“What heavy Guilt upon him lies!
How cursèd is his Name!
The Ravens shall pick out his Eyes,
And Eagles eat the same.”
has been softened to the following:
“What heavy Guilt upon him lies!
How hateful is his Name!
Who thus his Parents shall despise,
Will bring Himself to Shame.”
Listed among the _Divine Songs_ in the British Museum are the
following collateral items: “Divine Songs attempted in Easy Language.
(A sequel to Dr. Watts’s divine songs for children and schools.)
The Rake reformed in the House of Mourning. The Cottage Library of
Christian Knowledge etc. Vol. I.” 1806 (?) 8^{o}; and “A Supplement
to Dr. Watts’s Divine Songs for the use of Children, selected from
various authors. London.” 1820 (?) 12^{o}.
From another source I find, “Essays adapted to Dr. Watts’ Divine
Songs. For the instruction of young people. By Rev. A. Scott. 13th
edition. London: Printed for Thomas Tegg. 1841. Illustrated.”
In an edition published in Exeter, in 1812, entitled “Dr. Watts’s
Hymns for Children, Revised and Altered, so as to render them of
General Use”, the editor, who modestly signs himself “C”, explains
as follows: “Dr. Watts, in the Preface to his Divine and Moral Songs
for Children, says; ‘You will see here nothing that savours of a
party,’ nevertheless it cannot be denied, that, in several parts of
these Hymns, expressions do occur, which are objectionable to many
Christians; and which, there is reason to believe, the amiable and
excellent Author would have avoided, had he written them toward
the latter part of his life.” Our editor then goes on to state
which obnoxious weeds he has uprooted and what new flowers he has
transplanted from other gardens. Of some of the latter he says: “The
next five, Nos. 9 to 13, I have taken the liberty of inserting from a
very superior little publication, entitled ‘Hymns for Infant Minds’.”
But even here our editor must have a slap at the theology of the
gentle “Taylor sisters”, and which he does in the following terms,
throwing in a sop at the end to mitigate the bitter: “I cannot agree
with the respectable Authors in some of the opinions which their
Hymns express, because I do not think those opinions are the doctrine
of the Scriptures; but I have no hesitation in earnestly recommending
the book to all judicious Parents.”
The inscriptions of presentation and ownership in some of the old
copies of the _Divine Songs_ are quaintly interesting. In one,
printed in Boston in 1759, is found on the reverse of the title-page
in almost illegible characters, “Bithrah norton | hur buk”, and then
follows several words entirely undecipherable. Lower down on the page
in a later and more readable hand is written, “Sarah Norton her |
Book God Give her Grace therein to look | and when the bells do | for
her tole Lord Jesus | Christ” ... and there the leaf is torn off.
In a London copy of 1773, which is thumbed well-nigh to pieces,
the fly-leaf is inscribed in elaborate childish printing, “SAMUEL,
HOVEY. | JUNR: & LYDIA, HOVEY. | JUNR. our BOOK GIVEN | To us By the
Schoolmast | er of Buxton July y^{e} 21^{st} 1774”. Then on the inside
of the front cover there appears in a crabbed running hand, “To
Mehitabel | And Phebe Hovey | This with our Love to you | Both for
you to remem | ber us by | Sam^{ll} Hovey | and Lydia Hovey”; while
near the foot of the inside of the front cover is inscribed in shaky
childish characters, “_R_Ut_h_ S_h_oR_t_ | _h_eR _b_oo_k_ | _a_ge_d_
_s_e_v_e_n_ | _y_e_a_R_s_”. So this little volume bears records of
what seem to be three generations of lovers of these old songs.
The fly-leaf of a copy printed in London in 1779 bears the
inscription in bold, childishly printed letters covering the whole
page, “William | shErWood | MARCh 23 | 1788”.
In another copy bearing a London imprint and dated 1780 is “William
Hayward his Book | Drayton | October 16 1782”, all written the long
way of the page and apparently by a grown person. Later William
himself took a hand and in an upper unoccupied corner scribbled
“William | Haywood | Drayton | Berks”.
In another London copy, 1787, in a fine feminine hand, is written
“Catherine Wright | her book | The Gift of the | Rev^{d} Dr. Priestly”.
Inside the back cover of a copy printed in New Haven, Conn., in 1809,
is pasted a presentation book-plate, home-made, and bearing a border
of vine and leaves in green, while within the border is inscribed in
a fine schoolmistress hand, “Hannah Kendall’s Book | given her by her
Instructress | as a reward of merit”.
A Boston copy of 1818 was once “George T. Read’s Book | Presented to
him by his Aunt Eliza Read 1856 | Belfast”; doubtless Belfast, Maine.
But an avaricious member of the family, doubtless of a later and
degenerate descent, ruthlessly crossed off this inscription and wrote
the long way of the page and nearer its base, “Charlotte Read’s Book”.
The only record I have encountered to indicate that the _Divine
Songs_ was used regularly as a Sunday School song-book occurs in
a copy dated “London 1828.” Pasted on the reverse of the title in
this book is a label headed “The Protestant Dissenters’ | Sunday
School, | at | Christchurch Meeting.” This heading is followed by a
number of Biblical quotations beginning with “Suffer little children,
etc.” Pasted inside the back cover is a similar label similarly
headed. Then we find this admonition: “No scholar in this School
to be allowed to swear, lie, nor fight;--nor to be disobedient to
Masters, Parents, or Guardians”, followed by more Scripture texts,
and finally, “Sabbath Schools are of the utmost importance when
judiciously conducted.”
In another, a New Haven, Conn., copy, 1824, on the title-page
itself is written “Master George and Miss S. E. Derby | from their
affectionate mother | August 2^{d} 1826”. Lower down on the same page
and in the same hand appears, “Suffer little children to come | unto
me for of such is the kingdom of Heaven”.
And lastly, a modern copy containing numerous, most delightful,
colored illustrations by Mrs. Arthur Gaskin, is inscribed by the
artist to the author of this essay--a cherished possession.
Numerous memorials and biographies of Dr. Watts have been written
since his death, but perhaps the most elaborate and exhaustive was
published in London in 1914, written by Thomas Wright, the author of
several other biographies of notable men of the past. In this work
considerable space is devoted to a relation of the environment and
influence under which the _Divine and Moral Songs_ were written. Mr.
Wright very circumstantially tells the story of a visit, “apparently
in the spring of 1720”, by Dr. Watts to Hedingham Castle, Essex, the
home of Mr. Robert Ashhurst, who had married Lady Abney’s sister. Our
author states that some of the _Divine and Moral Songs_ were written
there during that visit. He further relates, “The pretty poem ‘How
doth the little busy bee’ was probably not only a kindly message
to children, but also a humorous compliment to the industry and
taste displayed by Mr. Ashhurst in restoring his house.” But alas!
in view of the fact that at least two copies of the first edition,
each plainly dated 1715, are in existence, and one of which I have
minutely examined, our credulity is a bit overtaxed by Mr. Wright’s
narrative; and we wish he had not been so detailed and particular in
his description of events and circumstances that could not possibly
have occurred prior to or in connection with the writing of the
_Divine Songs_. We also read in the preface to the first edition of
1715, “The greater part of this little book was composed several
years ago at the request of a friend.”
The revised edition, first published in 1785, continued to appear
over a long period, and as late as 1803, in the _Guardian of
Education_, is found a scathing review of this emasculated work.
Mrs. Trimmer, the editor of the _Guardian_, had previously been
accused of having been the reviser, but she emphatically denies all
responsibility and unequivocally censures the editor for having so
radically changed the theology set forth by Dr. Watts in these small
hymns. She further remarks, “The Hosannas in Dr. Watts’s original
work, are perfectly agreeable to Scripture, and so impressive,
that we cannot reconcile ourselves to the exchange of them for Dr.
Clarke’s. Neither can we readily part either with the ‘Hymn of Praise
to God for Redemption’; or with ‘The Cradle Hymn’. However, as
Christians, we wish not to deprive those who are satisfied with this
mutilated edition of the edification it still affords; but let them
on their side allow to the children of the Church the full benefit of
the author’s pious labours.”
In this same volume is reviewed a little book published by Darton &
Harvey, entitled “Moral Songs for the Instruction and Amusement of
Children, intended as a companion to Dr. Watts’s Divine Songs, by
John Oakman and others.” In reviewing this little work, Mrs. Trimmer
states, “Though Dr. Watts’s Divine Songs have excited many writers to
imitate them, they still remain unrivalled. No work of the kind that
we have yet met with, is worthy to be compared to them, for beauty of
composition and elegant simplicity of style.”
Though a bit upsetting in chronological sequence, I cannot refrain
from referring here to another much later tribute by Mrs. S. C. Hall,
who in her “Pilgrimages to English Shrines” (Appleton, 1854), says of
Dr. Watts, “But after all, his popularity is based on the universal
knowledge of his Divine and Moral Songs; and never was popularity
more widely diffused, better merited or productive of more glorious
results.”
Unscrupulous publishers continued to mutilate this little work, and
there are also some interesting differences between British and
American editions. In Song V as originally published God is praised
“That I was born on British ground.”
While in some of the American editions this form was retained, still
as early as 1799 in the Boston edition of Coverly it is changed to
“That I was born on Christian ground.”
In the Cambridge (U.S.) edition published by the trustees of
Phillips’ Academy, the last line of the fifth verse reads
“Teach me thy goodness to admire.”
while the original reads
“Warn me to ’scape eternal fire.”
The editor of this Cambridge edition fell into an error in the last
line of verse 1, Song XVI, that has persisted in many, many editions.
In the original this first verse reads:
“Let Dogs delight to bark and bite,
For God hath made them so;
Let Bears and Lions growl and fight,
For ’tis their natures too.”
The Cambridge error consisted in printing the last word of the verse
“to”.
In many of the modern editions the old form “that” is changed to
“which”.
The learned editor in Cambridge blundered in punctuation also. In
Song XV, verse 1, he inserted a comma in the last line after “all”
that quite destroys the sense; and again in the last line of verse 2,
Song XX, the comma inserted after “food” is worse than superfluous.
Many publishers of juvenile books drew generously upon the storehouse
of the _Divine and Moral Songs_. In the 1781 Boston edition of
Janeway’s “Token for Children” are included Songs XII, XIII and XIV.
In “Choice Poetry” published at Derby, England, in 1835, are four of
the _Divine Songs_, two of the _Moral Songs_ and the Cradle Hymn. In
“Reading Made Easy” published by J. Weatherly, Berwick, about 1820,
under the general heading “Lessons in Verse”, are printed eight of
the _Divine Songs_. A number of editions of the _New England Primer_
contain selections from the same source.
Dr. Watts in his preface states that the _Divine and Moral Songs_
were intended to be sung to well-known psalm tunes, but before the
end of the eighteenth century editions with special music began to
appear. In 1800 Dr. Jackson published an edition wherein words and
music were engraved throughout on copper plates.
Although early in the eighteenth century many children’s books were
issued with illustrations, usually crude wood-cuts, I have been
unable to find an illustrated edition of the _Divine and Moral Songs_
in England earlier than 1760 and in America earlier than 1773. In the
beginning of the nineteenth century illustrated editions were more
frequent, and one published in London in 1823 has an ornate folding
frontispiece in colors. With the revival of wood engraving between
1840 and 1850, there appeared a number of elaborately illustrated
editions with pictures by eminent artists. Perhaps the most
beautifully illustrated edition of this period was that published by
John Van Voorst in London. This appeared in 1848 and contains thirty
pictures drawn on the wood by C. W. Cope, A.R.A., and cut by John
Thompson. They are definitely illustrative of the text and are most
daintily conceived and executed. These illustrations were extensively
copied in later editions by other publishers, particularly in
America. The first issue of this edition contained on page 28 the
“Death Print” as a tailpiece to the song “Heaven and Hell”. This
picture was evidently too realistic and too fully illustrative of the
song, so it was promptly suppressed and replaced by one from a now
blank page farther on in the book.
The size of the _Divine Songs_ has varied greatly, from the little
books published by Rusher of Banbury, 4½ by 2¾ inches, to the huge
volume 10¾ by 8½ inches, issued by Nisbet and Company, London. This
Nisbet edition is undated, but appears to have been published between
1870 and 1880, and is illustrated by such eminent artists as W.
Holman Hunt, George Du Maurier, H. K. Brown, Marcus Stone and others.
The pictures were reproduced by the “New Graphotype Engraving
Process”, apparently zinc etching. As early as 1810 selections from
the _Divine Songs_ with illustrations were engraved on copper and
arranged as a broadside school piece, the pictures being carefully
hand-colored. These “school pieces” were large sheets, 19 by 15
inches, with a border of pictures and a blank space in the middle in
which the child wrote his “school piece” or composition.
In 1855 an edition in book form was printed on cloth as an aid
to durability, while in 1849 an edition was issued with phonetic
spelling. Early in the nineteenth century “The Beggar’s Petition”
and “The Universal Prayer” were added and carried through numerous
editions.
For many years following the first edition, this little book of songs
was of uniform size, carefully printed, well sewed, and bound in full
calf. It was a sturdy little volume and many copies of these early
editions have come down to us in excellent condition.
A copy of the eighth edition, 1729, is cherished by its owner for the
following inscription on the fly-leaf, by the hand of Dr. Watts:
“To My Dear Neece
Sarah Brackstone
I. W.”
This Sarah was a daughter of Dr. Watts’s sister Sarah, who married
a Brackstone. Later, James Brackstone, a brother to Sarah the
daughter, was a London printer. The fifteenth edition of the _Divine
Songs_, 1739, was published by R. Hett and J. Brackstone, and the
sixteenth edition, 1740, bears Brackstone’s name alone, as publisher.
But alas, James proved a black sheep; in a letter written by Dr.
Watts in 1746 to his brother Enoch Watts, is the sad record that
James Brackstone was ejected from the church for “damning and cursing
in a shocking manner” his uncle Dr. Watts, and for declaring that he
would no longer be a member of his church.
This presentation copy evidently soon descended to a younger member
of the family, as on the same fly-leaf that bears the inscription by
Dr. Watts is written in a childish hand, “Bety Brackstone Her Book
1730”, and on the fly-leaf at the back of the book appears “Bety
Brackstone, Her Book, God Give Grace therein to Look, but wen the bel
be gins to tole, Lord Jesus Christ reseive her Sole. A Men.”
In the “English Primer” published by Mosley, Derby and London, about
1825, is printed the only rhyme directed to these songs, which I have
discovered. It is as follows:
“What sweet-er book to me be-longs
Than Dr. Watts’s book of Songs?
O! I would learn them all the day,
I’m sure I love them more than play.
“When I’m grown up,--yes, quite in age,
Still I shall love his plea-sing page;
Still I shall love the songs I sung,
That taught me good when I was young.”
These verses, with a wood-cut above, occupy the whole of page 29.
The illustration is of a prig of a boy in chimney-pot hat, leaning
against a sun-dial in a garden. In the boy’s hands is the precious
volume which he is studiously perusing.
A comparison of the _Divine Songs_ with other portions of Dr.
Watts’s writings reveals in many instances a correspondence in
subject-matter. The thought of Song XVIII, “Against scoffing and
calling names”, is used as part of one of his sermons; and Song XXII,
“Against pride in clothes”, appears in a slightly different dress
in another sermon. Song XXV, beginning “My God who makes the sun to
know”, is a simplified rendering of one of the hymns in his larger
hymn book.
It is interesting to note that the _Divine and Moral Songs_ were not
composed during Dr. Watts’s youth, but after he had arrived at middle
life, a bachelor, a student and an invalid. It would not have been
surprising if he had at that time lost interest in children, even
if he did not find their company a burden. But his heart kept its
youthfulness, as the sweetness and simplicity of many of these songs
will testify, in spite of the rigid theology of others of them. And
so his Michaelmas summer brought up again the blossoms of spring and
wove therefrom a fragrant garland.
One appreciative biographer, referring to the tender sentiments of
the Cradle Hymn, writes: “‘Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber’,
was written not by a young and loving mother bending over her baby
whom she all but stifles with kindness and kisses, but by a little
weazened retired bachelor, whose heart, however, was as warm, whose
ways were as gentle as those of the happiest and fondest mother.”
The _Divine and Moral Songs_ was not by any means the only book for
children written by Dr. Watts. He was the author of several little
catechisms, graded from one for the smallest infants to others for
older children. In 1720 he published “The Art of Reading and Writing
English” and he also in 1725 wrote for the perusal of their elders,
“A Discourse on the Education of Children and Youth”; while in
1728 was issued his “Prayers Composed For the Use and Imitation of
Children, Suited to their different Ages and their various Occasions.”
Editions of the _Divine Songs_ appeared in Dutch and Welsh and one
was printed in India in English.
The largest collection in a public library is that in the British
Museum where there are eighty-seven specimens, the earliest being
a copy of the ninth edition, dated 1728. The Bodleian Library at
Oxford has examples of thirty-three editions while in this country
the Boston Public Library and the American Antiquarian Society of
Worcester, Mass., each has a dozen, and the library of the General
Theological Seminary in New York nearly as many.
And so may this little book of appreciation renew, at least in a
few hearts, the love and memory of those dear, quaint and sometimes
frightful songs that contributed so much of entertainment and joy to
the lives of nearly two centuries of English-speaking children both
in the old world and the new.