickinson College. He took up the ministry and was known to

be a studious, devout, and thoroughly faithful pastor, serving a number

of churches in his native state. A nephew, Elbert M. Conover, is the

director of The Interdenominational Bureau of Architecture, with offices

in New York City, serving twenty-five denominations.

_MUSIC._ ORTONVILLE. For comments on this tune see Hymn 120.

351. God the All-Merciful _Henry F. Chorley_, 1808-72

A touching cry for peace, based on the Russian national hymn by Chorley.

This paraphrase was written by John Ellerton, in 1870, during the

Franco-Prussian War. It was published in _Church Hymns_ in 1871.

Henry F. Chorley, an English man of letters, received his education at

the Royal Institution, Liverpool. He was a literary and music critic and

a friend and great admirer of Charles Dickens. For 34 years he was on

the editorial staff of the _Athenaeum_, published in London.

_MUSIC._ RUSSIAN HYMN was composed for the words, “God save the Czar,”

the national Russian anthem written in 1833. It is a stately, powerful

tune which most congregations love to sing, especially after it has been

used often enough to overcome certain of its difficulties. It was

written at the command of the Czar who ordered it adopted for the army.

But there is nothing about the tune itself to render it inappropriate

for the churches. In his _Memoirs_, Lwoff says that in composing this

tune he “felt and fully appreciated the necessity of accomplishing

something which would be robust, stately, stirring, national in

character, something worthy to reverberate either in a church, through

the soldiers’ ranks, or amongst a crowd of people, something which would

appeal alike to the lettered and the ignorant.”

The composer, Alexis T. Lwoff, 1799-1871, was an eminent Russian

musician, succeeding his father in St. Petersburg as head of the

imperial choir where he not only maintained the traditions of that great

organization, but raised it to still greater heights of eminence. He

composed violin concertos, operas, and church music. Lwoff had a

thorough understanding of the canonical services of the Russian Church,

and his collection of ritual chants is still considered authoritative.

352. O God of love, O King of peace _Henry W. Baker_, 1821-77

An ardent prayer for universal peace. This noble hymn was contributed by

the author to _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, London, 1861, a notable book

of which Baker was chief editor.

For comments on the author, Henry W. Baker, see Hymn 143.

_MUSIC._ QUEBEC. For comments on this tune and its composer see Hymn

171.

353. Let there be light, Lord God of hosts _William Merrill Vories_,

1880—

A good peace hymn.

The author, William Merrill Vories, was born in Leavenworth, Kansas. He

is the founder of an independent mission in the province of Omi, Japan.

Vories published the present poem February, 1909, in the _Advocate of

Peace_. Since that time, it has found a place in a number of hymn books.

The copyright, appropriately enough, is held by the American Peace

Society.

_MUSIC._ PENTECOST, a dignified tune, simple in structure, was first

used with the hymn, “Veni Creator,” and appeared in _Thirty-two Hymn

Tunes, Composed by Members of the University of Oxford_, 1868. It was

revised by Arthur Sullivan who set it to Monsell’s hymn, “Fight the good

fight with all thy might,” for the tune lends itself to spirited

rendition as well as the more devotional and contemplative as required

by the present hymn.

The composer, Rev. William Boyd, 1847-1928, was born in Jamaica and

educated at Oxford where Baring-Gould was his tutor. The latter asked

him to compose a tune to “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” for a

meeting of Yorkshire coal miners on the Day of Pentecost. The result was

this tune to which he gave the name PENTECOST. Boyd was ordained priest

in 1882 and from 1893 until his retirement in 1918, he was vicar of All

Saints, Norfolk Square, London.

354. Father eternal, Ruler of creation _Laurence Housman_, 1865—

One of the hymns of our time in which, characteristically, the

international note is struck. It was written at the request of the Rev.

H. R. L. (Dick) Sheppard, minister of St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields,

London, for the Life and Liberty movement after World War I. The bitter

experiences of that war, with the subsequent fear and distrust among the

nations, had intensified the longing for the realization of the petition

in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

This hymn gives utterance to that longing.

Laurence Housman is an English artist known chiefly for his book

illustrations, but he is also known as a writer of poetry and prose of

merit. A contemporary wrote of him: “He has the heart of compassion for

the little ones of the earth, the dumb and the helpless, that ought to

be, but is not always, an essential part of poetry. His is the true

Franciscan spirit.”

_MUSIC._ OLD 124TH is from the _Genevan Psalter_, 1551, where it is set

to Psalm 124. It is commonly attributed to L. Bourgeois (See 34). The

tune has always been popular in England with the non-conformist churches

and is one of the few surviving tunes from the _Old Version Psalter._

355. Not alone for mighty empire _William Pierson Merrill_, 1867—

A hymn of thanksgiving and of the higher patriotism, glorying not in

empire nor in battleship and fortress but in the things of the spirit

which have made America great. It was first printed in _The Continent_,

a Presbyterian paper, now defunct, published in Chicago.

Concerning the origin of the hymn, Dr. Merrill wrote in a letter dated

April 18, 1947:

The occasion for the writing of this hymn was a Union Thanksgiving

Service in Chicago, where Jenkin Lloyd Jones made a prayer, in which

he thanked God more for spiritual values in our national life than for

any temporal ones. That prayer inspired my hymn.

Howard Chandler Robbins, Professor of Pastoral Theology in the General

Theological Seminary, New York City, says: “On Thanksgiving Day we all

ought to be singing Dr. Merrill’s great Thanksgiving hymn, one of the

greatest national hymns in the English language.”

For comments on William Pierson Merrill see Hymn 183.

_MUSIC._ IN BABILONE. For comments on this tune see Hymn 122.

356. Thy Kingdom come! O Lord, we daily cry _Henry W. Hawkes_,

1843-1917

One of our few hymns on the petition, “Thy Kingdom come.” It is an

earnest prayer for social righteousness and peace. The hymn was written

by Henry Warburton Hawkes, an English Unitarian.

No further information is at hand concerning the author.

_MUSIC._ FFIGYSBREN. For comments on this tune see Hymn 183.

357. Peace in our time, O Lord _John Oxenham_, 1852-1941

A beautiful prayer for the peace which is “based upon Thy will and built

in righteousness.” The author, having learned that a new hymnary was to

be published, and aware of the Mennonite position on war and peace, sent

this hymn from England for inclusion in this book with the request that

it be used with the tune “Diademata.”

For comments on the author, John Oxenham, see Hymn 320.

_MUSIC._ DIADEMATA. For comments on this tune and its composer, George

J. Elvey, see Hymn 118.

THE CHRISTIAN HOME AND FAMILY

358. O happy home, where Thou art loved the dearest _Carl J. P.

Spitta_, 1801-59

_Tr. Sarah L. Findlater_, 1823-1907

O selig Haus, wo man dich aufgenommen,

Du wahrer Seelenfreund, Herr Jesu Christ;

Wo unter allen Gästen, die da kommen,

Du der gefeiertste und liebste bist;

Wo aller Herzen dir entgegenschlagen

Und aller Augen freudig auf dich sehn;

Wo aller Lippen dein Gebot erfragen

Und alle deines Winks gewärtig stehn!

O selig Haus, wo Mann und Weib in _einer_,

In deiner Liebe _eines_ Geistes sind,

Als beide _eines_ Heils gewürdigt, keiner

Im Glaubensgrunde anders ist gesinnt;

Wo beide unzertrennbar an dir hangen

In Lieb’ und Leid, Gemach und Ungemach,

Und nur bei dir zu bleiben stets verlangen

An jedem guten wie am bösen Tag!

O selig Haus, wo man die lieben Kleinen

Mit Händen des Gebets ans Herz dir legt,

Du Freund der Kinder, der sie als die Seinen

Mit mehr als Mutterliebe hegt und pflegt;

Wo sie zu deinen Füssen gern sich sammeln

Und horchen deiner süssen Rede zu

Und lernen früh dein Lob mit Freuden stammeln,

Sich deiner freun du lieber Heiland, du!

O selig Haus, wo du die Freude teilest,

Wo man bei keiner Freude dein vergisst!

O selig Haus, wo du die Wunden heilest

Und aller Arzt und aller Tröster bist,

Bis jeder einst sein Tagewerk vollendet,

Und bis sie endlich alle ziehen aus

Dahin, woher der Vater dich gesendet,

Ins grosse, freie, schöne Vaterhaus!

Based on Luke 19:9: “This day is salvation come to this house,” the poem

originally bore the title, “Salvation is come to this house.” It is

probably the best hymn ever written on the Christian home.

The author of the hymn enjoyed a singularly happy and peaceful home

life, not only under the parental roof, but also after he was married

and had established his own home. Carl Spitta, Lutheran minister and

greatest German hymn writer of the nineteenth century, was born in

Hannover. His father came from a Huguenot family that fled France during

the Catholic persecutions and died when Carl was only four years old.

His mother was a Christian Jewess whose loving care no doubt inspired

the son to write this hymn on the home. After completing his theological

studies in 1824, Spitta taught school for four years and then was

ordained in 1828 to the Lutheran ministry. He passed through a deep

spiritual experience about this time which resulted in the composition

of his finest hymns. “In the manner in which I formerly sang,” he wrote

a friend in 1826, “I sing no more. To the Lord I dedicate my life, my

love, and likewise my song. He gave to me song and melody. I give it

back to Him.”

His hymns were received with enthusiasm and held in the same esteem in

Germany as Keble’s _Christian Year_ in England. His collection of hymns,

_Psalter und Harfe_, first published in 1833, passed through more than

50 editions and a second collection printed in 1843 had by 1887 passed

through 42 editions.

Spitta had a family of seven children, one of whom became Professor of

New Testament Exegesis and Practical Theology in the University of

Strassburg, and another, John August Spitta, wrote the monumental

four-volume work on the life of J. S. Bach.

The translator of the hymn, Sarah Findlater, also knew the blessings of

a happy home. Her daughter wrote concerning her mother:

Her home life with my father was almost idyllically happy, in the

small manse at Lochearnhead, where there never was enough of money,

yet where my parents exercised unceasing hospitality—almost foolish

hospitality. They were both great readers, and used to read aloud to

each other for hours. My mother was an excellent linguist, and her

German translations were a great pleasure to her. That simple little

hymn of hers which begins “O happy home,” is really an epitome of her

home life with my father—they were so single-eyed in their longing to

serve God: it came first with them always.

For further comments on Sarah Findlater, see comments on her sister,

Jane Borthwick, Hymn 54.

_MUSIC._ O SELIG HAUS is a popular German melody written in 1854 by

Edward Niemeyer. Information concerning the composer has not been

traced.

359. Thou gracious God, whose mercy lends _Oliver Wendell Holmes_,

1809-94

Written by Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1869 to be read or sung at the

annual meeting of the 1829 college class of Harvard University, of which

he was a member. The famous class included in its membership J. Freeman

Clarke, founder of the Disciples, and Samuel F. Smith, author of

“America.” The forty years of retrospect, mingled with sunshine and

shadow, are touched here with tenderness and grace.

For comments on Oliver W. Holmes see Hymn 172.

_MUSIC._ ES KAM DIE GNADENVOLLE appears in the _Gesangbuch mit Noten_ to

the words, “Früh Morgens da die Sonn’ Aufgeht.”

The composer, Johann Heinrich Egli, 1741-1810, was born in Seegräben,

Switzerland. He was a pupil of Pastor Schmiedli at Wetzikon, and became

a music teacher in Zurich, where he died. His compositions for voice,

both sacred and secular, won great popularity in Switzerland.

360. There is beauty all around _John H. McNaughton_, 1863

A tender lyric in praise of the home where love dwells. Especially fine

are the lines,

All the earth is filled with love

When there’s love at home,

for it recognizes the wide influence of the home, the primary social

institution where the first lessons of the Christian life are learned. A

nation’s peace and prosperity is rooted in the quality of life found in

its homes.

The words and music are by John Hugh McNaughton, who was born 1829, in

Caledonia, N. Y., of Scottish parentage. His lyrics have some literary

qualities and Henry W. Longfellow once wrote to McNaughton: “Your poems

have touched me very much.” He composed many popular songs, including

“The Blue and the Gray,” and “Faded Coat of Blue,” which sold by the

hundreds of thousands of copies. He is the author of a _Treatise on

Music and Onnalinda_, a metrical romance.

361. Happy the home when God is there _Henry Ware_, Jr., 1794-1843

One of the strongest hymns on the Christian home. It first appeared in

_Selections of Hymns and Poetry_, Boston, 1846, compiled by Mrs. Herbert

Mayo, where it was entitled, “The Happy Home.”

For comments on the author, Henry Ware, Jr., see Hymn 13.

_MUSIC._ ST. AGNES. For comments on this tune see Hymn 155.

362. Bless the four corners of this house _Arthur Guiterman_,

1871-1943

A poem for use in the dedication of a Christian home, first printed in

_House and Garden_ magazine about thirty years ago. Since then it has

become widely known both here and abroad. Its first use as a hymn was in

the _Methodist Hymnal_ of 1935, edited by Dr. Robert McCutchan.

The author, Arthur Guiterman, was a writer, poet, and speaker. He was

born in Vienna, Austria, November 20, 1871, of American parents, his

mother being a native of Ohio. Most of his education was received in New

York City, his college course having been completed in the City College.

Guiterman was a frequent contributor to _Harper’s Magazine_, _The

Saturday Evening Post_, _The Youth’s Companion_, _Ladies Home Journal_,

and other leading magazines. His poetry is written on a large variety of

subjects. Joyce Kilmer characterized him as “the most American of

poets.”

_MUSIC._ ICH SINGE DIR is a familiar melody in the _Gesangbuch mit

Noten_ where it appears anonymously, set to the words, “_Ich singe Dir

mit Herz und Mund_,” by Paul Gerhardt.

363. Lord of life and King of glory _Christian Burke_, 1859—

A mother’s prayer, written by Miss Burke in December, 1903, and

published the following February in _The Treasury_, where it was headed,

“Prize Hymn for Mothers’ Union Service.” It was included in _The English

Hymnal_, 1906.

Miss Christian Burke was born in London. She contributed poems to

various periodicals and in 1896 published a collection of her poetic

writings, with the title, _The Flowering of the Almond Tree_.

_MUSIC._ The tune was found in _St. Basil’s Hymnal_, published by the

Basilian Fathers, Chicago, 1918. It bears no name and the composer is

not identified. The hymn is also sung to the tune “Silician Mariners”

(45).

MOTHER’S DAY

364. Motherhood, sublime, eternal _J. S. Cutler_, 1856-1930

Suitable for Mother’s Day.

The hymn and tune are found in _Hymns of the Spirit_, published in

Boston, 1937.

Julian Stearns Cutler, born at Thomaston, Maine, graduated from Tufts

Theological School, Tufts College, Mass., in 1885, and served

Universalist churches in Marblehead, Melrose, and Orange, Mass.,

1896-1904; in Little Falls, N. Y., 1904-10; and in Pawtucket, R. I.,

1910-26. He wrote a good deal of occasional verse published in

newspapers, especially in the _Boston Transcript_, and his collected

poems were privately printed under the title, _Songs of Cheer_, about a

year after his death. His hymn, “Motherhood, sublime, eternal,” written

about 1910, was adapted for use in Universalist hymn books and in

slightly altered form in _Hymns of the Spirit_, 1937. It was taken from

the latter for use in the _Hymnary_.

_MUSIC._ MOTHERHOOD. No information has been traced concerning the

origin of this tune or its composer, Willis A. Moore, except that Moore

was a member of the Universalists but left their fellowship some years

ago. The Universalist Publishing House, Boston, from whom inquiry was

made, has no further information at hand.

FAREWELL SERVICE

365. God be with you till we meet again _Jeremiah E. Rankin,_

1828-1904

Written for the purpose of a Christian good-by.

The author, Jeremiah E. Rankin, was pastor of the First Congregational

Church in Washington, D. C., when he wrote this hymn. Later, in 1889, he

became president of Howard University, a Negro institution in the same

city. He was always a friend of the colored people and did what he could

for their advancement.

He has given us the origin of the hymn as follows:

Written in 1882 as a Christian good-by, it was called forth by no

person or occasion, but was deliberately composed as a Christian hymn

on the basis of the etymology of “good-by,” which is “God be with

you.” The first stanza was written and sent to two composers—one of

unusual note, the other wholly unknown and not thoroughly educated in

music. I selected the composition of the latter, submitted it to J. W.

Bishoff (the musical director of a little book we were preparing), who

approved of it but made some criticisms which were adopted. It was

sung for the first time one evening in the First Congregational Church

in Washington, of which I was then the pastor and Mr. Bishoff the

organist. I attributed its popularity in no little part to the music

to which it was set. It was a wedding of words and music, at which it

was my function to preside; but Mr. Tomer should have his full share

of the family honor.

_MUSIC._ FAREWELL was composed by William G. Tomer, 1832-96, an American

journalist who made music his avocation. In early life he taught school,

later becoming the editor of the _Hunterdon Gazette_ at High Ridge, New

Jersey. The hymn he helped make famous was sung at his funeral by a

large assembly of friends and neighbors.

OUR FOREFATHERS

366. Uplift the song of praise _Frederick L. Hosmer,_ 1840-1929

A hymn of praise for God’s leading of our forefathers. The author traced

his own descent from the Pilgrim Fathers, one of his ancestors, James

Hosmer, having come to Concord in 1635. In writing the hymn, he had the

Pilgrims in mind, but his words are fully as applicable to other

immigrant groups such as the Mennonites who came at different times from

Europe to settle here in “lands untrod.”

For comments on Frederick L. Hosmer see Hymn 72.

_MUSIC,_ LEONI (Yigdal). For comments on this tune see Hymn 14.

367. O God, beneath Thy guiding hand _Leonard Bacon_, 1802-81

Written for the 200th anniversary of the founding of New Haven, Conn.,

celebrated April 25, 1833, in Center Church where the author was pastor.

Dr. Bacon delivered the main historical address on this occasion and

used the theme of the sermon for the basis of this hymn.

Leonard Bacon, son of missionaries to the Indians at the then frontier

trading post of Detroit, graduated from Yale and Andover Theological

Seminary. He was minister of the Center Congregational Church, New

Haven, for the forty-one years from 1825 to 1866 and professor and

lecturer at Yale Divinity School from 1866 till his death in 1881.

Always interested in sacred music, he rendered a great service to the

church by the hymns he wrote as well as his compilations of hymns.

_MUSIC._ DUKE STREET. For comments on this tune see Hymn 341.

368. In pleasant lands have fall’n the lines _James Flint_, 1779-1855

A fine memorial hymn.

The author, James Flint, was born in Reading, Mass. After graduating

from Harvard, he served as pastor of the Unitarian Church at East

Bridgewater, Mass., 1806-1821, and at the East Church, Salem, Mass.,

from 1821 until his death in 1855. His hymns were published in his

_Collection of Hymns for the Christian Church and Home_, 1840, the

present being the single one which survives today.

_MUSIC._ WAREHAM. For comments on this tune see Hymn 208.

369. Eternal One, Thou living God _Samuel Longfellow_, 1819-92

A hymn of the Church Universal, the great company of faithful souls of

every age and land. The God who led our fathers, still leads His people

into new truth and sets before them new goals.

For comments on Samuel Longfellow see Hymn 28.

_MUSIC._ WINCHESTER NEW. This tune is also used extensively with

Milman’s hymn, “Ride on! Ride on in majesty” (101). It was set to the

hymn, “_Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten_,” in the _Musikalisches

Handbuch_, printed in Hamburg, 1690. The earlier history of the tune is

obscure, and its composer is unknown. It appeared in various collections

under the name “Frankfurt” and “Crasselius.” In a volume published in

Glasgow, 1762, entitled, _The Psalm-Singer’s Delightful Pocket

Companion_, it was used in long meter and named “Winchester.” It should

not be confused with “Winchester Old” (191).

HOSPITAL SUNDAY

370. Thou to whom the sick and dying _Godfrey Thring_, 1823-1903

A hospital hymn written in 1870 under the text, “And they brought unto

Him all sick people ... and He healed them” (Matt. 4:24).

It was first published in _Hymns for the Church Service_, 1871, by W. H.

Hutton. Later it was revised for the author’s _Hymns and Sacred Lyrics_,

1874.

For comments on Godfrey Thring, see Hymn 89.

_MUSIC._ WALTHAM. The tune appears with its original name, “Gott des

Himmels und der Erden,” at Hymn 573, which see for comments on the tune

and the composer. The original form of the melody is in triple time.

Bach thought enough of the tune to use it in his _Christmas Oratorio_.

TEMPERANCE SUNDAY

371. Now to heav’n our pray’r ascending _William E. Hickson_, 1803-70

A crusading hymn full of assurance that the cause of right, though

delayed by its foes, will surely succeed in God’s own time.

For comments on the author, William E. Hickson, see Hymn 348.

_MUSIC._ GOD SPEED THE RIGHT is attributed to Ernst Moritz Arndt,

1769-1860, a German preacher, editor, professor of history, and writer

of sacred and secular songs. Julian speaks of him as a “man of learning,

a true patriot, a distinguished poet ... a man of deep religious

feeling, and a true-hearted and earnest witness of the Evangelical

Faith.” The _Dictionary_ notes a number of his hymns but makes no

mention of musical compositions.

LABOR DAY

372. Jesus, Thou divine Companion _Henry van Dyke_, 1852-1933

A fine hymn on the dignity of labor, holding up the ideal of Christian

service.

For comments on the author, Henry van Dyke, see Hymn 10.

_MUSIC._ HYFRYDOL. For comments on this Welsh tune see Hymn 69.

373. O Son of Man, Thou madest known _Milton S. Littlefield_,

1864-1934

A hymn on the sacredness of work, connecting Jesus with the labor of

mankind. The emphasis on the social aspect of religion in terms of our

common life is a dominant note in twentieth-century hymnody.

The author, Milton S. Littlefield, was born in New York City; educated

at Johns Hopkins and Union Theological Seminary; and became an honored

and prominent Presbyterian minister. Recognized as an authority in the

field of hymnology, he edited two hymn books and was elected president

of the American Hymn Society, 1927-28. Besides the present hymn, he

wrote another beginning with the line, “Come, O Lord, like morning

sunlight.” Both are serviceable hymns, and it is singular that neither

found its way into the Presbyterian _Hymnal_, 1933.

_MUSIC._ BROOKFIELD. This tune first appeared in the _Congregational

Church Hymnal_, London, 1887, edited by Dr. E. J. Hopkins (See 43). The

book contained the best hymn tunes for congregational singing then

available.

The composer, Thomas Bishop Southgate, 1814-68, received his musical

education under Sir John Goss and Samuel S. Wesley. For many years he

was organist at St. Anne’s Church, London.

374. Though lowly here our lot may be _William Gaskell_, 1805-84

A hymn on the dignity of all work which is done through faith and trust

in Christ.

The author, William Gaskell, studied at Glasgow University and

Manchester College, York, and became a Unitarian minister. His one and

only charge was Cross Street Chapel, Manchester. He became Professor of

English History and Literature in Manchester New College and was an

influential leader in the community in the promotion of education and

culture. His denomination bestowed upon him its highest honors. Mrs.

Gaskell, a woman of brilliance and unusual literary gifts was encouraged

by her husband to engage in literary work to distract her mind from the

grief caused by the death of their little son. She turned out to be a

popular writer, publishing works of fiction and the life of Charlotte

Brontë. A memorial to her bears testimony to her genius, and to the

“tenderness and fidelity” with which she adorned the minister’s home.

Gaskell, a pioneer in social reform, wrote this hymn sometime before

1860.

_MUSIC._ ABRIDGE is also known as “ST. STEPHEN” (See 266 and 590).

For comments on the tune see Hymn 266.

HARVEST AND THANKSGIVING

375. We plow the fields, and scatter _Matthias Claudius_, 1740-1815

This is one of the finest harvest hymns.

In 1783 Claudius wrote a sketch called, “Paul Erdman’s Feast,” in which

there is an interesting picture of a harvest thanksgiving celebration in

the home of a North German farmer. The farm folk gather at the house of

Erdman and as they do so they sing:

Wir pflügen und wir streuen

Den Samen auf das Land,

Doch Wachstum und Gedeihen

Steht nicht in unserer Hand.

Alle gute Gabe

Kommt oben her, von Gott

Vom schönen blauen Himmel herab.

Matthias Claudius, son of a Lutheran pastor in Germany, became

distinguished in journalism and literature. He studied theology with a

view of entering the ministry; but through the influence of the

rationalistic teachings in Germany at the time, he lost interest in

religion and decided to take up journalism. Later, stricken with a

critical illness, he realized the spiritual emptiness of the life he had

been living, and again turned to his childhood faith. In the lyrics he

wrote, though not composed as church hymns, there may be observed a

transition from the spiritual impoverishment of the rationalistic period

to a new type of religious poetry giving expression to a turning once

more to the rugged faith of evangelicalism.

The hymn was translated by Jane Campbell, 1817-78, a successful teacher

of music to children. She published a _Handbook for Singers_ in which

are found the musical exercises the author used in her work with London

children. The original hymn is in 17 four-line verses.

_MUSIC._ WIR PFLÜGEN appeared in _Lieder für Volksschulen_, a collection

of melodies for public schools, published, 1800, in Hannover. It was set

to an arrangement of verses 3-10 of Claudius’ song, with the chorus sung

by peasants, altered to suit the melody. The hymn has ever since been

extraordinarily popular throughout Germany. “The tune, in spite of its

wide compass, has become one of the best known and favored of all hymn

tunes, and fully deserves its popularity.”

376. Thank the Lord _G. N. Fischer_, 1748-1800

_Tr. C. E. Krehbiel_, 1869-1948

Based on Jeremiah 33:11,

Give thanks to the Lord of hosts,

For the Lord is good,

For his kindness endures forever.

(Am. Trans.)

Dankt dem Herrn! mit frohen Gaben

Füllet er das ganze Land!

Alles, Alles, was wir haben,

Kommt aus seiner Vaterhand.

Dankt dem Herrn! er giebt uns Leben

Giebt uns Nahrung und Gedeihn.

O wer wollt ihn nicht erheben

Und sich seiner Güte freun!

Dankt dem Herrn! vergisz, O Seele,

Deines guten Vaters nie!

Werd ihm ähnlich und erzähle

Seine Wunder spät und früh.

The author, Gottlob Nath. Fischer, was born at Graba, near Saalfeld. At

the time of his death he was head master of the cathedral school and

counselor of the consistory at Halberstadt.

The translation was made by C. E. Krehbiel, Mennonite minister and

editor who was born at Summerfield, Ill., the son of Rev. Christian and

Susanna Ruth Krehbiel. After completing his education at the

Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Bloomfield, N. J., 1898-99, and in

Berlin University, Germany, 1899-1901, Krehbiel became a member of the

business firm, The Herald Publishing Co., Newton, Kansas, serving in the

editorial and business offices for a period of 20 years. He served as

editor of _Der Christlicher Bundesbote_, 1930-46, and as president of

the General Conference of Mennonites for the two trienniums, 1935-41.

Krehbiel was also a member of the committee that compiled the _Hymnary_.

_MUSIC._ RINGE RECHT. For comments on this tune see Hymn 563.

377. Come, ye thankful people, come _Henry Alford_, 1810-71

A popular and widely used hymn at harvest festivals, especially in

England. It was first published under the title “After Harvest,” in

1844. In 1867, it was revised by the author, the form here being this

revised version.

For comments on Henry Alford see Hymn 152.

_MUSIC._ ST. GEORGE’S WINDSOR has long been associated with these words,

to which it is well suited in every way. Originally, however, the tune

was set to the hymn “Hark! the song of jubilee.”

For comments on the composer, George J. Elvey, see Hymn 118.

378. To Thee, O Lord, our hearts we raise _William Chatterdon Dix_,

1837-98

A popular thanksgiving hymn, written in the author’s most facile and

musical style. The hymn was published in St. Raphael’s _Hymns for the

Service of the Church_, Bristol, 1864.

For comments on the author, William Chatterdon Dix, see Hymn 78.

_MUSIC._ ST. GALL is from _Katolisches Gesangbuch zum Gebrauch bei dem

öffentlichen Gottesdienste_, 1863, the revised edition of the old hymn

book used in the Benedictine Monastery founded in 614 A.D. by the Irish

monk, St. Gall. It is a fine tune with a good swinging rhythm when sung

at a fairly lively tempo.

NEW YEAR

379. Ring out, wild bells _Alfred Tennyson_, 1809-92

From Sec. 106 of the poem “In Memoriam” (See 149).

After tracing his grief through successive Christmas celebrations, the

poet bursts into this song of confident faith in God at the opening of

the new year. The poet turns from the past and rises above his private

grief to sing of the future and its hopes for mankind.

For comments on Alfred Tennyson see Hymn 149.

_MUSIC._ WILD BELLS was written for this poem by Henry Lahee, 1826-1912,

organist at the Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, England, for about 30

years. Lahee, a versatile composer, won many prizes for his glees,

madrigals, and part songs.

The tune is very effective but too difficult for ordinary congregational

singing. It was included in the _Hymnary_ for use by singing groups

preparing for special celebrations of New Year.

380. Another year is dawning _Frances Ridley Havergal_, 1836-79

A prayer for the New Year, hailing its advent as another opportunity for

progress, service, and training in close fellowship with God.

The poem was written in five stanzas of four lines each as the text of a

New Year’s card and distributed by Miss Havergal among friends under the

title, “A Happy New Year! Ever Such May It Be!”

The omitted fifth stanza reads:

Another year is dawning

Dear Father, let it be

On earth, or else in heaven

Another year for Thee.

For comments on Frances R. Havergal see Hymn 126.

_MUSIC._ CRUCIFIX, of anonymous composition, was taken from the _Hymns

of the Spirit_, Boston: Beacon Press, 1938, where it is used as a second

tune to Miss Havergal’s hymn.

381. Another year of setting suns _John W. Chadwick_, 1840-1904

This poem came from the Unitarian stream of hymnody which was so strong

during the middle of the nineteenth century. Chadwick, born at

Marblehead, Mass., graduated from Harvard in 1864 and the following 40

years served as minister of the Second Unitarian Church in Brooklyn. He

wrote biographies of Channing and Parker and is the author of

considerable poetry. It has been noted that many of his hymns possess

the simplicity and spirit of the writings of Whittier, the Quaker poet,

and might easily pass for his.

_MUSIC._ HOLY CROSS. The source of this tune is not clear. It is

ascribed in various hymnals to Thomas Hastings, to Mendelssohn, to John

Stainer, and to Mozart. James Love, who was well informed on English

hymn tunes, says that it was adapted from an anonymous organ “Andante”

which was said to be based on a theme by Mozart. The tune, in 3-4 time,

appears in the _Methodist Hymnal_, 1935, the arrangement credited to

James C. Wade, an organist and conductor of choral groups, born in

Staffordshire, England, 1847.

382. The year is gone beyond recall _Latin_

_Tr. F. Pott_, 1832-1909

From a Latin hymn, _Lapsus est annus_, found in a Breviary of Meaux,

1713 and 1734. It was used for compline after the first vespers of the

Festival of the Circumcision, which is the last office sung on December

31. The original reads as follows:

Lapsus est annus: redit annus alter:

Vita sic mutis fugit acta pennis:

Tu, Deus, cursum moderaris, unus

Arbiter, aevi.

Gens tuis plaudit cumulata donis:

Te simul votis Dominum precatur,

Servet intactum fidei verendae

Patriae munus.

Supplices poscunt alimenta cives:

Finibus morbos patriis repellas:

Larga securae referas, benignus

Commoda pacis.

Postulant culpas venia relaxes:

Limites arctos vitiis reponas;

Past graves pugnas tua dat salubrem

Dextera palmam.

Noxiae vitae maculas perosi

Cor, Deus, nostrum tibi devovemus:

Da bonos annos, facilemque Patris

Indue vultum.

Dum dies currunt, redeunt et anni,

Et gradu certo sibi saecla cedunt,

Debitas laudes Triadi supremae

Concinat orbis.

Text from Daniel, H. A., _Thesaurus hymnologicus_, 5 vols.; Lipsiae:

1855-1856, IV, 319.

The translation was made by Francis Pott, M. A., Curate of Ticehurst,

Sussex, and one of the editors of _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, London,

1861. The original form of Pott’s translation appeared first in a hymnal

compiled by him, _Hymns Fitted to the Order of Common Prayer, etc._,

London, 1864. It reads as follows:

The year is gone beyond recall;

’Tis gone—with all its hopes and fears,

With all its joys for those new born,

With all its troubled mourners’ tears.

We thank Thee, Lord, for countless gifts,

For dangers we have passed unscathed;

We thank Thee for Thy Church preserved;

Oh! seal to us her ancient Faith.

Again we ask Thy goodness, Lord;

The coming year in mercy bless;

Guard Thou our land from pestilence;

And give us grace and plenteousness.

Forgive this nation’s many sins;

Destroy the strength that sin has gained;

And give us grace with sin to strive;

And give us crowns through strife attained.

We hate the sins that stain the past;

We would henceforth from them be free;

O grant us peaceful years, good Lord;

And we will spend them all to Thee.

We would that our good Father’s eye

Should look on us—but not in wrath;

And we, Thy children, year by year,

A purer song of praise pour forth. Amen.

When the hymn was selected for _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, the

translation was altered into its present form. The last stanza is

omitted in the _Hymnary_. The English and Latin are published in _Hymns,

Ancient and Modern_, Historical Edition, London, Clowes, 1909.

_MUSIC._ TALLIS, also called “Tallis’ Ordinal,” is from _The Whole

Psalter translated into English Metre, which contayneth an hundreth and

fifty Psalmes_, a work by Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury,

printed about 1561. At the end of the book are nine tunes in four parts

by Thomas Tallis. This is the last of the nine and is set to the version

of _Veni Creator Spiritus_, which appears in the _English Prayer Book

Ordinal_. The tune was evidently derived by Tallis from a 15th-century

English carol tune, “This endris Nyght”—for it is an adaptation to

common time of the first two lines of this carol melody.

For comments on Thomas Tallis, see Hymn 33.

383. Great God, we sing that mighty hand _Philip Doddridge_, 1702-51

A New Year’s hymn from the posthumous edition of Doddridge’s _Hymns

founded on various texts in the Holy Scriptures_, 1745, where it is

headed, “Help obtained from God. Acts 26:22. For the New Year.”

It is based on Acts 26:22: “Having therefore obtained help of God, I

continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none

other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should

come.”

Most of Doddridge’s hymns were composed for use in his own congregation

in connection with his sermons. None of them were published during his

life time.

For further comments on Doddridge see Hymn 56.

_MUSIC._ GERMANY. For this tune see Hymn 222.

WINTER

384. ’Tis winter now _Samuel Longfellow_, 1819-92

A “delicately etched winter hymn” which appeared in _Hymns of the

Spirit_, 1864, by Samuel Longfellow and Samuel Johnson.

For comments on the author, Samuel Longfellow, see Hymn 28.

_MUSIC._ MELROSE. For comments on the composer, Frederick C. Maker, see

Hymn 112. This combination of hymn and tune was made by the editors of

the _Hymnary_.

SPRING

385. The glory of the spring, how sweet _Thomas Hornblower Gill_,

1819-1906

Based on Psalm 104:30: “... thou renewest the face of the earth,” and

Ephesians 4:23: “... be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”

It is an exquisite lyric, expressing not only the glory of the

springtime with its newborn life, but depicting also, with rare beauty

and power, the renewal of life which God works in the soul—a new birth

of faith and love, prayer and song. The author himself wrote that, as a

result of the study of the New Testament, “truth upon truth brake upon

my gaze and God put a new song into my mouth.”

Thomas Hornblower Gill, born in Birmingham, England, was brought up a

Unitarian, but, unsatisfied with the Unitarian view of the person of

Christ, he withdrew from that church and joined the Evangelical party in

the Church of England. One of the major influences leading him to this

decision was his study of the hymns of Isaac Watts. He saw “the contrast

between their native force and fulness and their shrunken and dwindled

presentation in the mutilated version in Unitarian hymnbooks.” Gill

published a number of books of poems which R. W. Dale, in compiling a

hymnbook for his congregation at Carr’s Lane, Birmingham, found “a very

mine of wealth.”

_MUSIC._ KING’S LANGLEY, “a delightfully gay tune,” is an arrangement of

a traditional English May-day carol. It appeared in the _English Hymnal_

of 1906. The arrangement is by Miss L. E. Broadwood, an English lady of

considerable musical talent.

SUMMER

386. Summer suns are glowing _William W. How_, 1823-97

One of the most welcome of the hymns of the changing year. It was

written for _Church Hymns_, 1871.

The author wrote a hymn for each of the four seasons, another appearing

at No. 387.

For comments on W. W. How see Hymn 144.

_MUSIC._ RUTH, composed by Samuel Smith, privately printed in 1865, was

set to the present hymn in 1874 by Arthur Sullivan when he was editing

the music for _Church Hymns_.

Samuel Smith, 1821-1917 (not to be confused with the author of “My

country, ’tis of thee”), was an English organist, serving Trinity

Church, Windsor, for 34 years. He succeeded Sir George Elvey as

conductor of the Windsor and Eton Choral Society.

AUTUMN

387. The year is swiftly waning _William W. How_, 1823-97

A hymn for the autumn season. Like No. 386, it was written for the

author’s _Church Hymns_, 1871.

For comments on W. W. How see Hymn 144.

_MUSIC._ WAS KANN ES SCHÖN’RES GEBEN is from the _Gesangbuch mit Noten_

where it appears anonymously, set to a hymn by Philipp Spitta, “Was kann

es schön’res geben.”

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

388. Father of men, in whom are one _Henry Cary Shuttleworth_,

1850-1900

A deeply sympathetic Christian hymn, written for the Friendly Societies

of the Church of England, but may appropriately be used for many

occasions of a more general character. It is especially useful in the

life of a college campus.

The author, Henry Cary Shuttleworth, was educated at Oxford for the

Anglican ministry. He was a minor canon in St. Paul’s Cathedral,

1876-84, and rector of St. Nicholas Cole Abbey, London, from 1883.

Concerned for the poor and down-trodden of London, Shuttleworth became a

prominent member of the Christian Social movement. For a time he was

Professor of Pastoral and Liturgical Theology in King’s College, London.

An able musician, he wrote many carols and hymns and published a book,

_The Place of Music in Public Worship_. The present hymn appeared in the

St. Nicholas Cole Abbey _Hymnal Appendix_, 1897, and in the _Church

Monthly_, 1898, with music by the author.

_MUSIC._ ST. LO is a unique melody, constructed on three phrases of

three measures each. It is a simple, diatonic tune, moving within the

pitch range of a sixth, with the third phrase a repetition of the first.

It should be sung in a quiet manner, and is well adapted for unison

singing. The tune, an old Breton melody, appeared in _School Worship_,

London, 1926, from whence it was introduced into the _Presbyterian

Hymnal_ of 1935 and from thence to the _Hymnary_.

389. O grant us light that we may know _Lawrence Tuttiett_, 1825-97

A prayer for the light from God to illuminate the mind in its search for

truth.

The author wrote many of his hymns on returning from visiting the sick

and bereaved, expressing in them thoughts of consolation for families in

sorrow and trouble. That this hymn may have had a similar origin is

indicated by the omitted Stanzas 4 and 5, which are as follows:

O grant us light, in grief and pain,

To lift our burdened hearts above,

And count the very cross a gain,

And bless our Father’s hidden love.

O grant us light, when, soon or late,

All earthly scenes shall pass away,

In Thee to find the open gate

To deathless home and endless day.

Lawrence Tuttiett, son of a surgeon in the English Royal Navy, at first

intended to follow his father into the medical profession, but, after

studying at Christ’s Hospital and King’s College, London, he decided to

become a minister. He was ordained in 1848 and devoted his life to the

Episcopal Church, ministering in various parishes in England and

Scotland. His publications include _Hymns for Churchmen_, 1854; _Hymns

for Children of the Church_, 1862; and _Gems of Thought on the Sunday

Services_, 1864. The present hymn appeared in the last-named

publication.

_Music._ CANONBURY. For comments on this tune see Hymn 296.

390. Almighty Lord, with one accord _Melancthon Woolsey Stryker_,

1851-1929

“A College Hymn” was the title given this poem, first printed in _The

New York Evangelist_, February 27, 1896. It was included in _The College

Hymnal_, New York, the same year and in the _Methodist Hymnal_ of 1905.

The author, Melancthon Woolsey Stryker, a prominent Presbyterian

minister, was educated at Hamilton College, New York, and Auburn

Theological Seminary. After serving churches in Auburn and Ithaca, New

York; Holyoke, Mass.; and Chicago, Ill., he became president of his Alma

Mater, Hamilton College. A student of hymnology, he compiled several

hymnals and books of sacred songs.

The hymn is appropriately used for commencement programs at Christian

colleges. On such occasions it is often sung to the familiar tune

“Azmon” (397).

_MUSIC._ PATTEN was written for this hymn for use in _The Methodist

Hymnal_, 1905. The composer, Peter C. Lutkin, 1858-1931, the youngest of

six children, was born of Danish parents, at Thompsonville, Wis., March

27, 1858. He was only a lad when both his parents died, shortly after

the family had moved to Chicago. His ability at the organ and his

success as boy soloist at the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral in Chicago

opened to him attractive opportunities for the study of music, and he

advanced rapidly. After teaching piano at Northwestern University for

several years, he left for Europe to study music in Berlin, Paris, and

Vienna, returning after four years to Chicago where he held various

positions as organist and choirmaster. In 1896, he organized the

Northwestern University School of Music and was given the title of

“Dean.” An authority in the field of church music and hymnology, Dean

Lutkin did much through his teaching and writing to raise the standards

of music throughout all the churches.

YOUTH

391. I feel the winds of God today _Jessie Adams_, 1863—

For many years the authorship of this hymn was unknown since the writer

preferred to remain anonymous. It finally came to light that the lines

were penned by Miss Jessie Adams, a member of the Society of Friends in

England. She was a progressive teacher and a leader of the local Adult

School at Frimley, England, where she long resided. Miss Adams wrote the

hymn after a long period of service as teacher in which she felt a

considerable measure of disappointment and failure, as if tugging and

laboring at the oars of a boat without making much headway. She wrote:

If then, quitting the labors at the oars, we humbly believe that God’s

Spirit still leads us aright, we shall pass the point of danger and

helplessness. Some little act of kindness may be as the upturned sail

which that spirit waits to fill, in spite of past and future.

The message of the hymn is for our time. Many in our day labor at the

oars, in their own strength, only to find themselves worn and

discouraged. Progress comes by lifting the sails and permitting the

invisible power of God to carry life forward.

_MUSIC._ HARDY NORSEMEN is an anonymous Norse melody, the origin of

which has not been traced. It is a popular tune among the Dutch

Mennonites where it is often sung at their young people’s gatherings.

392. “Are ye able,” said the Master _Earl Marlatt_, 1892—

Written for a consecration service at Boston University School of

Religious Education, in 1926, where the author was Professor of

Religious Education.

It is based on Jesus’ question of James and John, and their answer: “Are

ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of and to be baptized

with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto Him, Lord, we

are able” (Matt. 20:22).

The second verse came to the author’s mind as a result of seeing the

Passion Play at Oberammergau, where he was greatly moved by the scene

where the dying thief turned to Jesus and said, “Remember me when Thou

contest into Thy Kingdom.” “As Anton Lang, playing the part of Christ,

said, ‘Today, shalt thou be with me in paradise,’” the author writes,

“Immortality suddenly became as real to me as the sunlight at that

moment driving the clouds from the mountains, and I knew that nothing,

nothing could ever shake my faith in that vision.”

The hymn was written for the tune “Beacon Hill.” The combination of

words and tune was adopted as one of the school songs of Boston

University School of Theology, whose students have carried it all over

the world. It was incorporated into the _Methodist Hymnal_ of 1935, from

whence it came into the _Hymnary_.

Earl Bowman Marlatt, son of a Methodist minister, was born at Columbus,

Indiana. He graduated from De Pauw University and then studied at Boston

University, Harvard, Oxford, and the University of Berlin, becoming

Professor of Philosophy at Boston University in 1923 and later Professor

of Religious Education in that institution.

_MUSIC._ BEACON HILL received its name from Beacon Hill, Boston, where

Marlatt resided when he wrote the words for this tune. The composer,

Harry Silvernale Mason, born in 1881, was a student at Boston University

when he wrote the tune. He is now serving as instructor in Fine Arts in

Religion at Auburn Theological Seminary, Auburn, N. Y.

393. Just as I am, Thine own to be _Marianne Hearn_, 1834-1909

A young people’s consecration hymn, contributed to _The Voice of

Praise_, 1887, published by the Sunday School Union of London. Verses 5

and 6, omitted here, read as follows:

With many dreams of fame and gold,

Success and joy to make me bold,

But dearer still my faith to hold,

For my whole life I come.

And for Thy sake to win renown,

And then to take the victor’s crown,

And at Thy feet to cast it down,

O Master, Lord, I come.

It was written by an Englishwoman, Marianne Hearn (_nom de plume_,

Marianne Farningham), who, in early life, was a teacher in the primary

schools, and later became a successful writer of articles for various

periodicals, including _The Christian Herald_, published by James Clarke

and Co. For a time she edited the London _Sunday School Times_. Miss

Hearn published a half dozen or more volumes of poetry and an

autobiography, _A Working Woman’s Life_.

_MUSIC._ JUST AS I AM. For comments on the composer, Joseph Barnby, see

Hymn 21.

394. Savior, while my heart is tender _John Burton, the younger_,

1803-77

A hymn of dedication to Christian service, suitable for use with young

people’s groups.

The author, John Burton, usually called “the younger” to distinguish him

from another English hymn writer of the same name, was born and died in

Stratford, England. From his 15th to 25th year he suffered greatly from

ill health but recovered sufficiently to spend the next 50 years in

business as a cooper and basket-maker in his home town. A devout

Congregationalist, he served as deacon in his church and as a Sunday

school teacher for 27 years. While visiting a poor chimney sweeper, he

contracted small pox and died of that disease. He published several

volumes of religious works, including _One Hundred Original Hymns for

the Young_, 1850, in which the present hymn is found.

_MUSIC._ LILLE is an old French melody, the origin of which has not been

traced.

(Correction: second last soprano note in the first score should be on B,

not A as in the earlier editions of the _Hymnary_.)

395. Savior, like a shepherd lead us _Dorothy Ann Thrupp_, 1779-1847

Published anonymously in the author’s _Hymns for the Young_, 1836.

Dorothy Ann Thrupp was born and reared in London where she spent all her

life. She had a special gift for writing hymns suited to the worship

experiences of children. A modest person, always avoiding personal

publicity. Miss Thrupp did not always receive full credit for her work.

This hymn is sometimes wrongly credited to H. F. Lyte.

_MUSIC._ BRADBURY was written for this hymn and derives its name from

the composer. It first appeared in a popular Sunday school book,

_Oriola_, published in 1859 by W. B. Bradbury.

For comments on the composer, W. B. Bradbury, see Hymn 103.

396. O Son of man, our hero _Frank Fletcher_, 1870-1936

A hymn deeply sympathetic with the aspirations and needs of young

Christians, and appealing to the heroism of youth.

Frank Fletcher was Head Master of Charterhouse School, Godalming,

England, the first layman elected to such a position. He wrote these

words in 1921, while on a motor drive between London and Charterhouse.

After having been sung for some time in Charterhouse School, the poem

was sent to a church newspaper, _The Challenge_, and from thence it

found its way into the hymnals of England and America. The word “mate”

in the last line comes from an explanation of the trinity given by a

Bishop in answer to a working man’s question on that subject: “God our

Father, God our Brother, God our Mate.” Fletcher heard the Bishop give

this answer and the phrase stuck in his mind.

_MUSIC._ LONDONDERRY, the famous Irish traditional melody, is a tune

which every congregation loves to sing. It rises gradually and skilfully

to an effective climax near the end. The tune, unfortunately, has

suffered at the hands of arrangers who have employed it, with various

degrees of merit, for many different combinations of voices and

instruments. Its appropriateness for church use is questioned only by

those who have long associated it with secular words and occasions.

397. Lord in the fulness of my might _Thomas Hornblower Gill_,

1819-1906

A consecration hymn for young people, much used in schools and colleges.

It was written by Gill in 1855 and published in his _Golden Chain of

Praise_, 1869, under the title, “Early Love. ‘How good it is to close

with Christ betimes!’ Oliver Cromwell.” The original poem has eight

stanzas.

For comments on Thomas Hornblower Gill see Hymn 385.

_MUSIC._ AZMON. For comments on this tune see Hymn 12.

398. Shepherd of eager youth _Clement of Alexandria_, _c._ 170-_c._

220

_Tr. Henry M. Dexter_, 1821-90

A hymn to Christ, based on a Greek poem attributed to Clement of

Alexandria, beginning with the line

Στόµιον πώλων ἀδαῶν.

The poem is one of two which Clement attached to his book, _The Tutor_.

Some say it is the earliest Christian hymn extant. (But see comments on

Hymn 34).

Titus Flavius Clemens, known as St. Clement of Alexandria, _c._ 170-_c._

220, remains something of an enigmatic figure in church history. It is

not known where or exactly when he was born. He was a pagan philosopher

in his younger days. After his conversion to Christianity, he became

head of the Cathedral School at Alexandria, then the center of Christian

scholarship. Here he remained until A.D. 203 when he was driven out by

persecution under Septimus Severus. Clement then became a wanderer and

nothing is known of his later life.

Henry Martyn Dexter was a graduate of Yale and Andover Theological

Seminary, a Congregational minister and editor. He translated the text

of Clement’s hymn into prose and then made a free rendering of it into

verse, in 1846. The hymn was written for use in a service in Dexter’s

church in which he preached on the text, Deut. 32:7: “Remember the days

of old,” his sermon topic being, “Some Prominent Characteristics of the

Early Christians.”

Hymnbook editors have made a few changes in the text: “eager youth” for

“tender youth” in the first stanza; and “let all the holy throng” for

“infants and the glad throng” in Stanza 4. The third stanza, omitted

here, reads as follows:

Thou art the great High Priest;

Thou hast prepared the feast

Of holy love;

And in our mortal pain

None calls on Thee in vain;

Help Thou dost not disdain,

Help from above.

_MUSIC._ KIRBY BEDON was composed by Edward Bunnett, 1834-1923, a

prominent English organist and composer of church music. The tune first

appeared in _The Congregational Hymnary_ of the Congregational Union of

England and Wales.

399. Lead on, O King Eternal _Ernest W. Shurtleff_, 1862-1917

Written upon request of the author’s classmates at Andover Theological

Seminary, as a hymn for their graduation in 1887. It has come into wide

use as a processional and a recessional on baccalaureate and other

occasions.

Ernest W. Shurtleff, graduate of Harvard University and Andover

Theological Seminary, held Congregational pastorates in Massachusetts

and at Minneapolis, Minn. He then went to Frankfurt, Germany, where he

did his finest work as founder and pastor of the American Church at that

place. He also served as spiritual counselor to a large group of

American students in Paris. During the first World War, he and his wife

were active in relief work in Europe. Besides his gifts as preacher, and

pastor, Shurtleff also possessed ability as musician and writer, and

published several volumes of poetry.

_MUSIC._ LANCASHIRE. For comments on this tune see Hymn 115.

400. Give of your best to the Master _Howard B. Grose_, 1851—

A challenge to youth to give heart and strength to the service of the

Master.

The author, Howard B. Grose, was born in Millerton, N. Y. After

graduating from the University of Rochester, he served successively as

pastor of the First Baptist Church, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., the First

Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.; president of the University of South

Dakota; and teacher of history in the University of Chicago. In 1910 he

became editor of the Baptist magazine, _Missions_. He was a leader in

the Christian Endeavor movement and wrote this hymn for a Christian

Endeavor hymnal that he was then editing.

_MUSIC._ BARNARD was composed by Charlotte A. (Mrs. Charles C.) Barnard,

1820-69, an Englishwoman who after her marriage in 1851 began composing

songs and ballads under the pseudonym of “Claribel.” These were very

popular in their day. She composed a hymn tune, “Brocklesbury,” which is

widely used with the hymn, “Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me.”

The descant was written by Professor W. H. Hohmann, head of the music

department of Bethel College. The “descant” is an old variation in the

use of tunes. It consists of a second melody over that of the tune and

is to be sung by a few sopranos. It is only an embellishment and should

be no more than audible, otherwise it will detract from the melody which

should remain as the main center of interest.

401. Father in heav’n who lovest all _Rudyard Kipling_, 1865-1936

“The Children’s Hymn,” in Kipling’s _Puck of Pook’s Hill_, published in

1906. It was written for boys, but is suitable also for adults.

Permission to use the hymn in the _Hymnary_ was granted by Mrs. Kipling

on condition that all eight stanzas, unaltered, be used.

Rudyard Kipling, famous English writer, was born in Bombay, India, and

died in Sussex, England. After receiving his education in England, he

returned to India to engage in journalism and became widely known for

his short stories, novels, children’s books, histories, and books of

travel. The Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded him in 1907, and he

received honorary degrees from universities all over the world. His

_Jungle Book_, _Just-So Stories_, _Puck of Pook’s Hill_, _Rewards and

Fairies_ made him beloved of all children. His writings extol the

virtues of clean living and manly duty which make a nation great.

However, his passionate patriotism made him pen the unfortunate lines:

“O East is East and West is West

And ne’er the twain shall meet”

a prophecy completely discredited by the world events of recent years.

_MUSIC._ HEBRON. For comments on Lowell Mason, the composer of this

tune, see Hymn 12.

402. Lord, through changing days, unchanging _W. Russell Bowie_, 1882—

This hymn was written originally for the hymn book of the Hill School,

of Pottstown, Pa., from which the author graduated as a boy in 1900, and

where he afterward taught for a year. The motto of the school is

“Whatsoever things are true” (Phil. 4:8). The hymn is built around that

theme.

W. Russell Bowie was born in Richmond, Va. After taking an A.B. and an

A.M. at Harvard and teaching for a year at the Hill School, he spent

most of three years at the Theological Seminary of Virginia, near

Alexandria, graduating with the B.D. degree in 1908. Part of his senior

year was spent in special study at Union Theological Seminary in New

York. For many years he was rector of Grace Church (Episcopal) in New

York, a post he resigned in 1939 to become Jesup Graduate Professor of

Practical Theology and Dean of Students at Union Seminary. He is the

author of a number of books, the most widely known of which is the

_Story of the Bible_, published by the Abingdon-Cokesbury Press. Among

his other volumes are _The Children’s Year_, _The Inescapable Christ_,

_The Master: A Life of Christ_ (1928) and _Which Way Ahead_ (1943). In

the late 1920’s he was elected Bishop Coadjutor of Pennsylvania, but did

not accept.

_MUSIC._ REGENT SQUARE. For comments on this tune see Hymn 81.

John Oxenham, English publisher, poet, and novelist, was born in