BOOK I Hymns for Worship and Praise (continued 6)

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 203 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:

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.

204

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 205 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 copyright and now the tune appears in hymnals all over 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.

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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:

1.

2.

3.

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. 207 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 208 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 209 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 210 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 211 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

212

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.

213

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,

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.

214

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 215 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 216 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.

217

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 218 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 219 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:

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.

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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,

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 221 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, 222 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:

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.

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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:

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:

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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 225 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 226 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. 227 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:

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.

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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, 229 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 230 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:

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.

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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 232 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

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:

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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 234 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:

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 235 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.

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