Note 1 — Chapter III · THE LITERARY ASPECT OF HYMNS I. WHAT MAKES THE HYMN LITERATURE?

“To get behind the hymnbook to the men and women who wrote its contents, and to the events, whether personal or public, out of which it sprang and which it so graciously mirrors, is to enter a world palpitating with human interest. For a hymnbook is a transcript of real life, a poetical accompaniment to real events and real experiences. Like all literature that counts, it rises directly out of life.” (Frederick J. Gillman, in The Evolution of the English Hymn. [New York: The Macmillan Co., 1927.] Used by permission.)