,illustration3 ,,ira ,d4 ,,sankey ,,hymns ,in ,human ,experience ,illustration3 ,decoration by ,,william ,j4 ,,hart1 ,d4,d4 ,illustration3 ,decoration ,illustration3 ,harper ,brothers ,publishers ,,harper ,,brothers ,new ,york and ,london #aica ,copyright1 #aica1 by ,harper ,brothers4 ,printed in the ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,first ,edition ,d-,f ,to ,my ,wife and ,daughters ,illustration3 ,decoration ,,the ,,good ,,old ,,hymns ,there's lots of music in 'em1 the hymns of long ago2 ,an' when some gray-haired brother sings the ones ,i used to know ,i sorter want to take a hand--,i think o' days gone by-- ,on ,jordan's stormy banks ,i stand and cast a wishful eye4 ,there's lots of music in 'em--those dear1 sweet hymns of old1 ,with visions bright of lands of light and shining streets of gold2 ,and ,i hear 'em ringing--singing1 where memory dreaming stands1 ,from ,greenland's icy mountains to ,india's coral strands4 ,we hardly needed singin' books in them old days3 we knew ,the words1 the tunes1 of every one1 the dear old hymn book through6 ,we had no blaring trumpets then1 no organs built for show2 ,we only sang to praise the ,lord1 from whom all blessings flow4 ,an' so ,i love the dear old hymns1 and when my time shall come-- ,before the light has left me and my singing lips are dumb-- ,if ,i can only hear 'em then1 ,i'll pass1 without a sigh1 ,to ,canaan's fair and happy land1 where my possessions lie6 --,frank ,l4 ,stanton in ,the ,atlanta ,constitution ,,contents ,preface xi ,i4 ,a ,singing ,faith #a ,,ii4 ,songs in the ,night #bi ,,iii4 ,hymns ,mothers ,loved #eb ,,iv4 ,when ,preachers ,sing #fg ,v4 ,songs of ,soldiers #hj ,,vi4 ,heard within ,prison ,walls #ie ,,vii4 ,the ,music of ,submerged ,lives #ajc ,,viii4 ,songs of ,salvation #aac ,,ix4 ,the ,old ,rugged ,cross #abg ,x4 ,hymns of ,youth #acf ,,xi4 ,hymns ,as ,prayers #aec ,,xii4 ,songs of the ,negroes #afe ,,xiii4 ,christmas and ,easter ,melodies #agc ,,xiv4 ,funeral ,music #ahh ,,xv4 ,hymns on ,patriotic ,occasions #bjd ,index of ,hymns #bag ,,preface ,half a million hymns1 it is estimated1 are written in more than two hundred languages and dialects in which ,christianity is preached4 ,some of these are translations1 but many are original expressions of the ,christian faith4 ,this extraordinary production is an impressive testimony from ,christian experience4 ,having for many years made a study of the influence of hymns in human experience1 ,i have during that time gleaned material from newspapers1 periodicals 7both ,american and ,british7 and books2 and to both the authors and the publishers of these ,i here express my indebtedness4 ,little is said in this volume concerning the origin of hymns and tunes1 or of their place in literature4 ,these aspects of the subject are well discussed in ,the ,english ,hymn by ,louis ,f4 ,benson1 ,the ,hymn as ,literature by ,j4 ,b4 ,reeves1 ,the ,story of the ,hymns and ,tunes by ,t4 ,brown and ,h4 ,butterworth1 ,the ,evolution of the ,english ,hymn by ,f4 ,j4 ,gillman1 ,stories of ,great ,hymns of the ,church by ,silas ,h4 ,paine1 ,english ,hymns3 ,their ,authors and ,history by ,s4 ,w4 ,duffield1 and many others4 ,the chief purpose of this volume is to show how hymns have been actually used1 and how people have been helped by them in different circumstances of life4 ,each chapter has a brief introduction bearing on the special topic1 and the various incidents are linked together in a manner which gives continuity to the whole4 ,some of this material was used in addresses at church services1 and also in ,chapel ,addresses at the ,northern ,new ,york ,summer ,school for ,ministerial ,training4 ,as dean of this school the author desires to associate both the members of the faculty and the student body with this volume4 ,their expressed appreciation of the incidents which they heard1 and their urgent request for the publication of the same1 encouraged me to complete this work4 ,i desire to make special mention of the assistance received from the ,rev4 ,oscar ,l4 ,joseph1 ,litt4 ,d4 ,his wise counsel has been invaluable4 ,furthermore1 he has edited the volume with the utmost care1 and its final form is the result of his experience as an author and his painstaking labors4 ,the introductory notes in each chapter were also written by ,dr4 ,joseph and these constitute an important feature of the volume4 ,ministers and laity alike1 it is believed1 will find this book of value4 ,my hope is that it may help towards a renewed emphasis upon the value of ,christian experience1 and a broader recognition of the rich heritage which ,christianity has in its songs4 ,william ,j4 ,hart ,utica1 ,new ,york #aica ,hymns ,in ,human ,experience ,,chapter ,i ,a ,singing ,faith ,christianity came to the world on the wings of song4 ,from that memorable night when the angels celebrated the divine grace in ,glory to ,god in the ,highest up to the present day1 song has been a powerful agency in spreading the ,gospel of ,redemption4 ,consider the influence of hymns in leading people to ,god1 in giving courage to the depressed1 hope to the disappointed1 comfort to the sorrowing1 guidance to the perplexed2 in creating and confirming faith2 in inspiring for the performance of duty and for steadfastness in fidelity4 ,the hymn holds a premier place in the literature of poetry1 but it is much more than poetry4 ,it belongs with the things of the spirit1 in the sphere of religious experience and communion with ,god4 ,some of the best hymns which have touched and transformed the depths of human life may not meet the tests of literary critics4 ,but more important than such academic standards is the conclusive proof that these writings have animated and sustained faith1 hope and love4 ,they have done this more effectively than any other means employed to produce these exhilarating and virtuous qualities of ,christian character4 ,it is true that ,christianity came out of a religion which has its rich heritage in the ,psalter4 ,indeed1 this is the world's greatest hymn book2 its sentences of prayer and praise have captured the hearts of generations of pious souls and ministered to their religious and moral needs4 ,it is equally true that ,christianity has liberated song far more effectively than any other religion4 ,of all the liturgical aids to private and public worship hymns are the most popular because of their freedom from any sectarian note and their wholesome ability to rouse emotion and direct life in ways of humane service4 ,this chapter is a selection of incidents which illustrate how hymns have voiced the deep instincts of the soul under a variety of circumstances4 ,they witness to the power of the ,gospel to soothe1 calm and sustain in ways hardly otherwise possible4 ,they show how hymns are woven into the fabric of life and that in times of pressure they express the latent and active emotions which give evidence of the real worth and dignity of human personality4 ,tastes differ about hymns1 but many will agree with these two men concerning3 ,the ,supreme ,hymn ,emerson and ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes were once discussing what they considered the best hymn ever written4 ,holmes said that the hymns published by the various churches were mere bits of cabinet-work--phrases from the ,scriptures or from devotional writers such as ,thomas ,kempis being patched together in metrical form4 ,emerson signified his assent2 and then ,holmes1 rising1 continued1 ,in my opinion the greatest hymn ever written is this3 ',thou hidden love of ,god1 whose height1 ,whose depth unfathomed1 no man knows1 ,i see from far ,thy beauteous light1 ,inly ,i sigh for ,thy repose3 ,my heart is pained1 nor can it be ,at rest1 till it finds rest in ,thee4' ,i know1 ,i know6 exclaimed ,emerson4 ,that is the supreme hymn4 ,its author was ,gerhard ,tersteegen1 one of the most prolific of ,german hymn writers4 ,it was translated by ,john ,wesley when he was in ,savannah1 ,georgia1 in #agcf4 ,it must have made a profound impression upon ,holmes who wrote the hymn3 ,lord of all being1 throned afar1 ,thy glory flames from sun and star2 ,center and soul of every sphere1 ,yet to each loving heart how near6 ,harry ,lauder1 in ,roamin' in the ,gloamin'1#a refers to it as that gorgeous bit of poetic imagery1 and adds that ,holmes would have been the greatest hymn writer in the world had he only written some more4 ,the reference to ,john ,wesley recalls an interesting incident3 ,when ,two ,hymn-,writers ,met ,on a fine summer's day in the first half of the eighteenth century a traveler on horseback1 crossing one of the lovely hills of ,derbyshire in ,england1 was aroused from his meditations by the voice of singing4 ,pausing to listen1 these words came on the still air from the valley below3 ,could we but climb where ,moses stood1 ,and view the landscape o'er1 ,not ,jordan's stream1 nor death's cold flood1 ,should fright us from the shore4 ,instantly1 in a clear voice1 the traveler sent ringing down the hills the glad response in his brother's words3 ,the promised land1 from ,pisgah's top1 ,i now exult to see3 ,my hope is full1 ,o glorious hope6 ,of immortality4 ,and then the two greatest little men in all ,england1 ,john ,wesley and ,isaac ,watts1 met and talked together of the deep things of ,god4 ,how indebted we are to these two men for the enrichment of ,english hymnody6 ,watts sang of the majesty of ,god while ,charles ,wesley1 the brother of the founder of ,methodism1 magnified the love of ,god1 but all three were one in purpose4 ,we join with ,watts in singing1 ,jesus shall reign where'er the sun1 and with the same enthusiasm we sing with ,charles ,wesley1 ,jesus1 ,lover of ,my ,soul4 ,how profoundly ,watts had influenced his contemporaries is seen in ,john ,wesley's ,last ,hymn ,the great evangelist had reached the age of eighty-eight and his passing hence was in a cloud of glory4 ,arnold ,lunn thus describes it in his book ,john ,wesley3#b ,the end was very beautiful4 ,he lingered for three days1 surrounded by those who loved him4 ,no pain1 only a growing sense of weakness1 and a tranquil acceptance of the inevitable4 ,he slept much and spoke little1 but sometimes the dying flame flickered up1 and the inner light which had changed the face of ,england glowed with its old intensity4 ,on the afternoon before he died1 he surprised his friends by bursting into song3 ',i'll praise my ,maker while ,i've breath1 ,and when my voice is lost in death1 ,praise shall employ my nobler powers4' ,he sang two verses and then sank back exhausted4 ,these lines were from ,watts' well-known hymn4 ,some hours passed as ,wesley continued to sink1 and with ebbing strength his last words of triumphant faith were3 ,the best of all is1 ,god is with us4 ,such a consciousness of the divine presence has sustained many others4 ,here is one instance entitled3 ,singing ,their ,farewell ,having spent forty years in educational work in ,england1 a ,scotch schoolmaster and his wife moved back to their native land to spend their days of retirement4 ,since they were active in one of the local churches1 the membership came together for a farewell service4 ,when they came to sing the closing hymn1 choice was made of an arrangement of ,psalm #cd4c ,doubtless the aged couple going into the sunset period of life afterwards recalled the words which they and their friends in ,christian service sang that evening3 ,through all the changing scenes of life1 ,in trouble and in joy1 ,the praises of my ,god shall still ,my heart and tongue employ4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,fear ,him1 ye saints1 and you will then ,have nothing else to fear2 ,make you ,his service your delight1 ,he'll make your wants ,his care4 ,cheerful and encouraging words were these in which to voice a farewell4 ,the happy outlook of a faith which breaks out in song impressed me when ,i was a patient ,in the ,hospital ,christmas was near1 and ,i was a patient in a hospital away from home4 ,the attending physician informed me that ,dr4 ,william ,d4 ,marsh1 the founder of ,the ,league of the ,kindly ,tongue1 an organization which has a large membership in the ,united ,states as well as in some other countries1 was in the same hospital on the floor below4 ,the day he was discharged1 he came to visit me4 ,during the conversation he stated that he had recently been relearning and trying to live a hymn which he found very precious4 ,it was one of ,toplady's3 ,if1 on a quiet sea1 ,toward heaven we calmly sail1 ,with grateful hearts1 ,o ,god1 to ,thee1 ,we'll own the favoring gale4 ,special reference was made to the last verse3 ,teach us1 in every state1 ,to make ,thy will our own2 ,and when the joys of sense depart1 ,to live by faith alone4 ,such was the hymn beloved by the man who endeavored to enlist men and women to bring their daily conversation into harmony with the ,golden ,rule4 ,this experience brought to my mind the gracious sufficiency of ,him whom every believer confesses as ,sun of ,my ,soul ,years of constructive service were given by ,dr4 ,charles ,n4 ,sims to the important task of building up ,syracuse ,university4 ,it was during the time of the early struggles of the development of that institution that he served heroically as the ,chancellor4 ,later there followed some years of pulpit activity4 ,then came the time of retirement from educational and pastoral leadership1 and he returned to his native state of ,indiana to spend the eventide of life4 ,when it was evident that the time of his home-going was near1 a member of the family went to the piano and played the hymn he greatly loved4 ,softly also it was sung3 ,sun of my soul1 thou ,saviour dear1 ,it is not night if ,thou be near4 ,the second stanza was reached3 ,when the soft dews of kindly sleep ,my wearied eyelids gently steep1 ,be my last thought1 how sweet to rest ,forever on my ,saviour's breast4 ,relatives1 looking on the peaceful form1 then observed that he had quietly answered the call of his ,lord1 and that the spirit had gone to the home of many mansions4 ,here is an incident which recalls one of the bitter tragedies of the ocean4 ,see also page #cj4 ,their ,last ,sing-,song ,permission was obtained from the purser of the ,titanic to hold a song service in the saloon one ,sunday evening4 ,the ,rev4 ,e4 ,c4 ,carter1 of ,whitechapel1 ,london1 a clergyman of the ,anglican ,church1 was in charge4 ,a young ,scotch engineer presided at the piano4 ,the passengers were asked to make their selections4 ,it was significant that many of the hymns chosen had to do with dangers at sea4 ,there was a hushed tone with which all sang3 ,for those in peril on the sea4 ,the service lasted until after ten o'clock1 with wishes exchanged by all that they might soon reach the end of their pleasant voyage by landing in ,new ,york4 ,little did they realize at the time that only a few miles ahead lay one peril on the sea in the iceberg that sank the great liner4 ,the leader of this service and his wife were among the hundreds who perished ere the dawn of the next day4 ,the power of hymns to calm and sustain is seen in ,other ,refuge ,have ,i ,none ,an air raid of the enemy threatened the destruction of a munitions factory somewhere in ,england where thousands of women were working1 according to ,mrs4 ,burnett ,smith4 ,a very tense feeling prevailed1 for it was realized that the worst might happen at any moment4 ,nerves began to break a little1 while sobs and screams were being heard4 ,then some one in a far corner began softly to sing3 ,jesus1 ,lover of my soul1 ,let me to ,thy bosom fly4 ,the others quickly joined in the song until all were singing softly and quietly4 ,the danger passed1 and the women were unharmed4 ,one can imagine the courage of that group of women rising as they prayerfully sang the words3 ,other refuge have ,i none2 ,hangs my helpless soul on ,thee3 ,leave1 ah6 leave me not alone1 ,still support and comfort me3 ,all my trust on ,thee is stayed1 ,all my help from ,thee ,i bring2 ,cover my defenseless head ,with the shadow of ,thy wing4 ,their help in giving the fortitude of faith is illustrated by ,an ,unforgotten ,song ,a ,british writer has told us of an evening which he spent at a fashionable watering place in ,scotland4 ,the visitors were seated in the drawing-room1 spending the evening in a leisurely manner in reading or conversing4 ,presently two ladies walked up to the piano1 one to sing1 the other to play her accompaniment4 ,conversation still continued1 as the air was played over4 ,but as soon as the words were reached1 a hush fell upon the audience4 ,the piece was ,topliff's setting of ,remember now thy ,creator in the days of thy youth4 ,the drawing-room was a large one1 capable of seating some hundreds of people1 and furnished in a way calculated to deaden sound4 ,yet every word was heard distinctly4 ,the man who tells the story says that next to him was sitting a man1 apparently from the west of ,england1 endowed with a wise and gracious ,christlike spirit1 the fruit of many years' experience in his ,master's service4 ,this man listened with rapt attention4 ,then he turned to his neighbor1 and whispered in a hushed voice1 ,i can tell by the way that girl sings that she is a ,christian4 ,the narrator of the incident1 anxious to know more about the young lady1 learned something of her experience4 ,he records it as follows3 ,she had been engaged to be married to a medical man--a very fine ,christian4 ,one day1 when he was staying at a place far distant from the home of his fiance1 he was suddenly stricken with typhoid fever1 and died almost immediately4 ,the lady was not told about it till after the funeral was over4 ,the shock was so great that she was prostrated for some days4 ,when she was able to get about again1 her lovely voice1 her greatest gift1 was gone4 ,something like paralysis of the throat prevented her speaking above a whisper4 ,many months after1 the voice gradually came back4 ,when she was able to sing once more with her old power1 she made a solemn vow that she would devote her voice very specially to ,god's service4 ,thenceforth her most treasured possession was the ,bible of her beloved4 ,i saw it4 ,it was crowded with notes from cover to cover1 for the book was woven into its owner's life4 ,the secret of such a faith is finely expressed in ,sounding the ,silver ,trumpet ,i had read in the biography of ,sir ,edward ,burne-,jones a legend which he had noted1 said ,dr4 ,r4 ,g4 ,gillie4 ,when ,lucifer was cast out of the ,holy ,city he founded a kingdom of his own1 and one of his retainers1 greatly caring1 asked what he missed most now that he was shut out of ,heaven4 ,pondering1 the ,prince of ,evil paused and answered3 ',i miss the sound of the silver trumpets in the morning4' ,according to the legend all the glad populace was called each day to labor and achievement by silver trumpets4 ,today on weary nations ,the heavenly manna falls2 ,to holy convocations ,the silver trumpet calls4 ,the response to this call is touchingly related in an incident3 ,grandchildren of ,cannibals ,praised ,god ,stirring reports were brought back from ,africa by ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4 ,w4 ,roome when he went there in #aibi for the ,british and ,foreign ,bible ,society4 ,the main station of the great ,english ,baptist ,mission on the ,congo is at ,yakusu4 ,when ,mr4 ,roome arrived at this point the children of the mission1 who were the grandchildren of cannibals1 greeted him by singing ,lyte's great hymn4 ,praise1 my soul1 the ,king of ,heaven2 ,to ,his feet thy tribute bring2 ,ransomed1 healed1 restored1 forgiven1 ,who like me ,his praise should sing8 ,praise ,him6 praise ,him6 praise ,him6 praise ,him6 ,praise the everlasting ,king6 ,the irrepressible faith in missionary work was recently advertised by ,a ,song ,which ,belted the ,globe ,over four thousand women attended a communion service in ,columbus1 ,ohio1 ,october #cj1 #aibi4 ,it was held in connection with the sixtieth anniversary of the ,woman's ,foreign ,missionary ,society of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 and was thus described by ,eloise ,andrews ,woolever in ,the ,christian ,advocate3 ,the last great day opened with the communion service at #f3de1 conducted by ,bishop ,william ,f4 ,mc,dowell4 ,at #d3cj on that dark1 rainy morning eight hundred women were standing on the steps of ,memorial ,hall4 ,for nearly three hours the procession passed forward to receive the broken bread from the brass communion plates sent from ,korea1 and to drink the wine from the ,chinese communion cups1 and to stand a moment in prayer4 ,and in the solemn hush one thought of the communion services being held around the world on this day1 when the communion song1 ',the ,light of the ,world is ,jesus1' would belt the globe4 ,this is the theme1 announced with variations1 concerning ,the ,wondrous ,story ,a company of friends were in the ,sunday ,school ,times party which took a trip by water from ,philadelphia to the ,pacific coast4 ,in an article on ,cruising to ,california1 in #aicj1 ,dr4 ,charles ,g4 ,trumbull related the following3 ,they were gathered together on the after-deck of the steamer1 singing the old hymns4 ,night had come down over the ocean1 the myriad stars of a tropical sky were twinkling overhead1 and more than one of the ,sunday ,school ,times party who were joining in the singing were thanking ,god for the precious memories the old hymns brought them4 ,stewards and stewardesses in the service of the ship were on deck near by1 resting in steamer chairs1 enjoying the cool breezes and listening to the hymns4 ,it was interesting to note the deep interest with which the passengers on board listened to the singing of the old hymns4 ,some joined in2 the lips of others were seen moving as words of the hymn were being repeated2 one man removed his eyeglasses to wipe a certain mistiness from his eyes1 then he rather timidly asked that a certain hymn might be sung1 ',i ,will ,sing the ,wondrous ,story4' ,some incidents are parables of life as when a congregation ,sang ,amid the ,darkness ,many years ago the ,bishop of ,ripon preached at ,harrowgate on the text1 ,while ye have light1 believe in the light1 that ye may be the children of light 7,john #ab3cf74 ,earnestly and impressively he presented ,christ as the ,light of the ,world4 ,those away from ,christ were pictured as being out in the darkness4 ,tenderly urging the congregation to come into the light1 he announced the hymn1 ,abide ,with ,me6 ,the large congregation had joined with the choir in singing the first line3 ,abide with me6 ,fast falls the eventide1 when every light in the church suddenly went out4 ,without a moment of pause1 however1 the choir continued to follow the organ1 and sang3 ,the darkness deepens--,lord1 with me abide6 ,when other helpers fail1 and comforts flee1 ,help of the helpless1 ,o abide with me6 ,while singing the next lines1 a few of the gas jets were lit4 ,these words were3 ,swift to its close ebbs out life's little day2 ,earth's joys grow dim1 its glories pass away2 ,but the lights feebly flickered and died1 and the congregation1 again in darkness1 continued3 ,change and decay in all around ,i see3 ,o ,thou1 who changest not1 abide with me6 ,but the choir sang on to the end4 ,when they reached the last stanza some of the gas jets were burning2 and in the dim light the words were stirringly appealing3 ,hold ,thou ,thy cross before my closing eyes3 ,shine through the gloom and point me to the skies3 ,heaven's morning breaks1 and earth's vain shadows flee3 ,in life1 in death1 ,o ,lord1 abide with me6 ,the ,christian ,advocate gives two illustrations of the popularity of the hymn1 ,god ,will ,take ,care of ,you ,a blind man was seen crossing the street at a dangerous place in the ,bronx1 ,new ,york ,city4 ,when a friend approached he saw that the lips of the blind man were moving1 and as he listened he heard him singing softly1 ,god will take care of you4 ,when the friend made himself known to the blind man he carelessly inquired1 ,why are you singing that hymn8 ,he replied3 ,the reason is that ,i must cross this dangerous crossing just ahead of me in about a minute1 and ,i was thinking that possibly one of the many wagons or trucks might strike me and ,i would get killed4 ,but the thought came to me that even if it did occur my soul would go straight to ,god4 ,and if ,he led me across all right it would be just another evidence of ,his care of me4 ,so ,i just could not help singing to myself1 ',god will take care of you4' ,hallelujah6 ,a young woman who had lost both her husband and little daughter1 and was left to support herself in sorrow1 took a slip of paper on which was written the song1 ,god will take care of you1 and pinned it over the place where she did her dishwashing1 and testified to the great comfort the song brought to her4 ,a different kind of testimony1 both interesting and exceptional1 is given in ,a ,sexton's ,tribute to a ,singer ,traveling amid the great artificial lakes in the ,elan ,valley1 from which ,birmingham receives its water supply from the ,welsh mountains1 the visitor had pointed out to him by the driver a little church on the hillside4 ,the visitor was interested in the little sanctuary1 nestling among the green mountains1 and confessed that he liked to think of places which recall the words1 ,it's quiet down here444 ,and ,god is very near4 ,being a newspaper man1 however1 he was particularly impressed by a somewhat garbled version of the time when ,dame ,clara ,butt sang in the little building4 ,later1 in ,london1 he had the opportunity of hearing the story from ,dame ,clara ,butt herself4 ,she was motoring with some friends through the valley beyond ,llandrindod ,wells and espied this simple and tiny church1 without spire or tower1 standing alone on the hillside4 ,it seemed so like a little private sanctuary that she exclaimed1 ,i wish that little church were mine6 and halted the car1 and crossed the river to have a closer look4 ,it happened that a service was almost due1 and the sexton and an old companion were there2 so the visitors were able to enter the sanctuary4 ,they remained in silence a few minutes1 when one of the party1 pointing to the little organ1 asked ,dame ,clara to play it and sing4 ,she shook her head2 the request was repeated2 the impulse came and the singer sat at the instrument1 and sang the opening lines of ,liddle's setting of ,abide ,with ,me4 ,in a few minutes she was conscious that the old sexton was chiming in with notes which harmonized2 but1 as the great voice rang through the little church1 he stopped to listen1 for nothing like it had ever been heard there4 ,when the last notes died away1 he said1 ,but who is this lady who has sung to us8 ,when he was told he held up his hands1 and with tears falling1 exclaimed1 ,the great ,madame ,clara ,butt has come to our little church and sung to us6 ,then pointing upward1 he said reverently3 ,ah6 ,they heard that up there6 ,this tribute1 coming from the sexton who had himself once sung in ,welsh choirs1 was all the more gratifying because it was simple and spontaneous4 ,here is an interesting sidelight upon ,the ,author of ,beulah ,land ,edgar ,page ,stites1 the author of ,beulah ,land and many other popular hymns1 was a local deacon of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church and served as a supply preacher in ,dakota4 ,at the outbreak of the ,civil ,war he lived in ,richmond1 ,virginia4 ,after enlisting he was stationed in ,philadelphia and had charge of feeding the troops which passed through that city4 ,at the time of his death in ,cape ,may he was the oldest insurance agent in ,new ,jersey4 ,during his retirement he once wrote to a friend3 ,i am whittling away on my eighty-second year4 ,have written a great many songs the last fifty years signed ',edgar ,page1' which is the front of my name4 ,i was enabled by great spiritual help to write ',beulah ,land' in #ahgf1 at ,philadelphia4 ,i was wonderfully converted sixty-five years ago this month ,november1 #aheb and am still on board the old ship ,zion4 ,uncle ,joe ,cannon1 ex-,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives1 once met ,mr4 ,stites in ,cape ,may and told him he would rather have written ,beulah ,land than to have been ,president of the ,united ,states4 ,chaplain ,mc,cabe was the first to introduce this now famous hymn to the public1 singing it at a ministers' meeting in ,philadelphia4 ,since then it has been sung around the world and during the ,world ,war it was a general favorite of the soldiers overseas4 ,and another sidelight upon the writer of ,a ,hymn of ,consecration ,miss ,frances ,ridley ,havergal was visiting a home in ,cavendish ,square1 ,london1 where the aristocracy live4 ,she was to be a guest for five days4 ,knowing that several members of this family were not rejoicing ,christians1 she made a prayer1 ,lord1 give me all in this house4 ,the way was opened through her singing and she entranced everyone in this home4 ,the father1 mother1 children and servants were all brought clear into the ,kingdom of joy and peace before she left4 ,on the last night of her visit she was too happy to sleep1 and spent the greater portion of it in meditation and prayer4 ,then it was that there came to her the hymn which she wrote with buoyant feeling1 ,take my life and let it be ,consecrated1 ,lord1 to ,thee1 ending with the line1 ,ever1 only1 all for ,thee4 ,the energy and endurance of this singing faith come from the ,holy ,spirit4 ,i quote a description of a singular event in ,heidelberg1 ,germany1 written for ,the ,christian ,advocate by ,professor ,j4 ,newton ,davies4 ,it might be called ,kindling the ,torches at the ,bonfire ,on a ,june evening1 the student corporations of the university1 a thousand strong1 assembled on the banks of the ,neckar to celebrate the coming of summer4 ,each student carried in his hand an unlighted torch4 ,at a given signal1 they marched1 singing1 across the old bridge1 and up the steep path to the ,bismarck tower1 where a bonfire blazed4 ,at this bonfire each man lighted his torch1 and then continued his march to the valley below4 ,the thousand burning torches glinting through the dark fir trees were an unforgettable sight4 ,in ,jerusalem1 at ,pentecost1 the fires of a religious enthusiasm were kindled1 at the blaze of which a small band of ,christians lighted the unlit torches of their personalities4 ,with loins girt1 and lamps lit1 that gallant group of torchbearers set forth1 singing songs of victory and triumph1 to herald the advent of a ,new ,day4 ,as we today1 nineteen centuries afterward1 look back on their astonishing victories1 we cannot but fervently join in ,charles ,wesley's prayer3 ',o ,thou1 who camest from above1 ,the pure celestial fire to impart1 ,kindle a flame of sacred love ,on the mean altar of my heart6 ,there let it for ,thy glory burn1 ,with inextinguishable blaze1 ,and trembling to its source return1 ,in humble love and fervent praise4' ,one of the hymns which stirs our spirits for valiant endeavor is ,onward1 ,christian ,soldiers ,the ,rev4 ,s4 ,baring ,gould was the author of one hundred and forty books1 showing versatility of genius in these works of religion1 fiction1 folklore1 mythology1 travel1 biography1 art4 ,many of these writings will doubtless be forgotten when a hymn which he improvised and wrote in great haste1 as a marching song for a band of schoolchildren in his parish1 will continue to be remembered4 ,about this hymn1 ,onward1 ,christian ,soldiers1 the author once wrote1 ,certainly nothing has surprised me more than its great popularity4 ,the universal appeal of this hymn has justly made it a heritage of ,christian civilization4 ,it belongs to every church and nation and no one thinks of the author as an ,anglican rector but as a large-hearted soul1 which he truly was4 ,it is sung by surpliced choir boys in the incense-laden air of ,roman ,catholic churches2 and by lads without vestments in the plain country church2 by the ,knights of ,columbus and by the ,knights ,templar2 by ,presbyterians1 ,methodists1 ,baptists and every other denomination4 ,indeed1 it is used by all ,christians as a rallying call and it will so continue till the church militant becomes the ,church triumphant4 ,the romance of ,american history is impressively illuminated by ,a ,shrine ,created by a ,song ,there's a church in the valley by the wildwood--this song has been sung for threescore years and more in all the world4 ,it has furthermore made famous ,the ,little ,brown ,church in the ,vale1 located in the village of ,nashua1 ,iowa4 ,the associations of this sanctuary go back to early pioneer days when the settlers contributed lumber1 logs1 stone and labor for its erection4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,s4 ,pitts1 a physician who had helped to build this church1 was inspired to write the song4 ,the railroad came in #ahfh to ,nashua and the ,little ,brown ,church began to thrive as the population had now increased to about a thousand4 ,dr4 ,pitts taught a singing school in ,bradford1 a few miles away4 ,it was necessary to have an organ but the only instrument in all this region was in the ,little ,brown ,church4 ,his song at once gained popularity4 ,jubilee singers took it up and concert companies carried it all over ,america and ,europe4 ,it was even heard in ,new ,zealand1 ,australia and ,south ,america4 ,the song was then forgotten and with the drift of the population away from the country the ,little ,brown ,church was abandoned4 ,but about twenty-five years ago the old song was revived and an interest in the little church was quickened4 ,it was restored to its original condition1 largely due to the song it had inspired4 ,every year thousands of visitors go to ,nashua to see it4 ,it has also become a sort of ,gretna ,green1 for over five hundred couples have been married there4 ,indeed1 the church is largely supported by these fees and it continues to do the work of a real country church4 ,seldom have a church and a song been so closely identified as in this instance4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,songs in the ,night ,the quality of our faith is made known in times of stress and storm1 when appearances are anything but favorable and the outlook is bleak and barren4 ,just as the courage of the soldier is shown in the thick of the battle rather than at the camp fires1 so the fortitude of the ,christian is exhibited in the strife and strain of untoward circumstances4 ,these may be caused by some calamity such as sickness or death or some serious loss4 ,the pessimist sees only darkness and danger and is ready to let go4 ,the optimist sees only brightness and security but is nonplused before mishaps4 ,they are both one-sided and superficial because they reckon with a limited set of facts4 ,the meliorist1 on the other hand1 is convinced that1 because his faith is fixed trusting in ,god1 he can weather the tempest and survive the severe ordeal4 ,it has been said that many hymns are weakened by excessive sentimentalism4 ,this criticism carries the point too far and overlooks the fact that in the final analysis we are influenced far more by the monitions of the heart than by the admonitions of the head4 ,what ,dr4 ,joseph ,collins calls adult infantilism is due1 according to this keen analyst1 to our failure to educate and regulate our emotions4 ,to be sure1 there is such a thing as frothy emotionalism1 but when we go to the other extreme and pretend we are living in an ice pack it is often due to the inferiority complex4 ,better a sentimentalism which stirs our emotions than a rationalism which suppresses them4 ,the answer to this inept criticism is given in the following incidents4 ,they illustrate how men and women have expressed the buoyancy of religion in the darkness of peril1 accident1 sorrow1 suffering and other trials4 ,it was their faith which made use of hymns to carry on until the day dawned4 ,here is an incident from a memorable tragedy which tells how one ,played a ,hymn on the ,deck of a ,sinking ,boat ,wallace ,h4 ,hartley ,died ,april #ae1 #aiab ',nearer1 my ,god1 to ,thee' ,such was the simple inscription on the rosewood coffin of one of the heroic figures of the musical realm1 whose name was carried all over the world when the ,titanic was sunk4 ,as the boats were hurrying away from the wreck the marine band continued to play until their instruments were choked by the swirling water that closed about the musicians and sent them to heroes' graves4 ,of the eight bandsmen six were ,englishmen1 one a ,german and one a ,frenchman4 ,their leader was ,mr4 ,wallace ,h4 ,hartley4 ,one who had been with him on twenty-two voyages on the ,mauretania states that he once casually asked him what he would do if he were on a boat which was wrecked4 ,he promptly replied that he would play ,nearer1 my ,god1 to ,thee4 ,and this was the hymn he led the bandsmen in playing after they had long been rendering popular tunes1 when he had to make a last selection before the great ship made her final plunge4 ,among the #hae passengers and #fhh crew who were drowned was ,w4 ,t4 ,stead1 editor of ,the ,review of ,reviews4 ,a few years previous he had published ,hymns ,that ,have ,helped4 ,in this list of the best hundred hymns1 ,nearer1 my ,god1 to ,thee stands seventh4 ,the ,prince of ,wales1 later ,king ,edward ,,vii1 sent a letter to the editor in which he expressed a preference for this hymn and said1 ,there is none more touching nor one that goes more truly to the heart than ,no4 #g on your list4 ,mr4 ,stead made the terse comment1 ,the hymn is as dear to the peasant as it is to the prince4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,j4 ,elliott1 president of the local musicians' union at ,louisville1 at the time of the disaster said there is a standing rule in the national organization requiring bands attending funerals of dead members to conclude the rites with this tune4 ,that is the last thing we play at the grave of a musician--',nearer1 my ,god1 to ,thee4' ,i believe that1 knowing they were doomed as the result of their own heroism1 the members of the ship's orchestra thus commended their own souls to their ,god1 giving expression to their petition in the notes of their instruments4 ,what a fitting expression for souls about to wing their way into eternity6 ,equally impressive is this incident when ,rescuers ,steered in the ,direction ,of the ,singer ,when the ,english steamer ,stella was wrecked on the ,casquet rocks twelve women were put into a boat which the waves whirled away1 leaving them helpless without even an oar4 ,they passed a terrific night not knowing what awaited them4 ,wet and cold they would have perished but for the courage of one of them1 ,miss ,marguerite ,williams1 who was a contralto singer4 ,there was no thought of ruining her voice at such a crisis1 and through the night she sang parts from ,the ,messiah and ,elijah and also hymns4 ,this cheered the desolate women4 ,about four o'clock in the morning a lifeboat which was sent out to save any surviving victims came to a pause in the waters as the men heard a woman's voice singing in the distance4 ,the words1 ,oh6 rest in the ,lord1 were carried to them by the wind and they promptly steered in their direction4 ,before long they sighted the boat with the twelve women who were taken aboard the steam launch4 ,the singing of ,miss ,williams not only braced up her companions and herself but led to their rescue4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,t4 ,grenfell recounts a rescue under similar circumstances in his book#d entitled ,adrift on an ,ice-,pan ,he had returned home on ,easter ,sunday after the service when he received an urgent call to go sixty miles to help a young man on whom he had previously operated4 ,crossing the ice the next day1 as it was breaking up1 he found that he was on a piece which was drifting into the open ,atlantic4 ,three of his dogs were killed1 and from their bones he made a flagpole2 while their coats were used to keep him warm during the night4 ,all night long he drifted1 but was rescued in the morning1 although there seemed little probability that he would be4 ,through the night1 expecting death at any moment1 there ran through his mind the words of an old hymn which came back to him from his boyhood days3 ,my ,god1 my ,father1 while ,i stray ,far from my home1 on life's rough way1 ,o teach me from my heart to say1 ,thy will be done6 ,referring to this rescue1 ,dr4 ,grenfell said3 ,as ,i went to sleep that first night there still rang in my ears the same verse of the old hymn which had been my companion on the ice1 ',thy will1 not mine1 ,o ,lord4' ,there is much significance in a ceremony associated with ,dedicating a ,lifeboat ,five hundred lives had been saved by a lifeboat service at the ,scilly ,islands just off the coast of ,cornwall1 ,england1 between #ahbh and #aicj4 ,these islands are near the main lines of ,atlantic travel4 ,a new lifeboat costing #db1ejj was dedicated in ,august1 #aicj4 ,it was named the ,cunard in honor of the donors1 the ,cunard ,steamship ,company4 ,this boat is fitted with twin screws and two engines1 each of forty horsepower1 which could work even though the engine room were filled with water4 ,she has water-tight compartments1 generates her own electricity and is manned by a crew of eight men4 ,two prayers were offered by ministers1 and two hymns were sung4 ,led by the local band1 the assembled company1 who fully realized the perils of the great waters1 joined in singing3 ,eternal ,father1 strong to save1 ,whose arm hath bound the restless wave1 ,who bidds't the mighty ocean deep1 ,its own appointed limits keep2 ,o hear us when we cry to ,thee ,for those in peril on the sea4 ,o ,christ1 whose voice the waters heard ,and hushed their raging at ,thy word1 ,who walkedst on the foaming deep1 ,and calm amid the storm didst sleep2 ,o hear us when we cry to ,thee ,for those in peril on the sea4 ,equally appropriate was the second hymn rendered3 ,o ,god1 our help in ages past1 ,our hope for years to come1 ,our shelter from the stormy blast1 ,and our eternal home6 ,the confidence of such faith is illustrated in ,what ,led to ,he ,leadeth ,me ,the birthplace of this world-renowned hymn was marked in ,philadelphia by a tablet containing the first stanza and the following inscription3 ',he ,leadeth ,me1' sung throughout the world1 was written by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,joseph ,h4 ,gilmore1 a son of a ,governor of ,new ,hampshire1 in the home of ,deacon ,wattson1 immediately after preaching in the ,first ,baptist ,church1 northwest corner ,broad and ,arch ,streets1 on the #bfth day of ,march1 #ahfb4 ,the church and ,deacon ,wattson's house stood on the ground on which this building is erected4 ,the ,united ,gas ,improvement ,company1 in recognition of the beauty and fame of the hymn1 and in remembrance of its distinguished author1 makes this permanent record on the first day of ,june1 #aibf4 ,the subject of the sermon was the ,twenty-third ,psalm1 especially the words ,he leadeth me4 ,after the service a few met with the minister and rehearsed the impression1 emphasizing the timeliness of the sermon1 since this was the darkest hour of the ,war of ,rebellion4 ,then and there1 wrote ,dr4 ,gilmore1 on a blank page of the brief from which ,i had intended to speak1 ,i penciled the hymn1 handed it to my wife1 and thought no more about it4 ,it was later published in a ,boston paper1 which attracted the attention of ,william ,b4 ,bradbury1 who set the hymn to music4 ,since then it has gone on its mission1 translated into several languages and sung by people of different churches4 ,bishop ,paddock had it included in the revised hymnal of the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church1 saying how could ,i conduct a service in a home for the aged if ,i couldn't give out ',he ,leadeth ,me'8 ,this hymn was once sung in a ,chinese court of justice by a native who had never seen a white missionary1 to show the presiding judge what a ,christian hymn was like4 ,the man was being tried for renting a building to some ,christians who had opened an opium refuge4 ,when he told the justice that at their meetings the ,christians prayed and sang hymns1 he was asked for a specimen and sang ,he ,leadeth ,me4 ,how a crisis was averted is seen when ,a ,german ,girl ,led in ,singing ,a ,mighty ,fortress ,a few years ago there was a fearful accident at the coal mines near ,scranton1 ,pennsylvania4 ,several men were buried for three days and all hopes of their rescue seemed to be futile4 ,most of the miners in this region were ,germans4 ,their excitement was intensified by sympathy for the wives and children of the buried men and their failure to rescue them4 ,on the third day at evening1 a mob assembled at the mouth of the mine in a sullen temper because it was hopeless to dig further since the men were probably dead by this time1 and in their mad rage they blamed the rich mine owners for the tragedy4 ,they were ready for any violence if only some reckless word was spoken4 ,the atmosphere was tense but it was suddenly changed when a little ,german girl1 about eleven years of age1 pale with fear1 lifted her voice in song4 ,she began in a hoarse whisper but her childish voice gathered strength as she went on with the first verse of ,luther's hymn1 ,a ,mighty ,fortress ,is ,our ,god4 ,there was silence as these lines fell on the ears of the ,germans1 familiar with them from the cradle4 ,others joined and before long the whole company were singing3 ,did we in our own strength confide1 ,our striving would be losing2 ,were not the right ,man on our side1 ,the ,man of ,god's own choosing4 ,doth ask who that may be8 ,christ ,jesus1 it is ,he2 ,lord ,sabaoth is ,his name1 ,from age to age the same1 ,and ,he must win the battle4 ,the tide was turned and1 encouraged1 they resumed their work and kept at it4 ,before morning the joyful news came up from the pit that the men were found and that they were alive4 ,what a word in season was this girl's hymn6 ,here is a touching story about ,what a ,blind ,soldier ,wanted to ,hear ,when a ,salvation ,army officer was conducting a song service in the wards of the hospital at ,bazeilles1 ,france1 where there were many wounded ,american soldiers during the ,world ,war1 a blind lad asked them to sing something for him4 ,the choice was appropriate and pathetic as he expressed a desire to hear the old hymn3 ,lead1 kindly light1 amid the encircling gloom1 ,lead ,thou me on6 ,one can easily imagine that the words prayerfully expressed the deepest desire of his soul4 ,the theme of this chapter is impressively brought home concerning a girl who was ,blind and ,lonely1 ,but ,still ,singing ,she had just entered her 'teens when she was stricken with tuberculosis4 ,sent to the ,adirondacks1 she did not recover4 ,later she went to the home of her grandparents1 and there she died4 ,she was a member of the ,sunday ,school in the church of which ,i was then pastor4 ,she had a sweet1 clear voice1 and on special occasions she was generally on the program for a solo4 ,when called to conduct the funeral1 her relatives told me that the night before she died she became blind4 ,unable to see1 she three times called1 ,papa1 ,papa1 ,papa6 ,but her father was not present to respond to her call4 ,not long afterwards she broke into song4 ,those watching with her were deeply moved as she began3 ,be not dismayed whate'er betide1 ,god will take care of you2 ,beneath ,his wings of love abide1 ,god will take care of you4#e ,she sang the entire hymn1 even to the last verse3 ,no matter what may be the test1 ,god will take care of you2 ,lean1 weary one1 upon ,his breast1 ,god will take care of you4 ,god will take care of you1 ,thro' ev'ry day1 o'er all the way2 ,he will take care of you1 ,god will take care of you4 ,when the morning came1 ,god took her into the heavenly home1 and she had passed from darkness and pain to light and joy4 ,how a night of sorrow ended is seen when a man was ,transfigured by ,matheson's ,hymn ,dr4 ,george ,matheson1 the blind preacher of ,edinburgh1 is best remembered by his hymn1 ,o ,love1 that wilt not let me go1 written when forty years of age4 ,it is the quickest composition ,i ever achieved1 wrote the author4 ,it was done in three minutes4 ,i was sitting alone in my study in a state of great mental depression1 caused by a real calamity4 ,my hymn was the voice of my depression4 ,it was wrung out spontaneously from the heart4 ,a close friend of ,matheson testified that the distinctive ideals of this hymn possessed him all his life4 ,many thousands of people have been stirred and comforted by its gracious message4 ,a missionary from ,india attended a service in ,algiers1 ,africa1 where about sixty people were present1 mostly tourists4 ,after the sermon this hymn was announced1 and as the minister was reading the first verse a man of perhaps fifty was seen to change seats with the lady organist4 ,suddenly the keys were touched and the little ,american organ seemed to take on new life4 ,surely a master was at the keys4 ,he played and sang and carried the congregation to heavenly heights of rapture4 ,the deep emotion of the organist1 his face stained with tears1 passed to the audience and the climax was reached when the last verse was sung3 ,o ,cross that liftest up my head1 ,i dare not ask to fly from thee2 ,i lay in dust life's glory dead1 ,and from the ground there blossoms red ,life that shall endless be4 ,after the service several went forward to thank the organist4 ,he received them with a quiet smile and quickly left the church4 ,it was discovered later that he was a distinguished ,british singer4 ,two years previous to this incident1 his wife lay dying4 ,she was an ,american lady of great musical ability4 ,she asked him to sing this hymn as she was passing into the shadow of death4 ,and this was the first time he had ventured to sing it again since that trying day4 ,no wonder his soul spoke from the depths1 as through this hymn he was passing from the ,darkness of sorrow to the ,light which followed all his way1 like many another pilgrim on the journey of trial and travail4 ,the secret of strength in weakness is given in this confession of faith3 ,through ,cheerful ,years ,my ,guide ,consecrated and cultured1 a young man began his work in the ministry of ,jesus ,christ in the latter part of the nineteenth century4 ,unsparing of himself1 he labored with intense earnestness4 ,popularity was soon achieved1 and he was placed in responsible centers of influence4 ,success came to him in each successive field of activity4 ,faith and character had to meet severe tests4 ,while in the very prime of life1 health failed4 ,operation after operation was performed1 but without avail4 ,courageously he met the situation1 and though unable to do much public work1 he continued to cultivate his brilliant mind4 ,over and over again during those last days of weakness and suffering he quoted the hymn of ,dr4 ,frank ,mason ,north1 which had grown to be his favorite among the many hymns he knew4 ,he 7the ,rev4 ,charles ,l4 ,peck7 told the writer he believed the hymn was destined to become increasingly popular4 ,it was sung at his funeral4 ,jesus1 the calm that fills my breast1 ,no other heart than ,thine can give2 ,this peace unstirred1 this joy of rest1 ,none but ,thy loved ones can receive4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,o ,christ1 through changeful years my ,guide1 ,my ,comforter in sorrow's night1 ,my ,friend when friendless--still abide1 ,my ,lord1 my ,counselor1 my ,light4 ,my times1 my powers1 ,i give to ,thee2 ,my inmost soul 'tis ,thine to move2 ,i wait for ,thy eternity1 ,i wait1 in peace1 in praise1 in love4#f ,the ,christian heroism of another young man is described in what might be called ,through ,every ,day for ,a ,thousand ,days ,he was in training to be a physician when he was stricken with a deadly disease4 ,he then resolved to face the situation manfully4 ,dr4 ,merton ,s4 ,rice thus refers to this case3 ,he immediately adopted every precaution in what he knew must be a long1 long contest1 if he should live4 ,day after day1 for weeks1 months and years1 that indomitable young soul fought that fight with death4 ,every day he held scientific record of his life for one thousand and fifteen days4 ,he has charted on an unbroken chart the full record of his heart and his temperature1 and in eleven volumes of carefully listed observations of life pursued by death he has left us this great story4 ,through it all1 and down to the very last breath of it all he has sung1 and then asked us to sing when he was gone3 ',through every day1 ,o'er all the way1 ,god will take care of you4' ,here is what a veteran confessed at a time when he ,sank in ,blissful ,dreams ,away ,i am now in my seventy-third year1 and just completing the fiftieth year of my ministry1 said the ,rev4 ,t4 ,ferrier ,hulme1 ,d4,d41 fraternal delegate from the ,wesleyan ,methodist ,church of ,england to the ,general ,conference of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church in ,kansas ,city1 ,may1 #aibh4 ,in closing his address he said3 ,may ,i give you my experience8 ,i have known ,jesus for many years4 ,i have been preaching for fifty years4 ,twelve years ago it seemed as if my work was done4 ,i was laid low by a terrible illness1 and had to undergo a major operation that might well have been fatal4 ,my life was in the balance4 ,i said3 ',charles ,wesley1 ,what have you for me8 ,give me something short and sweet4' ,and he gave me3 ',jesus1 the first and last1 ,on whom my soul is cast2 ,thou didst ,thy work begin ,in blotting out my sin2 ,thou wilt the root remove1 ,and perfect me in love4 ,yet when the work is done1 ,the work is but begun2 ,partaker of ,thy grace ,i long to see ,thy face2 ,the first ,i prove below1 ,the last ,i die to know4' ,i repeated it to the last line1 and then sank in blissful dreams away4 ,when ,i came out from that nursing home1 before ,i could walk1 ,i just crawled to ,charles ,wesley's grave near this home and gave ,god thanks for all that ,charles ,wesley had been to ,christendom1 and especially for what he had been to me4 ,the following letter1 quoted in part1 from a woman who underwent an operation tells of the influence of ,hymns in ,hospital ,i am sending you my testimony for the prayer meeting4 ,first ,i want you to thank ,god with me and for me that all is well4 ,then ask ,god to bless each and every nurse up here because they certainly are a splendid lot4 ,they hold chapel here every morning4 ,the day ,i was operated they sang1 ',i need thee every hour4' ,i felt they were just singing that for me4 ,i was terribly frightened when ,i lay on the table but ,i prayed that ,god would be near me4 ,i certainly felt ,his presence4 ,i could not see ,him1 neither could ,i see the two doctors in the operating room but ,i knew they were there just the same4 ,do you wonder that the first words ,i said after the operation were1 ',o ,light that followest all my way'8 ,it surely means something to have a ,friend who can go with you down even to the valley of the shadow of death4 ,the next morning was the worst yet and they sang3 ',leave1 ah6 leave me not alone1 ,still support and comfort me4' ,what do you think of that8 ,why1 if ,i had been the only one in the hospital they could not have sung anything better for me4 ,just across the way from me there lies a lady very ill1 and the other night while ,i was awake1 ,i heard her singing1 soft and sweet and trembling1 ',or if my way lie ,where death o'erhanging nigh1 ,my soul doth terrify ,with sudden chill4' ,and then her voice came out strong3 ',yet ,i am not afraid3 ,whilst softly on my head ,thy tender hand is laid1 ,i fear no ill4' ,here is another testimony when ,patients ,listened to ,precious ,name ,early one morning in a city hospital1 above the distracting noise1 there was heard the sweet voice of a woman repeatedly singing the refrain3 ,precious ,name1 ,o how sweet6 ,hope of earth and joy of heaven4 ,no silver bell ever sounded more clearly and no appeal was more winsome than these lines as they were heard by the sick and dying4 ,it is not known whether she herself was a sufferer4 ,in any case her message wafted through the air came with cheering timeliness to the men and women on their beds of sickness4 ,one who heard it then has not forgotten its effect after fifteen years1 and it will be a choice memory for years to come4 ,the reference to the bell recalls an incident when ,church ,bells ,reminded ,her ,of an ,old ,hymn ,an aged saint who dwelt beneath the shadow of her church was lying in a last sickness and it occurred to her pastor that the peals1 breaking the stillness of the night1 might disturb her4 ,on being told about it1 she said3 ,not at all1 ,i love to hear them4 ,it's the kirk bell2 and whenever ,i hear it1 it makes me think of the hymns we used to sing3 ',far1 far away1 like bells at evening pealing1 ,the voice of ,jesus sounds o'er land and sea4' ,she then added1 ,it's ,his voice1 and it's sic a comfort to me4 ,i aye weary to hear it4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,hymns ,mothers ,loved ,it may be disputed whether religion is an inheritance or an acquisition but the fact remains that the influence of personality is the final explanation4 ,and who has exercised such a power more beneficially than mothers8 ,they constitute the heart of every home1 the first and the last in everything4 ,whoever may fail us in the tumult and struggle of life1 our mothers have never gone back on us but have remained steadfast even at the cost of incredible sacrifices4 ,indeed1 mothers hold the key to every difficult situation in life1 and they have opened doors closed to every other approach4 ,during the ,world ,war most of the letters from the ,front were written by the boys to their mothers1 and this daily mail ran far into the tons4 ,by their faith1 devotion and consolation our mothers have done for us what no other mortals have ever been capable of doing4 ,even when we are inclined to make an exception of our wives1 it is really the mother instinct in them which makes them so indispensable to us4 ,quick in sympathy1 ready in resource1 patient in trials1 versatile in ability and adaptability1 mothers stand sentinel in the crises of life1 and because of intuition and inspiration they are the saviors of society4 ,god be praised for our mothers1 and may the blessing of the ,eternal ,father abide with all mothers1 that they may continue to fulfill their gracious ministry for the highest welfare of mankind4 ,this sheaf of testimonies bears glowing witness from grateful hearts to the sacramental virtue of mothers4 ,may their memory be forever blessed6 ,the ,bible and the hymnal were the two books from which our mothers received their spiritual replenishment4 ,this poem by the ,rev4 ,g4 ,h4 ,winkworth tells of the hymnal which he fittingly describes as ,the ,old ,brown ,book ,the old brown book was worn and finger-stained4 ,to touch it gently children's hands were trained4 ,it had within the hymns that mother sang ,in peaceful worship after church bells rang4 ,i hear her voice again so sweet and clear1 ,according praise to ,christ her ,saviour dear4 ,the old brown book had words that blessed her soul2 ,she sang them1 ',while the nearer waters roll4' ',tis years since mother gently passed to rest1 ,and hands were gently folded on her breast1 ,she sleeps1 but in our ears the old hymns ring-- ,the sweet old hymns that mother used to sing4 ,the years are passing onward one by one1 ,and with them changes to the church have come2 ,the old brown book no longer fills its place2 ,we struggle now to sing new hymns of grace4 ,but when the ,sabbath evening takes us home1 ,and we are gathered there with friends alone1 ,we take the old brown book and once more sing1 ',hide thou beneath the shadow of ,thy wing4' ,and who can tell but what in heaven above ,they sing again the old sweet hymns we love8 ,we only know that when we sing them here ,they bring to us the ,heavenly ,presence near4 ,thus we can fight life's battle calm and sweet1 ,each unborn day with courage wait to meet1 ',blest be the tie that binds1' we smooth the way1 ',nearer my ,god to ,thee' each closing day4 ,the old brown book a treasure still we keep1 ,the same old hymns that rocked our friends to sleep2 ,and if we fail to catch the newest strain1 ,our hearts would sing the old hymns once again4#g ,the same theme is continued in another poem by ,maud ,frazer ,jackson in ,the ,sunday ,school ,times1 entitled1 ,my ,mother's ,song ,i heard a song that touched my heart ,and filled my eyes with tears4 ,it was the song my mother sang ,in long-departed years1-- ',only trust ,him1 only trust ,him1 ,only trust ,him now2 ,he will save you1 ,he will save you1 ,he will save you now4' ,how sweet the words that gave me hope ,that ,i might be restored1-- ',come1 every soul by sin oppressed1 ,there's mercy with the ,lord4' ,i seemed to hear her gentle voice ,as in the long ago1-- ',plunge now into the crimson flood ,that washes white as snow4' ,she knows tonight1 my mother knows1 ,up there1 her prayers are heard2 ,for ,jesus gives the wanderer rest1 ,i'm 'trusting in ,his ,word4' ,dr4 ,w4 ,j4 ,dawson1 in his reminiscences entitled ,the ,autobiography of a ,mind1#h thus refers to ,the ,note of ,assurance in the ,old ,hymns ,i came the other day upon a ,methodist hymnal bearing the date of #ahgg1 and in it ,i found the hymns which my mother loved to quote1 and ,i was struck with their depth of emotion1 their genuine spiritual quality4 ,they have a note of profound assurance which ,i miss in the modern hymns4 ',leader of faithful souls1 and guide ,of all who travel to the sky1 ,come and with us1 even us1 abide ,who would on ,thee alone rely4 ,on ,thee alone our spirits stay ,while held in life's uneven way4' ,how fine is the crusading note in this verse6 ,particularly noble in sentiment and emotion are the numerous hymns dealing with death and the future state4 ,here is one which ,i confess ,i read with tears3 ',rejoice for a brother deceased1 ,our loss is his infinite gain2 ,a soul out of prison released1 ,and freed from its bodily chain4 ,with songs let us follow his flight ,and mount with his spirit above1 ,escaped to the mansions of light1 ,and lodged in the ,eden of love4' ,one can fancy this hymn sung by ,cornish fishermen over one of their numbers lost at sea4 ,the sacred memories of the past may slumber for a while but they are often awakened under favorable conditions1 as seen on this occasion1 as reported in ,the ,british ,weekly1 when ,canadian ,railroad ,men ,sang ,in ,memory of ,mother ,a student of ,manitoba ,university1 ,winnipeg1 accepted camp service for the long vacation in connection with the building of the last transcontinental railroad in ,canada4 ,he became one of the men and soon made friends with them4 ,after the midday meal on the first ,sunday he asked the boys if they would roll up to the service he proposed to hold8 ,the tent was crowded4 ,he started the service by asking if any of them remembered their mother's favorite hymn4 ,he was answered at once by one who said his mother liked best ,rock of ,ages1 ,cleft ,for ,me4 ,so it was sung1 and1 like other mothers' favorites1 it was sung over and over again4 ,the service continued till eleven o'clock and under that star-lit northern sky they left the tent for their bunks1 resolving that the ,god of the old home should be their ,god4 ,by many a bunk that night the prayer went to heaven3 ,rock of ,ages1 cleft for me1 ,let me hide myself in ,thee4 ,the result was equally beneficial in another instance when ,john ,callahan ,heard ,mother's ,hymn in a ,mission ,he was long superintendent of ,hadley ,mission in ,new ,york ,city1 and known as the ,bishop of the ,bowery4 ,he said1 ,it was ',abide ,with ,me' that ,i heard in a mission1 and that ,i had not heard since it was sung when ,i was six years old at my mother's funeral1 that brought me to my senses and made me realize that ,i was not traveling on the right road4 ,the same effect was produced at the front when fond memories made ,voices ,husky ,with ,emotion ,the message of the ,gospel took on a reality it had never worn before as the story of the ,cross was recounted by the ,salvationists to the ,american soldiers in ,france4 ,the thunder of artillery was heard2 and the flashing of signal lights1 together with the hum of the airplanes1 vivified the whole background of war4 ,after an address on the ,god of their mothers a young woman began to sing3 ,i grieved my ,lord from day to day1 ,i scorned ,his love so full and free1 ,and though ,i wandered far away1 ,my mother's prayers have followed me4 ,i'm coming home1 ,i'm coming home1 ,to live my wasted life anew1 ,for mother's prayers have followed me1 ,have followed me the whole world through4 ,many hearts echoed the words2 and the voices of the men were husky with emotion when they tried to join in the closing hymn4 ,a different testimony is given where one ,wanted to ,hear the ,hymns ,that ,mother ,loved ,best ,countess ,somers1 the mother of ,lady ,henry ,somerset1 presented ,frances ,e4 ,willard with a music-box4 ,this may still be seen in ,rest ,cottage1 ,evanston1 ,illinois4 ,the little guide-book1 ,historic ,rest ,cottage1 says3 ,when this music-box was to be made1 ,miss ,willard was asked what music she would most enjoy and she instantly replied3 ',the hymns that mother loved best4' ,so the visitor hears1 ',how firm a foundation'2 ',nearer1 my ,god1 to ,thee'2 ',while the days are going by'2 ',there is a land of pure delight'2 ',home1 sweet home' and ',in heavenly love abiding4' ,concerning this first hymn the following incident tells how ,miss ,frances ,willard's mother ,saluted ,her ,favorite ,hymn ,there was the gay summer 'garden party' at ,rest ,cottage 7,evanston1 ,illinois7 in honor of ,anna ,gordon's birthday with ,miss ,willard as master of ceremonies1 when speeches and presentation of gifts1 poems and tributes1 were in order4 ,and at the close all united in singing ',how firm a foundation1' as the aged saint1 ,miss ,willard's venerable mother1 then in her closing eighty-eighth year1 rose on the upper balcony1 where she sat enjoying the bright scene in the garden1 to wave her handkerchief in salutation at the words of her favorite hymn1 ',and when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn1 ,like lambs they shall still in ,my bosom be borne4' ,the substantial faith of mothers is illustrated in the case of one who ,sang the ,nicene ,creed ,the sixth child in a family of eight1 ,joseph ,von ,wittig was born in a one-room cottage4 ,he tells us how his mother used to sing before her marriage in the choir of the village church4 ,what did you like best to sing1 mother8 he once asked her1 and she answered1 ,the ,creed4 ,he remembered a day when she was busy with field-work1 and he heard her clear voice rising in the closing words of the ,nicene ,creed1 et vitam venturi sculi1 and the life of the world to come4 ,the foretaste of the life to come has been enjoyed in the present life1 to judge from these words by ,bishop ,adna ,w4 ,leonard1 in his book1 ,evangelism in the ,remaking of the ,world1#i concerning his mother's ,singing ,while ,sleeping ,my own dear mother as she lay upon her dying bed1 after many years of the severest suffering and invalidhood1 fell into a very sound sleep4 ,it was only a night or two before her outgoing4 ,my father was keeping his faithful vigil1 when suddenly he heard a familiar voice singing1 ',o ,thou1 in whose presence my soul takes delight1 ,on whom in affliction ,i call1 ,my comfort by day1 and my song in the night1 ,my hope1 my salvation1 my all6' ,it was my mother's voice singing in a marvelously clear tone the hymn that had been a favorite with her all her life4 ,though asleep she sang every verse clear through to the end4 ,other members of the family were awakened by it and listened in breathless silence1 for it was like the song of an angel4 ,she did not waken for some time after she had ceased singing1 and when told of what had taken place she was not surprised1 for the hymns of the church had been such a comfort to her throughout her entire life4 ,another witness is ,dr4 ,oscar ,l4 ,joseph who on every ,mother's ,day has his congregation sing ,peace1 ,perfect ,peace ,beyond all other hymns1 his mother loved this one written by ,bishop ,edward ,h4 ,bickersteth4 ,she often sang it in the family circle4 ,no burden or distraction could interfere with the perfect peace which ,christ imparted to her soul4 ,hence1 when she died1 it was the message she wished to have set over her resting place4 ,so on her tombstone in ,ceylon may be found the three words3 ,peace1 ,perfect ,peace4 ,when the members of the congregation hear this bit of family history from the lips of their pastor1 they most feelingly sing at his request3 ,peace1 perfect peace1 in this dark world of sin8 ,the blood of ,jesus whispers peace within4 ,peace1 perfect peace1 by thronging duties pressed8 ,to do the will of ,jesus1--this is rest4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,peace1 perfect peace1 our future all unknown8 ,jesus1 we know1 and ,he is on the throne4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,it is enough3 earth's struggles soon shall cease1 ,and ,jesus call us to heaven's perfect peace4 ,the sacrificial loyalty to ,christ is seen when ,a ,mother ,answered with a ,hymn ,a missionary secretary of one of the ,methodist churches in ,england once went to see a mother whose only remaining son had offered himself for foreign mission service4 ,two other sons had gone to the same country and there they had laid down their lives in the service of ,christ and the natives4 ,the secretary sympathetically referred to this pathetic fact1 and wished to ascertain from the mother whether the last of her boys was to go with her full consent4 ,the mother grasped the trend of the visitor's conversation1 and1 without waiting for the secretary to put the direct question1 she very quietly repeated the lines she so often sang in church1 which conveyed her spirit of surrender3 ,were the whole realm of nature mine1 ,that were a present far too small2 ,love so amazing1 so divine1 ,demands my soul1 my life1 my all4 ,there was no need for further questioning4 ,the secretary said in my hearing1 ,i knelt with that mother and her boy and we had a tearful but beautiful season of prayer4 ,it is not surprising that in the soldiers' hours of danger1 according to ,the ,war ,romance of the ,salvation ,army1 by ,booth and ,hill1#aj ,mother ,held ,her ,place in ,their ,hearts ,the night of the ,st4 ,mihiel drive was the blackest night ever seen4 ,it was so dark that one could positively see nothing a foot ahead of him4 ,all that was heard was the sound of thousands of feet tramping1 through the mud and slush1 as the soldiers went to the front4 ,in groups they were singing softly as they went by4 ,one group was singing ,mother ,machree4 ,there's a spot in me heart that no colleen may own1 ,there's a depth in me soul never sounded or known2 ,there's a place in me memory1 me life1 that you fill1 ,no other can take it1 no one ever will2 ,sure1 ,i love the dear silver that shines in your hair1 ,and the brow that's all furrowed and wrinkled with care4 ,i kiss the dear fingers1 so toil-worn for me2 ,o1 ,god bless you and keep you6 ,mother ,machree6 ,the simple pathos of the men's voices1 many of whom were tramping forward to their death1 brought tears to the eyes of the ,salvation ,army lassies in the canteen4 ,after an interval1 sweetly and solemnly through the chill of the darkness there came floating by1 with a thrill in the words1 another group of voices3 ,abide with me6 ,fast falls the eventide1 ,the darkness deepens--,lord1 with me abide6 ,,chapter ,,iv ,when ,preachers ,sing ,even in these days of pulpit exchanges1 ministers show their denominational alliances in their sermons4 ,not so when it comes to hymns1 which are more catholic and comprehensive than creeds and other ecclesiastical pronouncements4 ,indeed1 the hymnal of any church contains the writings of ,catholics and of ,protestants of every variety1 for most hymns express the deeper aspirations of the soul without any sectarian accent4 ,they are admitted into these compilations because of their intrinsic worth as transcripts from ,christian experience1 dealing with the essential truths of the ,gospel4 ,there is a healthy omission of those incidentals which interrupt whole-hearted ,christian fellowship with all who believe in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and accept ,him as their central authority4 ,if our preaching were as free and fervent as the hymns sung by ministers and people1 and if our practice more closely harmonized with the sentiments in hymns1 the day of ,christian union would come more quickly4 ,here are some incidents which illustrate the ability of ministers to make melody in their hearts as unto the ,lord4 ,it is in a crisis that the depths of the heart are exposed as here when ,a ,minister ,requested ,his ,favorite ,hymn ,dr4 ,r4 ,w4 ,dale1 of ,birmingham1 ,england1 preached a beautiful sermon in memory of his college friend1 the ,rev4 ,e4 ,s4 ,glanville1 of ,warwick4 ,he told how the dying minister had requested his father and sister to sing to him his favorite hymn1 and they sat in the chamber of death and sang3 ,there is a land of pure delight1 ,where saints immortal reign2 ,infinite day excludes the night1 ,and pleasures banish pain4 ,equally significant was the ,marching ,song of ,veteran ,ministers ,when the names of the forty-five retired ministers were called in the ,baltimore ,annual ,conference of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 in #aicj1 these men who were facing the sunset period of life stood and sang3 ,come1 we that love the ,lord1 ,and let our joys be known2 ,join in a song with sweet accord ,and thus surround the throne4 ,the light that never was on sea or land crept into their faces as they recalled the days and the songs of their pilgrimage1 and blended their voices in the triumphant refrain3 ,we're marching to ,zion1 ,beautiful1 beautiful ,zion2 ,we're marching upward to ,zion1 ,the beautiful city of ,god4 ,then1 to give emphatic expression to their ,christian joy1 when ,dr4 ,charles ,w4 ,baldwin1 a veteran leader1 ninety-one years of age1 gave the signal1 they exclaimed in unison3 ,hallelujah6 ,but those who are in active service show their spirit of consecration by being ,ready for ,another ,day's ,work ,the business had been transacted1 the committees had reported1 and the resolutions of appreciation had been read4 ,the closing moments of the ,methodist ,conference were approaching4 ,soon the presiding bishop would read the appointments1 and one hundred and eighty ministers would enter on a new year of ministry4 ,several of these would be assigned to new fields4 ,many had seen years of service4 ,for some of them this would probably be the closing year1 for it generally happens that during the year some fall at the post of duty4 ,but among the number there were nine young men who for the first time would enter on their great adventure of ministerial service4 ,the closing hymn selected was one rarely heard at such a moment1 yet it was impressively appealing1 and soon all the ministers were blending their voices in the words of ,miss ,warner3 ,one more day's work for ,jesus1 ,one less of life for me6 ,but heaven is nearer1 ,and ,christ is dearer ,than yesterday1 to me4 ,in connection with what was said above about young ministers1 it was an impressive occasion ,when a ,bishop ,sang at the ,ordination ,service ,a group of young men were ordained into the ministry of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church on a glorious ,sunday afternoon in ,may in the presence of many hundreds of ministers1 relatives and others4 ,the service apparently was about to end when ,bishop ,adna ,w4 ,leonard knelt inside the altar by the side of these young preachers4 ,by pre-arrangement with the organist1 the strains of music softly came and then the voice of the bishop was heard singing the expressively appropriate words3 ,it may not be on the mountain's height1 ,or over the stormy sea2 ,it may not be at the battle's front ,my ,lord will have need of me2 ,but if by a still small voice ,he calls ,to paths that ,i do not know1 ,i'll answer1 dear ,lord1 with my hand in ,thine1 ,i'll go where ,you want me to go4 ,the young ministers who had just taken upon themselves the solemn vows of the ordination service then joined with the soloist in the chorus3 ,i'll go where ,you want me to go1 dear ,lord1 ,o'er mountain or plain or sea2 ,i'll say what ,you want me to say1 dear ,lord1 ,i'll be what ,you want me to be4 ,the voice of the bishop was again heard3 ,perhaps today there are loving words ,which ,jesus would have me speak2 ,there may be now in the paths of sin ,some wanderer whom ,i should seek4 ,o ,saviour1 if ,thou wilt be my guide1 ,tho' dark and rugged the way1 ,my voice shall echo ,thy message sweet1 ,i'll say what ,you want me to say4 ,then for the second time1 the young ministers united their voices with the one who was leading them in song1 as together they rendered the chorus4 ,the third stanza followed1 by the ,bishop3 ,there's surely somewhere a lowly place1 ,in earth's harvest fields so wide1 ,where ,i may labor through earth's short day1 ,for ,jesus the crucified2 ,so trusting my all to ,his tender care1 ,and knowing ,thou lovest me1 ,i'll do ,thy will with a heart sincere1 ,i'll be what ,you want me to be4#aa ,hundreds of eyes by this time were mist-filled1 and it was with difficulty that many could control their voices when ,bishop ,leonard asked the entire company to sing the refrain4 ,soon1 however1 about twelve hundred voices were songfully pledging their loyalty to their ,lord as they sang the words of the chorus4 ,few were the words spoken by the leader of the service before another hymn was rendered3 ,i need ,thee every hour1 ,most gracious ,lord2 ,no tender voice like ,thine ,can peace afford4 ,these lines voiced a prayer for divine strength1 guidance and blessing4 ,with the young ministers now standing at the altar1 young people were asked to consecrate their lives to the service of ,christ4 ,from all parts of that historic church young men and young women moved forward until sixty of them had publicly registered their decision4 ,some of them for the first time took their stand for ,christ1 others expressed a desire to become ministers1 missionaries1 workers in their home churches4 ,the effects of this service will remain for many years4 ,for there went forth from that church in the central part of the ,empire ,state of ,new ,york a great company of hearts touched by the ,spirit of ,god and resolved to render faithful devotion to ,christ's cause4 ,the consciousness of the divine providence was emphasized in the confession3 ,thou ,my ,daily ,task ,shall ,give ,when sixty ministers1 heads of various ,summer ,schools of ,ministerial ,training in the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 met in ,evanston1 ,illinois1 to review the work of the previous year and to plan for the future1 the leader of the devotions one morning called attention to a hymn of great personal value4 ,then1 on that ,january day1 it was sung with deep feeling as the ministers were just entering on their task for another year4 ,this hymn was written by a layman1 ,josiah ,conder1 who passed a busy life as bookseller1 editor and author4 ,it is well worth committing to memory2 at least1 such was the conviction of that group of ministers who sang3 ,day by day the manna fell3 ,o to learn this lesson well6 ,still by constant mercy fed1 ,give me1 ,lord1 my daily bread4 ',day by day1' the promise reads1 ,daily strength for daily needs3 ,cast foreboding fears away2 ,take the manna of today4 ,lord6 my times are in ,thy hand3 ,all my sanguine hopes have planned1 ,to ,thy wisdom ,i resign1 ,and would make ,thy purpose mine4 ,thou my daily task shalt give3 ,day by day to ,thee ,i live2 ,so shall added years fulfill1 ,not my own1 my ,father's will4 ,the assurance of divine guidance was expressed in the declaration3 ,all ,my ,help ,from ,thee ,i ,bring ,when 444 storms of unpopularity and tempests of financial disaster threaten the tiny bark upon life's troubled seas1 wrote ,sir ,henry ,lunn1 my friend and colleague1 ,hugh ,price ,hughes1 whose ministry in some small degree ,i shared1 asked me to believe with confidence that there was ,one 'in the heavens to give attention to our personal concerns1' and taught me to say with a new emphasis1 ',thou1 ,o ,christ1 art all ,i want1' ',other refuge have ,i none1 ,hangs my helpless soul on ,thee1 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,all my trust on ,thee is stayed1 ,all my help from ,thee ,i bring4' ,and now that the limit of three score years and ten is passed and life's journey must be drawing to a close1 ,i say triumphantly3 ',here ,i raise my ,ebenezer4 ,hitherto the ,lord hath helped me and hither by ,his grace ,i have come4' ,episcopal dignity was enriched on a recent occasion when1 according to ,zion's ,herald1 ,bishops ,sang ,their ,special ,hymn ,when the bishops of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church held their semi-annual meeting in ,san ,francisco1 in ,november1 #aibi1 they were given a reception and a banquet4 ,eight hundred persons assembled to do them honor1 including officials of the city and the state4 ,the bishops contributed a vocal number to the evening's entertainment4 ,bishop ,francis ,j4 ,mc,connell1 with his richly melodious voice1 led his colleagues in the episcopal hymn1 ',beloved1 now are we the sons of ,god1 and it doth not yet appear what we shall be4' ,those present insisted on an encore1 but as the episcopal repertoire is limited to a single number1 the bishops could only modestly bow their acknowledgments to the sustained applause4 ,but these bishops are not really confined to just one hymn1 for they also sang on another occasion ,land ,me ,safe on ,canaan's ,side ,the most remarkable feature of the singing of the ,board of ,bishops of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 wrote ,bishop ,francis ,j4 ,mc,connell1 when reporting one of their meetings in ,boston in ,may1 #aicj1 consisted in their skill in fitting almost any song to the only tune which ,i have heard them sing with any conspicuous success4 ,reference was then made to a dramatic moment when that one tune was sung with marvelous power4 ,bishop ,earl ,cranston1 at the age of eighty-nine1 had just made a farewell speech in which he had said that he did not see how he could again attend the ,bishops' ,meeting4 ,at the conclusion of the address the bishops sang1 adapting their favorite tune1 the stanza3 ',when ,i tread the verge of ,jordan4' ,one can easily imagine that scene1 and how deeply affected the others were after listening to the words of the veteran leader4 ,it is difficult to conceive anything which would have been more appropriate for such a time than the words in which the company blended their voices3 ,when ,i tread the verge of ,jordan1 ,bid my anxious fears subside2 ,bear me through the swelling current1 ,land me safe on ,canaan's side3 ,songs of praises ,i will ever give to ,thee4 ,this confidence of immortality is also shared by others as seen on a memorable occasion when ,ministers ,sang ,their ,hope ,many ministers had assembled to pay their last tribute to a comrade who had fallen while in the ranks of service4 ,words of commendation were spoken concerning the fidelity and devotion of the one whom ,god had called in the prime of life4 ,prayers were offered4 ,soon the body1 accompanied by the bereaved relatives1 would start for the little cemetery in the boyhood home4 ,but before leaving the church where the services were conducted1 the ministers stepped forward1 surrounded the casket1 and united their voices in singing3 ,there's a land that is fairer than day1 ,and by faith we can see it afar2 ,for the ,father waits over the way1 ,to prepare us a dwelling-place there4 ,the refrain voiced the assurance of immortality cherished and preached by that company of pastors3 ,in the sweet by-and-by1 ,we shall meet on that beautiful shore4 ,,chapter ,v ,songs of ,soldiers ,when faced by the stern realities of life and death1 it is not easy for any person to practice the subtle art of camouflage so far as faith and destiny are concerned4 ,the experiences of ,g4 ,a4 ,studdert-,kennedy1 one of the war chaplains at the ,front1 were similar to those of other men engaged in ministering to the religious needs of the soldiers4 ,he was once brought face to face with one of the boys in a crisis1 and was asked the pointed question3 ,what is ,god like8 ,the soldiers who know that ,god is like ,christ the ,sufferer and ,sympathizer1 have an assurance that gives them courage to go through the rough and distracting ordeal on the field of battle4 ,this was true in the ,world ,war and in all similar grim encounters4 ,another chaplain1 ,thomas ,tiplady1 wrote that when the great hours draw near1 and even in the lighter hours1 the soldiers like hymns most of all1 and at the religious services they cannot have too many hymns4 ,they care little for patriotic songs since they are living their patriotism in the severe struggle with the enemy4 ,the hymns for which they have a special preference are those which give them cheer and hope and deepen their consciousness of the presence of the ,comrade ,christ4 ,these incidents belong to our ,civil ,war and to later wars4 ,but in essence they bear on the same themes and frankly reveal the recesses and the resources of the soul4 ,the unexpected turns in war are illustrated in ,a ,memory of ,pickett's ,brigade ,reminiscences were being exchanged by veterans of both sides of the ,civil ,war at a banquet given in their honor by the ,board of ,trade of ,new ,york ,city4 ,colonel ,j4 ,j4 ,phillips1 of the ,ninth ,virginia ,regiment1 ,pickett's ,division1 presided4 ,speaking of night attacks1 he recalled one in particular because of the peculiar circumstances which resulted almost in the compulsory disobedience of orders1 in response to a higher command4 ,the point of attack had been carefully selected1 said ,colonel ,phillips1 the awaited dark night had arrived1 and my command was to fire when ,general ,pickett should signal the order4 ,there was that dread1 indescribable stillness2 that weird ominous silence that always settles over everything before a fight4 ,you felt that nowhere in the universe was there any voice or motion4 ,suddenly the awesome silence was broken by the sound of a deep1 full voice rolling over the black void like the billows of a great sea1 directly in line with our guns4 ,it was singing the old hymn1 ',jesus1 ,lover of ,my ,soul4' ,i have heard that grand old music many times in circumstances which intensified its impressiveness1 but never had it seemed so solemn as when it broke the stillness in which we waited for the order to fire4 ,just as it was given there rang through the night the words3 ',cover my defenseless head ,with the shadow of ,thy wing4' ',ready1 aim6 ,fire to the left1 boys6' ,i said4 ,the guns were shifted1 the volley that blazed out swerved aside1 and that 'defenseless head' was 'covered' with the shadow of ,his wing4 ,a ,federal veteran who listened to this story spoke up and said1 ,i remember that night1 ,colonel1 and that midnight attack which carried off so many of my comrades4 ,i was the singer4 ,such confirmation produced a deep impression1 and after a silence ,jesus1 ,lover of ,my ,soul was again sung as on the fatal night in #ahfd when it rang across the lines at ,bermuda ,hundred4 ,the reference to the same leader is brought out under exceptional circumstances in ,the ,song of the ,defeated ,written in ,defeat1 ,after the ,battle of ,five ,forks1 is the heading given to a letter written by ,general ,george ,e4 ,pickett to his wife1 ,april #b1 #ahfe4 ,it is included by ,arthur ,crew ,inman in his volume1 ,a ,soldier of the ,south4#ab ,here is part of it3 ,all is quiet now1 but soon all will be bustle1 for we march at daylight4 ,oh1 my darling1 were there ever such men as those of my division8 ,this morning after the review ,i thanked them for their valiant services yesterday on the first of ,april1 never to be forgotten by any of us1 when they fought one of the most desperate battles of the whole war4 ,their answer to me was cheer after cheer1 one after another calling out1 ',that's all right1 ,marse ,george6' and ',we only followed you6' ,then in the midst of these calls1 silencing them1 rose loud and clear old ,gentry's voice1 singing the old hymns which they all knew ,i loved3 ',guide me1 oh1 ,thou great ,jehovah1 ,pilgrim through this barren land4' ,voice after voice joined in till from all along the line the plea rang forth3 ',be my sword and shield and banner1 ,be the ,lord my righteousness4' ,i do not think1 my ,sallie1 the tears sounded in my voice as it mingled with theirs2 but they were in my eyes1 and there was something new in my heart4 ,when the last line had been sung1 ,i gave the order to march 444 ,what the soldiers felt in the depths of their life is revealed in ,a ,chorus of ,ten ,thousand ,the night after the ,battle of ,shiloh1 when there were thousands of wounded on the field1 one ,christian soldier as he lay there dying under the starlight began to sing1 ,there is a land of pure delight4 ,when he reached the next line there were scores of voices singing1 ,where saints immortal reign4 ,the song was caught up all through the fields among the wounded until it was said there were at least ten thousand wounded men uniting in the triumphant closing verse of that beautiful hymn3 ,could we but climb where ,moses stood1 ,and view the landscape o'er1 ,not ,jordan's stream1 nor death's cold flood1 ,should fright us from the shore4 ,mrs4 ,margaret ,bottome relates an incident about ,marching to ,music ,i had a brother who was in the ,battle of the ,wilderness during the ,civil ,war4 ,he told me of a day in that dreadful wilderness when the ,connecticut regiment was traveling through such deep mud that they could hardly pull their boots out of it as they took one step after another4 ,they were thoroughly dispirited and they had no music--the band was far in the rear1 but all at once they heard the sound that told them the band was coming1 and as it drew nearer they caught the strain4 ,the band was playing a tune known to every ,methodist3 ',come on1 my partners in distress1 ,my comrades through the wilderness1 ,who still their bodies feel4 ,awhile forget your griefs and fears ,and look beyond this vale of tears ,to that celestial hill4' ,my brother said it acted like magic on that regiment1 the largest proportion of which were ,methodists2 new life entered into them4 ,a moment before their feet had stuck in the mud1 and they did not see how they were ever to get along1 for again and again they had to pull their boots out of the mud with their hands1 but from the time that tune1 with the words that memory made so distinct1 was heard1 not a step faltered4#ac ,this story from the ,crimean ,war might be duplicated from other wars for it tells of ,a ,soldier ,saved by ,song ,duncan ,matheson1 a ,bible reader to the soldiers in the ,crimea1 was returning one night to his lodgings in an old stable4 ,sickened by the sights he had seen1 and depressed with the thought that the siege of ,sebastopol was likely to last for months1 he trudged along in the mud1 knee-deep4 ,happening to look up1 he saw the stars shining calmly in the clear sky4 ,weariness gave place to the thought that in heaven is rest1 and he began to sing aloud the old hymn3 ,how bright these glorious spirits shine6 ,whence all their bright array8 ,the next day was wet and stormy4 ,while going his rounds he met a soldier1 soiled and in ragged clothes2 his shoes so worn that they did not keep his feet from the mud4 ,in the course of conversation this man said3 ,i am not what ,i was yesterday4 ,last night ,i was tired of life and of this blundering siege4 ,i took my musket and went down yonder1 determined to blow out my brains4 ,as ,i got around that hillock ,i heard some one singing1 ',how bright these glorious spirits shine6' ,it recalled to me the ,sunday ,school where ,i used to sing it1 and the religious truths ,i had heard there4 ,i felt ashamed of being such a coward4 ,i said to myself1 ',here is a comrade as badly off as ,i am1 but he is not a coward--he's bearing it6' ,i felt that man had something which ,i did not possess to make him accept with cheerfulness our hard lot4 ,i went back to my tent1 and today ,i am seeking that thing which made the singer so happy4 ,here is another from the ,world ,war1 related in ,the ,war ,romance of the ,salvation ,army1 by ,booth and ,hill1#ad how ,sunshine ,came ,into a ,soldier's ,heart ,it was one ,sunday afternoon in ,bazeilles1 ,france1 at a service conducted by three ,salvationists4 ,one of the girls sang3 ,there's sunshine in my soul today1 ,more glorious and bright ,than glows in any earthly skies1 ,for ,jesus is my light4 ,o there's sunshine1 blessed sunshine1 ,when the peaceful1 happy moments roll2 ,when ,jesus shows ,his smiling face1 ,there is sunshine in the soul4#ae ,the sequel is best explained in a letter written to his mother by one of the boys3 ,you will be surprised to hear that ,i am in the hospital1 but ,i am getting well quickly and am having a good time4 ,but best of all1 some ,salvation ,army people came along and sang and talked about sunshine1 and while they were talking the sunshine came through my window--not into my room alone1 but into my heart and life as well1 where it is going to stay4 ,i know how happy this will make you4 ,an incident from the ,spanish-,american ,war reveals the unity of ,christian faith in the way ,american ,soldiers ,greeted ,christmas ,christmas ,eve1 #ahih1 found the ,seventh ,army ,corps encamped along the hills at ,quemados1 near ,havana1 ,cuba4 ,suddenly from the camp of the ,forty-ninth ,iowa rang a sentinel's call1 ,number ten2 twelve o'clock1 and all's well6 ,lieutenant-,colonel ,curtis ,guild thus wrote about it3 ,it was ,christmas morning4 ,scarcely had the cry of the sentinel died away1 when from the bandsmen's tents of that same regiment there rose the music of an old1 familiar hymn1 and one clear baritone voice led the chorus that quickly ran along the moonlit fields3 ',how firm a foundation ye saints of the ,lord6' ,another voice joined in1 and another1 and another1 and in a moment the whole regiment was singing1 and then the ,sixth ,missouri joined in with the ,fourth ,virginia1 and all the rest1 till there on the long ridges above the city 444 a whole ,american army corps was singing3 ',fear not1 ,i am with thee1 ,o be not dismayed1 ,for ,i am thy ,god1 and will still give thee aid2 ,i'll strengthen thee1 help thee1 and cause thee to stand1 ,upheld by my righteous1 omnipotent hand4' ,protestant and ,catholic1 ,south and ,north1 singing together on ,christmas day in the morning1--that's an ,american army6 ,we next go to ,palestine for two stories4 ,one is about ,soldiers and ,sankey's ,hymns ,at a meeting in ,blackheath1 ,london1 some time ago1 according to a writer in ,the ,british ,weekly1 a missionary to the ,jews related one of his experiences at a ,jewish settlement in ,palestine4 ,he asked to see the head of the settlement1 who said1 ,are you an ,englishman8 ,he answered1 ,yes1 feeling that perhaps he would not be pleased4 ,then he said1 ,are you a missionary8 ,and he answered ,yes1 feeling certain now he would not be pleased4 ,to his astonishment the man said1 ,oh1 ,i am so glad1 so very glad4 ,and can you play the piano8 to which he answered ,yes4 ,the missionary was then told that when the soldiers were there they came almost daily and played ,sankey's hymns on the piano1 and sang them4 ,the people in the house crowded round to listen1 and others gathered outside4 ,the result was that there were about thirty people in the settlement who wanted to become ,christians1 and the missionary stayed there for a month1 at the end of which time they were baptized4 ,the other is from ,mrs4 ,carrie ,j4 ,bond about ,marching ,men ,a few years ago ,i was in ,jerusalem in the ,american ,colony ,home4 ,it was a bright moonlight night and ,i heard the marching feet of soldiers4 ,soon they began singing ',the ,end of a ,perfect ,day4' ,i looked out to see about twelve soldiers marching by4 ,in the morning ,i asked my host about it and he brought out an old worn sheet of ',a ,perfect ,day' and told me this story3 ,two ,american boys had been billeted to the ,american ,colony ,house and every evening during their stay one had played and the other had sung that song4 ,when they were well enough to leave they left the music as a token of their gratitude4 ,now we go to the ,transvaal for a testimony to the influence of ,fanny ,crosby's hymn1 ,blessed ,assurance1 as related by ,mr4 ,sankey1#af which might be entitled ,six ,further ,on ',during the recent war in the ,transvaal1' said a gentleman in my meeting in ,exeter ,hall1 ,london1 in #aijj1 'when the soldiers going to the front were passing another body of soldiers whom they recognized1 their greetings used to be1 ,four-nine-four1 boys1 four-nine-four2 and the salute would invariably be answered with ,six further on1 boys2 six further on4 ,the significance of this was that1 in ,sacred ,songs and ,solos1 a number of copies of the small edition of which had been sent to the front1 ,number #did was ,god ,be ,with ,you ,till ,we ,meet ,again2 and six further on than #did1 or ,number #ejj1 was ,blessed ,assurance1 ,jesus ,is ,mine4' ,the last incident brings us back to the ,world ,war in the touching words1 ,sing ,it ,again1 ,laddie ,in times of stress1 ,scotsmen turn toward ,god1 for in the heart of them they are all religiously inclined4 ,during the ,world ,war a service in the historic church in ,ayr1 ,scotland1 began with that beautiful ,psalm paraphrase3 ,i to the hills will lift mine eyes1 sung to the tune of ,french4 ,the sermon had a reference to a young ,highlander who was wounded in a recent battle and lay stretched on the field4 ,in his youth he had learned ,i to the hills in ,gaelic4 ,he now began to sing that old ,psalm in his native tongue1 and out over the field his singing reached as far as his voice would carry4 ,just then a ,scotch regiment came marching by and the men heard it4 ,one of them noted the spot from which the song proceeded and at night1 after the conflict1 he went back to look for the singer4 ,all was quiet as this ,highlander wandered backward and forward and it seemed as though his quest would be futile4 ,he then raised his voice and called out3 ,sing it again1 laddie1 sing it again4 ,the laddie heard and responded and sang on till the searcher found him and carried him back to the base4 ,in due course he returned home wounded but thankful that ,he had not slumbered who kept him4 ,the higher unity of faith carries further than the discordant notes of mere nationalism4 ,this was illustrated by a writer in the ,kansas ,city ,times1 relating the experience of ,a ,violinist in the ,trenches ,outside of the dugout1 shells whined and machine guns spattered with a staccato of rat-tat-tats4 ,inside a violin sang and sobbed4 ,the magic of its music made men forget4 ,they forgot the homesickness4 ,they forgot the mud4 ,they forgot the cold4 ,they forgot the ever presence of danger and death4 ,they listened1 heads propped up on sand bags and feet wrapped in blankets as they stretched on mattresses of sand bags covering the rough planks of their underground cots4 ,in another dugout1 across ,no ,man's ,land on the ,german side1 others were also listening4 ,they heard the strains of ,mendelssohn's ,spring ,song1 as sweet and gentle and refreshing as an early summer shower4 ,a strange thing happened4 ,a ,german picked up a cornet1 and floating to the ,allies' dugout came the notes of the horn harmonizing with the violin4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,heard ,within ,prison ,walls ,some of the world's greatest books were written in prison4 ,think of the ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul which came from such secluded confines4 ,the ,pilgrim's ,progress1 which has been translated into more languages than any other book except the ,bible1 was written by ,bunyan in ,bedford ,jail4 ,silvio ,pellico1 an ,italian man of letters1 recounted his ten years of imprisonment at ,spielberg1 ,austria1 and declared that religion was his chief consolation4 ,the singing of ,st4 ,paul and ,silas during their imprisonment at ,philippi had memorable results4 ,there are many other instances of beneficial consequences in connection with these dismal incarcerations4 ,the incidents in this chapter have to do with the influences upon the prisoners themselves and how they were converted to ,christ and comforted in their distress4 ,such transcripts of life under inconceivably trying circumstances give evidence of the power of the ,gospel4 ,one of the most remarkable recent books is entitled ,a ,gentleman in ,prison1 giving the experiences of ,tokichi ,ishii1 a converted ,japanese criminal1 who was executed in due course for murder4 ,the first one tells how ,prisoners ,sang ,the ,glory ,song ,the ,glory ,song attained a marvelous popularity soon after it was published in #aijj4 ,in less than five years it was being sung in many languages all over the world4 ,several interesting incidents are related of its influence but one that ,homer ,rodeheaver wrote in ,zion's ,herald1 ,boston1 is worthy of note3 ,i have heard it in a number of instances sung by over ten thousand people1 but the most impressive rendering ,i ever heard given to it was by a certain audience of over one thousand men4 ,these men were all dressed in steel gray suits1 and sat with folded arms2 the man who played the organ and the man who held the baton and led the song were dressed in exactly the same way4 ,down the right side1 across the rear and up the left side of the chapel room1 on high stools1 sat a row of men in blue uniforms1 holding heavy canes across their knees1 these men seemed never for an instant to take their eyes from certain spots in front of them4 ,not a man whispered during the service--for it was a state's prison4 ,among the congregation of #ajgg men1 #bef were there for life--there to live and die--and on each of their cell doors1 where they would read it every time they left and re-entered1 was that startling word ',life4' ,how strangely their voices impressed me--these men without a country1 without a home1 without a name1 deprived of every privilege accorded to all men by the ,almighty1 and known only by a number4 ,as ,i sat before them1 the prison pallor of their faces against its background of gray within that frame of blue1 made a picture never to be forgotten4 ,with few exceptions1 every man sang4 ,here sat one with downcast eyes1 there another with mute lips1 while yonder near the center a large1 strong fellow was weeping like a little child--but silently4 ,they told me he had been there but a short time1 and ,i wondered if he had heard the song before1 under different circumstances--and where1 for he had a kindly face4 ,softly they sang that last stanza3 ',friends will be there ,i have loved long ago2 ,joys like a river around me will flow2 ,yet1 just a smile from my ,saviour1 ,i know1 ,will through the ages be glory for me4' ,the song ended1 the chaplain said a brief prayer1 and that great crowd of men1 at signals from the guards in blue1 marched out squad by squad1 keeping step to the music of the organ played by the man in gray4 ,their deepest feelings are portrayed in ,the ,hymn of the ,prisoner ,describing a chapel service in ,auburn 7,new ,york7 prison1 a newspaper correspondent wrote3 ,one of the hymns the men sang was ',pardon the ,debt and ,make ,me ,free4' ,they sang that over and over again1 and it seemed to express the feelings of every convict4 ,the extraordinary circumstances in which a hymn was used are described in this incident when ,a ,condemned ,man ,wanted ,face to ,face ,sung ,the story of the writings of ,mrs4 ,carrie ,ellis ,breck1 who spent her girlhood days on her father's fruit farm in ,new ,jersey1 was related by ,a4 ,l4 ,lawson in ,the ,christian ,herald4 ,from that article the following is taken3 ,perhaps the experience that touched her most deeply of all1 and the one she most treasures1 is that of the time when a poor condemned man1 sentenced to be hanged1 asked that her hymn1 ',face to ,face with ,christ ,my ,saviour1' be sung before his execution4 ,as the doomed wretch was led out1 and looked for the last time upon what was left him of the world1 there came to him the sweet words of her hymn-- ',face to face with ,christ my ,saviour1 ,face to face1 how can it be1 ,when with rapture ,i behold ,him1 ,jesus ,christ1 ,who died for me8 ,face to face shall ,i behold ,him ,far beyond the starry sky2 ,face to face in all ,his glory1 ,i shall see ,him by and by6'#ag ,the pathos of the situation is recounted by a prison chaplain in ,england who tells of ,hymns ,selected by ,prisoners ,this chaplain1 the ,rev4 ,g4 ,a4 ,metcalfe1 found men confined for various crimes4 ,one was convicted of murder1 but his sentence of death had been commuted to penal servitude4 ,during the first service this murderer sat alone on the front seat4 ,there were hardened criminals behind1 and here and there some mothers' lads with fine faces and soulful eyes glistening with tears4 ,after his address he asked the prisoners to select two or three hymns4 ,one was ,jesus ,is ,tenderly ,calling and they sang it with the utmost fervor4 ,then a young fellow called out his choice and there was a sob in the voices as they sang3 ,holy ,father1 in ,thy mercy1 ,hear our anxious prayer3 ,keep our loved ones1 now far absent1 ',neath ,thy care4 ,an experience of the days before prohibition was recorded in ,the ,youth's ,companion1 when ,judge and ,criminals ,listened ,to ,the ,holy ,city ,thirty men1 red-eyed and disheveled1 lined up before a judge of the ,san ,francisco police court4 ,it was the regular morning company of drunks and disorderlies4 ,just as the momentary disorder attending the bringing in of the prisoners quieted down1 a strange thing happened4 ,a strong1 clear voice from below began singing3 ,last night ,i lay a-sleeping1 ,there came a dream so fair4 ,last night6 ,it had been for them all a nightmare or a drunken stupor4 ,the song was such a contrast to the horrible fact that no one could fail of a sudden shock at the thought the song suggested4 ,i stood in old ,jerusalem1 ,beside the temple there1 the song went on4 ,the judge had paused4 ,he made a quiet inquiry4 ,a former member of a famous opera company1 known all over the country1 was awaiting trial for forgery4 ,it was he who was singing in his cell4 ,meantime the song went on1 and every man on the line showed emotion4 ,at length1 one man protested4 ,judge1 said he1 have we got to submit to this8 ,we're here to take our punishment1 but this-- and he began to sob4 ,it was impossible to proceed with the business of the court1 yet the judge gave no order to stop the song4 ,it moved on to its climax3 ,jerusalem1 ,jerusalem6 ,sing for the night is o'er6 ,hosanna in the highest6 ,hosanna for evermore6 ,in an ecstasy of melody the last words rang out1 and then there was silence4 ,the judge looked into the faces of the men before him4 ,there was not one who was not touched by the song2 not one in whom some better impulse was not stirred4 ,he did not call the cases singly--a kind word of advice1 and he dismissed them all4 ,no man was fined or sentenced to the workhouse that morning4 ,the song had done more good than punishment could have accomplished4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,the ,music of ,submerged ,lives ,hope is the great gift of ,christianity4 ,it pierces through the darkness and rejoices in the light beyond4 ,it looks through the cloud and is assured that the sun is shining in the heavens4 ,it insists on looking at the bright side even when it knows that there is a dark side4 ,the ,english artist1 ,george ,frederick ,watts1 painted ,hope as a blindfolded figure sitting on the top of a globe above a yawning abyss1 playing upon a lyre with only one string1 in harmony with the music of the ,evangel1 while in the distance a star is shining4 ,fanny ,crosby1 the blind hymn writer who died at the age of ninety-four1 once said3 ,hope's star shines clearer on my pathway today than it did fifty years ago4 ,it is this same spirit of hope which ,gilmour of ,mongolia had when he declared that the future is as bright as the promises of ,god4 ,so long as we are thus inspired we cannot be soured by cynicism1 because we are sweetened by the confidence which insists that the day must dawn and darksome night be past4 ,this is the triumph of lives handicapped by harsh circumstances but rising above what would submerge them because of their assurance that hope is the anchor of their soul1 sure and steadfast4 ,here are some illustrations of this truth from unexpected quarters4 ,a letter giving the impression of a radio service by ,dr4 ,s4 ,parkes ,cadman tells how ,a ,cripple ,stood on ,crutches ,the writer related that he was greatly stirred by the singing of ,stand up1 stand up for ,jesus6 ,ye soldiers of the cross4 ,he then added3 ,i have been on crutches for more than twelve years but today when you sang ',stand up for ,jesus' ,i got up from my bed and stood on crutches out of respect for the ,master4 ,another somewhat like the above is about the ,song of the ,man with the ,wooden ,leg ,adah ,vachell of ,bristol is the story of a brave1 gifted1 delicate lady who devoted her life to the blind1 deaf1 crippled poor of the city of ,bristol4 ,her contact with the maimed and halt was made in the ceaseless round of slum visitation1 dens of filth and want1 sometimes revealing a brave endeavor to triumph over adverse conditions4 ,a guild was formed with a startling motto1 ,ltus sorte mea1 ,happy is my lot4 ,indissolubly linked with it was the tug of war hymn1 ,the ,son of ,god ,goes ,forth to ,war4 ,i can picture him so well1 sitting close to the fire 444 the wooden leg stretched out1 his rough rugged old face softened as he sang in husky voice3 ',who best can drink his cup of woe1 ,triumphant over pain1 ,who patient bears his cross below1 ,he follows in his train4' ,here is a story of a famous hymn which was ,sung for the ,scrub ,woman ,while the choir was waiting for the delayed organist1 a celebrated soprano recounted one of her experiences4 ,she said3 ,i have sung before all the greatest folk in ,america4 ,i sang before a company of titled folks from ,europe who were visiting here in this country4 ,but the greatest thrill ,i ever got in my life was singing before one lone woman1 and she a scrubwoman4 ,tell us about it1 said the tenor4 ,we were getting ready for a great musical event1 and had been in the church rehearsing4 ,as ,i passed out on my way home1 the scrubwoman1 with duster in hand1 stopped me and said1 ',lady1 you sing so beautifully--,i wonder if some day you would sing ,face to ,face for me1--it isn't asking too much1 is it1 lady8' ,i told her ,i would be glad to do so some day4 ,when ,i got to the doorstep something said to me1 ',do it now1' so ,i turned back4 ,the organist was still there1 and ,i asked him to play4 ,when the scrubwoman heard the strains of the organ on the familiar tune1 she came into the church and sat on the very front seat with the duster in her lap1 and her eyes intensely upon me with a strange light in them4 ,i never had such a thrill in all my life of song4 ,i never felt so lifted up1 for there in that front seat sat the ,lord ,jesus ,himself listening to me sing to ,him4 ',and ,i shall see ,him face to face ,and tell the story--,saved by grace4' ,another of the annals of the poor is ,what the ,washerwoman ,sang ,during his early ministry1 ,bishop ,william ,burt was a pastor in ,brooklyn4 ,from that period he carried the memory of a woman who earned her living by taking in washing4 ,sometimes when making his round of pastoral calls the young pastor would hear the woman1 as she was working at her daily task at the washtub1 singing snatches of hymns which were used at the services of the church and the prayer meeting4 ,but one which particularly impressed him was the day when he was approaching her humble rooms and heard her voice1 as she sang3 ,i'm the child of a ,king4 ,assurance was in her voice1 and there was a note of triumphant certainty on the part of this humble daughter of toil that she was the ,king's child1 and therefore heir to all the promises made in the ,bible4 ,billy ,bray1 the ,cornish miner1 had the same happy consciousness4 ,frequently he would exclaim1 ,i'm the ,king's son6 ,the ability to rise above depressing circumstances is seen in this incident ,before ,worship ,a few had gathered at the ,goodwill ,chapel service fifteen minutes before the time to begin4 ,the leader often allowed his audience to select the opening hymn4 ,and these early comers were making their choices4 ,here's a hymn ,i like1 said one4 ,it's ',we're ,marching to ,zion4' ,i like it1 too1 said another1 but why do you like it8 ,well1 replied the first speaker1 there's nothing uncertain about that hymn4 ,it knows where it's going4 ,a person can stand a whole lot of hardship if she knows the end is worth it4 ,yes1 ,i like that hymn4 ,if ,mr4 ,dawson asks us what we want to sing1 this morning1 ,i am going to ask for this one4 ,and so they talked happily among themselves4 ,others came in and took their seats1 a motley company of depressed old age wearing the marks of poverty and sorrow4 ,the leader entered and this time he gave out the hymn4 ,i don't care4 ,i like this just as well1 observed the one who had chosen ,we're ,marching to ,zion4 ,well might she and the others1 for it expressed faith and hope in the lines3 ,be not dismayed whate'er betide1 ,god will take care of you2 ,beneath his wings of love abide1 ,god will take care of you4#ah ,thus encouraged they went from that service to the humdrum routine of daily drudgery4 ,the power of the ,gospel to reach those on the outskirts of civilization is evidenced ,when ,lumberjacks ,sang ,jesus1 ,lover of ,my ,soul ,thomas ,d4 ,whittles tells of many an interesting incident in his book1 ,the ,parish of the ,pines#ai--the story of ,frank ,higgins1 the ,lumberjacks' ,sky ,pilot4 ,one morning after breakfast the men went to the bunkhouse to wait for the word of the push ordering them to the works4 ,while they waited a rich tenor struck up the hymn1 ,jesus1 ,lover of my soul1 ,let me to ,thy bosom fly6 ,one by one the men joined in and the solo passed into the chorus of a hundred voices4 ,out through the twilight the melody rolled1 waking the sleeping pines1 crossing the frozen lakes4 ,the men in the stables1 harnessing their horses1 heard the song and softly whistled it2 the cook1 busy with the pots and pans1 hummed it in unison and the swearing cookee closed his profane mouth and listened in astonished silence4 ,over in the office where the officials slept1 the song caused silent amazement1 for it was unlike the morning hour when oaths and curses break the stillness4 ,other refuge have ,i none2 ,hangs my helpless soul on ,thee4 sang the men1 unconscious of aught save the song4 ,leave1 ah6 leave me not alone-- and it came from the hearts of those who knew the weight of lonely weeks and months4 ,the ,sky ,pilot in the office turned his face to the wall and prayed while they sang this hymn which the men had sung at the service the night before4 ,all out1 cried the push4 ,from the shack streamed forth the men1 singing the song of comfort4 ,into groups they separated1 each going his appointed way1 but the hymn continued in all parts of the forest until the sweet melody died to tender murmurs and was lost in the distant evergreens4 ,in all that ,north ,star ,state no happier body of men went forth to toil1 for with them went the spirit of song4 ,here is an instance of gratitude expressively shown in the words1 ,pass ,it ,on ,henry ,burton's famous hymn1 ,pass ,it ,on1 was inspired by a story relating to the early life of the ,rev4 ,mark ,guy ,pearse1 noted as a preacher and a writer1 and who died just a few months before ,dr4 ,burton4 ,the latter married a sister of ,mr4 ,pearse4 ,how he came to write this hymn was related in ,the ,british ,weekly4 ,returning from school in ,holland1 ,pearse once found himself on a steam packet bound from ,bristol to ,hayle in ,cornwall1 having had a hearty supper1 and later finding that he had reached the limit of his finances4 ,the steward was inclined to be severe1 but on hearing the lad's name he changed his tone4 ,pearse's father had recently helped the steward's mother in a difficulty1 now the opportunity had come for the old debt to be repaid4 ,the steward paid the supper bill with the remark1 ',now pass this on to some one else4' ,this furnished the inspiration for the appealing lines3 ,have you had a kindness shown8 ,pass it on6 ',twas not given for thee alone-- ,pass it on6 ,let it travel down the years1 ,let it wipe another's tears1 ,till in heaven the deed appears1 ,pass it on6 ,did you hear the loving word8 ,pass it on6 ,like the singing of a bird8 ,pass it on6 ,let its music live and grow1 ,let it cheer another's woe1 ,you have reaped what others sow-- ,pass it on6 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,love demands the loving deed6 ,pass it on6 ,look upon thy brother's need1 ,pass it on6 ,live for self1 you live in vain2 ,live for ,christ1 you live again2 ,live for ,him1 with ,him you reign-- ,pass it on6#bj ,,chapter ,,viii ,songs of ,salvation ,it has been rightly observed that the three ideas most frequently expressed by ,jesus are translated by the words lost1 last1 least4 ,he constantly repeated the message that the lost shall be found1 that the last shall be the first1 that the least shall be the greatest4 ,this is the ,gospel of the ,world's ,saviour who saw possibilities in what others called hopeless lives4 ,he appealed to what was latent in them and secured a response from the despised1 the outcast1 the depraved4 ,to all appearances they were incapable of better things but ,jesus knew better and ,he was not disappointed4 ,these unfortunate individuals belong to the broken earthenware of humanity4 ,scarred by sin1 hurt by temptation1 haunted by fear1 torn by passion1 repressed by prejudice1 their lives have been redeemed by the ,saviour1 and transformed4 ,so much so that their present has not the slightest resemblance to their past1 and their future has the glow of greater progress toward holiness and happiness4 ,as long as such results are obtained by the ,gospel it is certainly good news to all classes and conditions1 and should be broadcast to earth's remotest bounds4 ,here are some recent proofs of the glory of the divine grace4 ,there are no hopeless cases as seen in the instance of one who was ,saved by ,sankey's ,singing ,mrs4 ,emily ,sullivan ,oakey was a well-known writer but she is best remembered by her hymn1 ,sowing the ,seed by the ,daylight ,fair4 ,in the winter of #ahgf1 ,w4 ,o4 ,lattimore1 who had been separated from his wife and child by drink and had become a miserable drunkard1 stumbled in an intoxicated condition into ,moody's ,tabernacle in ,chicago4 ,when he came to1 he realized his mistake and was about to leave when ,sankey's solo held him4 ,he was singing the stanza3 ,sowing the seed of a lingering pain1 ,sowing the seed of a maddened brain1 ,sowing the seed of a tarnished name1 ,sowing the seed of eternal shame3 ,o1 what shall the harvest be8 ,these lines followed ,lattimore even to the saloon and he returned to the ,tabernacle and was converted4 ,he went back to his family1 engaged in active work at the ,moody meetings1 accepted the call to the ministry and was pastor of a flourishing church in ,evanston1 ,illinois1 for twenty years4 ,this hymn was doubtless suggested by the ,apostle's words3 ,whatsoever a man soweth1 that shall he also reap4 ,the insight of ,jesus is finely illustrated by ,hymns from the ,bowery ,mission ,fanny ,crosby was a friend and devoted worker at the ,bowery ,mission for several years and many of her hymns were inspired by experiences at this center of aggressive evangelism4 ,few hymns by any writer show deeper sympathetic insight than ,rescue the ,perishing1 especially the lines3 ,down in the human heart1 ,crushed by the tempter1 ,feelings lie buried that grace can restore3 ,touched by a loving heart1 ,wakened by kindness1 ,chords that were broken will vibrate once more4 ,the circumstances under which this hymn was written are worth recounting in her own words3 ,i recall the period of more than sixteen years ago when it was my privilege to be a humble worker in the ,bowery ,mission4 ,the world is still1 and ,i am holding communion with the past2 sweet1 hallowed communion1 carrying me back to the fervent heartfelt testimonies of those who1 evening after evening1 told of the peace flowing like a river which had entered their stained lives1 had washed away their sins1 and made them clean through the precious blood of our ,lord's atonement4 ,one evening a man for whom we had been praying1 said1 his face radiant with joy1 ',now ,i can meet mother in heaven1 for ,i have found her ,god4' ,that night ,i wrote my hymn1 ',rescue the ,perishing4' ,here is a remarkable case of one who1 while ,singing of ,christ1 ,she ,accepted ,him ,in the absence of the organist at ,east ,northfield1 ,massachusetts1 at one of the meetings during the summer gathering1 a woman stepped forward and volunteered her services4 ,she made a deep impression by her playing and also by the sweetness of her singing1 with the result that she was in constant demand at the other services4 ,when urgently requested she related her experience4 ,she used to be one of the leading singers of ,new ,york1 going from place to place1 singing classical and operatic music1 but hymns she disliked4 ,one evening1 while attending a mission service1 she was invited to sing a solo1 which she did with pleasure4 ,then someone asked her to sing a ,gospel hymn4 ,she first laughed at the idea1 and refused4 ,later she consented4 ,opening the book at random1 she began3 ,my ,jesus1 ,i love ,thee1 ,i know ,thou art mine2 ,for ,thee all the follies of sin ,i resign4 ,the words caused her to think of her past life4 ,she continued3 ,i'll love ,thee in life1 ,i will love ,thee in death1 ,and praise ,thee as long as ,thou lendest me breath4 ,these words struck her forcefully1 and she began to wonder if she really meant them4 ,the last verse followed3 ,in mansions of glory and endless delight ,i'll ever adore ,thee in heaven so bright2 ,i'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow1 ,if ever ,i loved ,thee1 my ,jesus1 'tis now4 ,it was enough4 ,she arose from her seat at the organ a ,christian woman1 and henceforth served ,christ whole-heartedly4 ,the initiative is always taken by ,god1 as seen in the story where ,god ,was the ,seeker ,how long since ye sought and found ,god1 ,jamie8 said some of the friends of an old ,scotch elder as he lay dying4 ,oh1 ,robin1 ,robin1 ,i never sought and found him1 answered the dying man4 ,oh1 his mind is gane1 and he will never recognize us again1 remarked the friend sadly4 ,but the old saint opened his lips1 and faintly said3 ,listen6 ,not ,i--not ,i--,i never sought ,him3 ',jesus sought me when a stranger1 ,wandering from the fold of ,god1 ,he1 to rescue me from danger1 ,interposed ,his precious blood4' ,the old ,scotchman had grasped the fundamental fact of ,christianity1 that ,christ came to seek and to save the lost4 ,dr4 ,charles ,a4 ,blanchard once related the conversion of a friend of his through ,a ,song at ,midnight ,this friend was for many years an infidel1 a hard drinker1 a ,sabbath breaker1 unkind to his wife4 ,one day1 after a debauch1 he went out on a stringer belonging to a wharf in process of building1 drank two bottles of whisky1 and lay down on the stringer1 expecting to fall asleep1 and roll over into the water in his sleep4 ,he wanted to end his miserable existence1 but had not the courage to do it in any other way4 ,he did fall asleep1 but did not turn over1 and awoke with the stars shining in his face4 ,he went home at midnight1 saw his wife through the window still at work ironing1 and heard her singing1 ,what a ,friend we have in ,jesus4 ,the thought came to him1 ,if ,jesus can make my wife sing at midnight1 ,he can make me stop drinking whiskey4 ,he never touched a drop of intoxicating liquor after that1 and he became a sincere1 trusting ,christian4 ,the truth of the words1 ,cast thy bread upon the waters and thou shalt find it after many days1 finds an illustration in this story of a writer who was ,handed a ,copy of ,her ,own ,hymn ,charlotte ,elliott first published her famous hymn1 ,just as ,i am1 without one plea ,but that ,thy blood was shed for me1 in a volume entitled ,the ,invalid's ,hymn ,book4 ,the sister of the author related this incident3 ,a lady was so struck with it that she had it printed as a leaflet and widely circulated without any idea by whom it was composed4 ,it happened rather curiously that while we were living at ,torquay1 our valued ,christian physician came to us one morning1 having in his hand this leaflet4 ,he offered it to my sister1 saying1 ',i am sure this will please you2' and great indeed was his astonishment on finding that it was written by herself1 though by what means it had been thus printed and circulated she was utterly ignorant4 ,shortly after we became acquainted with the lady who had printed it4 ,mr4 ,sankey saved many hymns from obscurity by singing them at the ,moody meetings4 ,here is the story of ,throw ,out the ,lifeline ,this hymn and the tune were written by the ,rev4 ,e4 ,s4 ,ufford of ,springfield1 ,massachusetts1 although it was greatly popularized by ,mr4 ,sankey's singing of it with such signal results4 ,mr4 ,ufford relates that he lived for many years near the seashore in a little village thirteen miles from ,boston4 ,in the summer he would often stroll along the beach and see an old wreck half hidden in the sands and rubbish and wonder whether such a wreck might have been avoided if a life line had been thrown out to the passengers and crew4 ,he wished that he might write a hymn with a searching message4 ,after a meeting held on the sands by the old wreck1 he offered the help of the ,gospel to the wrecks of manhood who were present4 ,the inspiration of this service so stirred him that he sat down and in fifteen minutes wrote four stanzas of the hymn which has justly become famous4 ,sankey got hold of this hymn and at once began to sing it4 ,it was ,moody's favorite4 ,when ,mr4 ,ufford later took a trip round the world the fact that he was the author of this hymn gave him a welcome everywhere4 ,it was his privilege to hear it sung by the natives of ,honolulu in their own tongue4 ,mr4 ,sankey also popularized another hymn which he casually came across ,in a ,newspaper ,it was in #ahgd that he discovered ,the ,ninety and ,nine in a weekly newspaper which he bought at the ,glasgow railway station4 ,he cut out this poem1 hoping to use it if he could get a suitable tune4 ,after an address on ,the ,good ,shepherd1 ,mr4 ,moody turned to him with the request for an appropriate solo4 ,to quote his own words3 ,at this moment ,i seemed to hear a voice saying1 ',sing the hymn you found in the train4' ,i thought this impossible as no music had been written for the hymn4 ,again the impression came strongly upon me that ,i must sing the beautiful appropriate words ,i had found the day before1 and placing the little newspaper slip on the organ1 ,i lifted my heart in prayer1 asking ,god to help me to sing that the people might hear and understand4 ,laying my hands on the organ1 ,i struck the chord of ,a flat and began the song4 ,note by note the tune was given1 which has not been changed from that day to this4 ,mr4 ,moody was greatly moved4 ,leaning over the organ1 he looked at the little newspaper slip1 and with tears in his eyes said1 ',sankey1 where did you get that hymn8 ,i never heard the like of it in my life4' ,this hymn was written by ,miss ,elizabeth ,c4 ,clephane of ,melrose1 ,scotland1 who died in #ahfi4 ,her sister was present at this noon meeting at the ,free ,assembly ,hall1 and later wrote to ,mr4 ,sankey1 thanking him for singing the hymn4 ,here is another story by ,andrew ,stewart in ,the ,british ,weekly about these same meetings and how the hymn ,jesus of ,nazareth ,made an ,extraordinary ,impression ,i remember ,mr4 ,sankey in ,edinburgh in #ahgd4 ,mr4 ,moody and he were conducting meetings in ,broughton ,place ,church4 ,it was their first visit to ,scotland1 and ,dr4 ,andrew ,thomson had bravely opened the great church to the strangers4 ,a small boy1 sitting in our family pew1 facing the pulpit1 ,i can recall the effect of the great crowds and the intense impression4 ,one of the hymns used was ',jesus of ,nazareth ,passeth ,by4' ,my father told long afterwards how he met a commercial traveler one morning on the ferry steamer that crossed from ,granton before the ,forth ,bridge was built4 ,the traveler spoke of having attended the evangelistic services the previous night4 ,he said3 ',i am not a religious man and not easily moved1 but when that man sang ,jesus of ,nazareth ,has ,passed ,by it made an extraordinary impression on me4' ,the fact is that the success of the evangelists had more connection with ,sankey's singing than most people realize4 ,he had a powerful baritone voice and sang with deep feeling4 ,the first verse of the hymn is3 ,what means this eager1 anxious throng1 ,which moves with busy haste along-- ,these wondrous gath'rings day by day1 ,what means this strange commotion1 pray8 ,in accents hushed the throng reply1 ',jesus of ,nazareth passeth by4' ,from far-off ,china comes this striking incident in connection with ,one ,sweetly ,solemn ,thought ,dr4 ,russell ,h4 ,conwell was traveling in ,china and one day he entered a gambling house in a ,chinese city4 ,two ,americans were there1 betting and drinking2 the older one frequently using the filthiest profanity4 ,the younger man had lost in two games and the third game had just begun4 ,while the winner was shuffling the cards his companion sat lazily back in his chair4 ,there was delay in dealing out the cards and while waiting1 the other looked carelessly about the room and began to hum a tune and then to sing almost unconsciously4 ,the words were3 ,one sweetly solemn thought ,comes to me o'er and o'er2 ,i am nearer home today ,than ,i ever have been before4 ,while the young man sang1 his fellow gambler stopped dealing out cards1 stared at the singer and exclaimed3 ,harry1 where did you learn that song8 ,what song8 ,why1 the one you have been singing4 ,he said he did not know what he had been singing4 ,the other repeated the words1 with tears in his eyes1 and the younger man said he had learned them in the ,sunday ,school in ,america4 ,come1 said the elder gambler1 getting up2 come1 ,harry1 here's what ,i have won from you2 go and use it for some good purpose4 ,as for me1 as ,god sees me1 ,i have played my last game and drunk my last bottle4 ,i have misled you1 ,harry1 and ,i am sorry4 ,give me your hand1 my boy1 and say that for old ,america's sake1 if for no other1 you will quit this infernal business4 ,this hymn was written by ,miss ,phoebe ,cary while visiting a friend4 ,she had attended church and was deeply stirred1 and on returning to her friend's house she retired to the little back third-story bedroom and wrote this expression of her experience4 ,this incident in ,china gave her much happiness4 ,after her death the older man in the above story wrote to ,dr4 ,conwell saying that he was now a hard working ,christian and that ,harry had renounced his evil ways4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,the ,old ,rugged ,cross ,the ,cross is the triumphant symbol of a militant and puissant ,christianity4 ,it tells of love divine1 all loves excelling4 ,it sustains hope in the final victory of good4 ,it establishes faith in the persistent reality of truth4 ,the ,gospel of the ,cross proclaims redemption from sin1 reconciliation with ,god1 realization of goodwill to all people4 ,there is absolutely nothing else to equal the appeal of the ,cross in its power to produce the most desirable changes in the individual and in society4 ,wherever it has been preached with the conviction of experience and the constraint of passion1 the ,holy ,christ has won trophies in lives recovered from the waste of sin1 renewed by the power of grace1 enriched by the practices of purity and peace4 ,indeed1 the only cure for our distracted age is found in the ,atoning ,christ4 ,this is endorsed by the voices of redeemed multitudes of every age and land4 ,the testimony from life is conclusive4 ,it holds us by a resolute determination to announce its message of pardon and joy to everyone4 ,in the words of ,john ,oxenham1 ,love1 with the lifted hands and thorn-crowned head2 ,still conquers death1 though life itself be fled1-- ,his ,cross still stands6 ,yes1--,love triumphant stands1 and stands for more1 ,in our great need1 than e'er it stood before6 ,his ,cross still stands6#ba ,the ,cross makes a universal appeal1 as in this incident related by ,miss ,margaret ,sangster#bb when ,all ,wanted the ,same ,song ,i was in a radio studio1 the other night1 listening to the broadcast of a program4 ,naturally ,i was interested4 ,interested in what the performers did and how they were handled and the precision with which the timing was accomplished4 ,but the one thing that interested me more than the actual happenings in the studio1 was something quite apart from the especial broadcast that was taking place4 ,for1 as ,i sat there1 ,i was conscious of a great flurry going on in an outer office4 ,i could see1 as ,i sat there1 a constant stream of messenger boys--and ,i was conscious of an equally constant answering of telephones4 ,i couldn't help feeling that some great event was taking place--or was about to take place4 ,and so the moment that the broadcast was over1 ,i went into that outer office and began to ask questions4 ',why the excitement8' ,i asked of a pretty stenographer4 ',i've never seen such a bustling about4' ,the girl smiled as she replied3 ',a very popular singer is going to broadcast tonight1' she told me1 'and people are sending in requests that he sing their favorite song4 ,curiously enough1 with hardly an exception1 it's the same song6' ',what song is it8' ,i asked4 ,and ,i was both amazed and stirred to learn that the radio audience was asking for one of the splendid old revival hymns--',the ,old ,rugged ,cross6' ,on a hill far away stood an old rugged cross1 ,the emblem of suff'ring and shame2 ,and ,i love that old cross where the dearest and best ,for a world of lost sinners was slain4 ,thomas ,d4 ,whittles tells this story in his book1 ,the ,parish of the ,pines1#bc about ,gospel ,music in the ,lumber ,camps ,an upturned barrel serves for pulpit1 and a horse blanket1 bearing the manufacturer's name in large letters1 is the embroidered altar cloth4 ,no ,genevan gown lends grace to the minister1 but coatless he stands--a shirt-sleeved messenger of ,god4 ,the opening of a service conducted by ,frank ,higgins1 the ,sky ,pilot1 is thus described3 ',sing ,no4 #ca1 boys2 it's easy and it's a good one4 ,let her go6' ,alas6 and did my ,saviour bleed8 ,and did my ,sovereign die8 ,the hymn is old and the boys welcome it lustily4 ,the music lacks in sweetness3 in volume it abounds4 ',you can do better4 ,hit it harder on the next verse4' ,they do2 they shout it forth in full voice1 pleased with the song1 glad for the privilege of singing4 ,then the chorus3 ',at the cross1 at the cross1 where ,i first saw the light1' shakes the bunkhouse and wanders over the far reaches of the night-bound forest4 ,in our fashionable churches1 trained voices blend in superb harmony2 but this is the music of songless lives4 ,however different may be our views on many questions of religion1 most of us agree that ,the ,cross ,remains ,matthew ,arnold was visiting his brother-in-law1 ,mr4 ,cropper1 and went with him to a service at ,seton ,park ,church1 ,liverpool1 ,england4 ,the minister1 ,dr4 ,john ,watson 7,ian ,maclaren71 preached on ,the ,shadow of the ,cross1 and the congregation afterwards sang the familiar hymn3 ,when ,i survey the wondrous cross ,on which the ,prince of ,glory died4 ,at lunch that day ,mr4 ,arnold referred to the hymn1 which he said he considered the finest in the ,english language4 ,appreciative reference was also made to the sermon2 and the poet mentioned especially an illustration which the preacher had drawn from a ,riviera earthquake4 ,in one village1 said ,dr4 ,watson1 the huge crucifix above the altar1 with a part of the chancel1 remained unshaken amid the ruins1 and round the cross the people sheltered4 ,yes1 remarked ,arnold in speaking of this1 the cross remains1 and in the straits of the soul makes its ancient appeal4 ,this recalls an incident mentioned in a lecture1 when the speaker described a scene in ,paris in which a number of men1 when a cathedral was dedicated on a hill1 attempted to blot out the illumination of the cross on the spire by raising large clouds of smoke with chemicals4 ,instead of blotting it out1 said the lecturer1 the cross stood out in greater magnificence and splendor4 ,never does the ,cross fail men in their need2 but ,his cross like a far-seen beacon stands ,in the midst of a world of sin2 ,and stretched out are ,his bleeding hands ,to gather the wanderers in4 ,the truth of reliance upon the ,christ of the ,cross is well brought out in ,rock of ,ages ,the original title of this hymn was ,a ,living and ,dying ,prayer for the ,holiest ,believer in the ,world4 ,but1 as a matter of fact1 the hymn is a favorite of the best saint and the worst sinner4 ,it can be used appropriately in every condition of life4 ,in a shipwreck off the ,bay of ,biscay1 the last man who left the ship said he heard the passengers singing1 ,rock of ,ages1 cleft for me1 ,let me hide myself in ,thee6 ,the glory of the ,cross found an impressive testimony in ,henry ,drummond's ,hymn on ,his ,last ,sunday ,death called the brilliant ,henry ,drummond hence while he was still in the prime of life4 ,on the afternoon of the last ,sunday he spent on earth this noble ,scotchman1 with his scientific mind and evangelical spirit1 heard his friend1 ,dr4 ,barbour1 play to him the music of the hymn1 ,art ,thou ,weary1 ,art ,thou ,languid8 and other hymn tunes4 ,there was no response4 ,then he tried the old ,scots melody of ,martyrdom1 to which ,drummond beat time with his hand1 and joined in the words3 ,i'm not ashamed to own my ,lord1 ,or to defend ,his cause2 ,maintain the honor of ,his word1 ,the glory of ,his cross4 ,when they finished singing this hymn by ,isaac ,watts1 ,drummond said1 ,there's nothing to beat that1 ,hugh4 ,the following ,thursday he passed to greet his ,lord of whom he had been a radiant follower4 ,the everlasting ,gospel of the ,cross is assuredly ,the ,only ,word for ,discord and ,distress ,how truly it meets our needs is finely suggested in one of the best hymns1 ,my ,faith ,looks ,up to ,thee4 ,it was written by ,dr4 ,ray ,palmer at the age of twenty-two while still a theological student1 suffering from poor health1 laboring under many discouragements and realizing that ,god was his only help4 ,during the ,civil ,war some soldiers met in a tent for prayer before a great battle2 they decided to draw up and sign a paper1 expressing their trust in that stern hour4 ,one of the men knew this hymn and he wrote it out and each man signed his name4 ,only one of them lived through the battle to tell of this death covenant and to send the precious document to the loved ones of those who fell4 ,well might each of them have prayed3 ,my faith looks up to ,thee1 ,thou ,lamb of ,calvary1 ,saviour divine6 ,now hear me while ,i pray1 ,take all my guilt away1 ,o let me from this day ,be wholly ,thine6 ,the voice of the true ,christian is the same regardless of nationality or color1 as is seen in this incident about ,what ,frances ,wanted ,sung ,frances ,phillips1 a young girl of ,alaska1 was the first pupil to graduate in the eighth grade in the ,training ,school at ,sitka4 ,soon afterwards she married a young man named ,sam ,johnson4 ,both were ,christians4 ,frances died in #aibd1 a few days after the death of her little son4 ,dr4 ,samuel ,hall ,young tells us that he had been going to see her daily for a week when1 on ,sunday morning1 word was brought that she was dying4 ,the little church was not far distant1 and ,frances sent word to open the doors and windows and to sing3 ',my hope is built on nothing less ,than ,jesus' blood and righteousness4' ,the dying woman joined feebly1 with an ecstatic smile on her wan face and soon passed away4 ,before her death she had started a subscription in ,angoon to build a new church4 ,sam and his brothers took up this work1 and a beautiful little building called ',the ,frances ,johnson ,memorial ,church' was erected1 almost entirely by the ,indians4#bd ,,chapter ,x ,hymns of ,youth ,the questioning attitude of youth is impelled by a desire for deeper reality4 ,some of their words and ways may scandalize the conventional1 but back of it all we find eager sincerity and animated purposefulness to make life count for more4 ,we need to show the patience of confidence towards skeptical young people4 ,we must encourage them to work out their problems not by holding up danger signals1 but by magnifying the ways of sure deliverance4 ,we are not wedded to methods but are inspired by motives4 ,so long as these latter are right we might well disagree about how they are to be expressed4 ,an interesting sidelight on the essential loyalty of young people was recently given when1 at a summer institute attended exclusively by them1 a popular vote was taken of the best ten hymns4 ,the following were named3 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy2 ,nearer1 ,my ,god1 to ,thee2 ,rock of ,ages2 ,when ,i ,survey the ,wondrous ,cross2 ,abide ,with ,me2 ,sweet ,hour of ,prayer2 ,jesus1 ,lover of ,my ,soul2 ,o ,love1 ,that ,wilt ,not ,let ,me ,go2 ,just ,as ,i ,am2 ,lead ,kindly ,light4 ,this is certainly not the choice of erratic radicals1 but of rational conservatives who desire to retain what is best in the past while going forward with characteristic adventuresomeness to new fields of activity and of achievement4 ,the new program of religious education is an attempt more satisfactorily to meet the needs of children and adolescents4 ,previous efforts had their limitations but all who grew up under the conditions of the former generation will appreciate this testimony from ,sir ,harry ,lauder in ,roamin' in the ,gloamin' about ,the ,influence of the ,sunday ,school ,i forget many of the hymns we sang at the ,band of ,hope1 but such favorites as ',shall ,we ,gather at the ,river8'1 ',throw ,out the ,life ,line1' and similar haunting airs stand out in my memory4 ,i loved every note of them and yelled them out most lustily4 ,the old ,scottish psalm tunes we occasionally sang at the ,band of ,hope1 and also at the ,sunday ,school ,i attended1 likewise made an extraordinary appeal to me4 ',all ,people ,that ,on ,earth ,do ,dwell1' to the tune of the ',old ,hundred2' ',o1 ,god of ,bethel by ,whose ,hand' to the tune of ',st4 ,kilda1' were among my favorites4 ,the last mentioned melody is in a most unusual minor key4 ,it was written by a young ,scottish musician named ,bloomfield1 who died early in life and whose body1 ,i have been told1 is lying in an ancient cemetery in ,aberdeen4#be ,these words recall an experience of ,captain ,john ,lauder in ,france1 which led him to declare he was ,glad ,he ,learned the ,hymn in ,sunday ,school ,while convalescing in the hospital he went one day to the piano and began playing very softly4 ,one of the nurses then came up to him and said a ,captain ,webster of the ,gordon ,highlanders who knew his father1 ,sir ,harry1 wanted to see him4 ,what followed had best be stated in his own words1 quoted in ,a ,minstrel in ,france#bf by ,harry ,lauder3 ,this man had gone through ten operations in less than a week4 ,i thought perhaps my playing had disturbed him1 but when ,i went to his bedside1 he grasped my hand1 pressed it with what little strength he had left1 and thanked me4 ,he asked me if ,i could play a hymn4 ,he said he would like to hear ',lead1 ,kindly ,light4' ,so ,i went back to the piano and played it as softly and as gently as ,i could4 ,it was his last request4 ,he died an hour later4 ,i was very glad ,i was able to soothe his last moments a little4 ,i am very glad that ,i learned the hymn at ,sunday ,school as a boy4 ,dr4 ,r4 ,j4 ,campbell tells a touching story about a mother and her only child whose request was ,sing1 ,muzzer1 ,sing ,this young ,english mother made a living for herself and child by singing in the concert halls of ,london1 and so at night she was compelled to leave him while meeting her engagements4 ,one night she had a foreboding of evil but she had to keep her appointment4 ,the rapture of the crowds and the encores were nothing to her as on this night she hurried back to the lad4 ,she took him up in her arms and held him as if he could never slip away4 ,but he was dying1 and his broken words were1 ,sing1 muzzer1 sing4 ,what an ordeal6 ,but she responded4 ,her clear sweet voice broke upon the hush of that tenement room in the words of the matchless hymn of the children3 ,i think when ,i read that sweet story of old1 ,when ,jesus was here among men2 ,how ,he called little children like lambs to ,his fold1 ,i should like to have been with ,him then4 ,another hymn made a moving impression upon a large congregation when ,children ,sang of the ,love of ,jesus ,a group of fresh-air children from ,new ,york ,city were being entertained at ,east ,northfield1 the home of the schools established by ,d4 ,l4 ,moody4 ,one ,sunday1 sitting in a body in the great auditorium1 they were presented to the audience1 and then invited to the platform to sing for the assembled company4 ,the little folks marched to the front of the building1 faced the many hundreds of people1 and gleefully sang3 ,i am so glad that our ,father in heaven ,tells of ,his love in the ,book ,he has given1 ,wonderful things in the ,bible ,i see2 ,this is the dearest1 that ,jesus loves me4 ,children of parents who came from many different nations across the ,atlantic1 living amid hard conditions in the great city of ,new ,york1 life had not afforded them much in the form of pleasure4 ,but their faces fairly radiated happiness as they lustily sang3 ,i am so glad that ,jesus loves me1 ,jesus loves me1 ,i am so glad that ,jesus loves me1 ,jesus loves even me4 ,this incident is given in ,through ,jade ,gate1 by ,m4 ,cable and ,f4 ,french1 about ,a ,youthful ,daniel ,in our city-visiting we soon discovered that the first difficult plowing of the ground was being done for us by the children4 ,everywhere we were welcomed1 and mothers1 whom we had never seen1 repeated ,scripture texts1 hymns1 and sentences of prayer with surprising accuracy4 ,one little fellow1 unconscious that he was being watched1 walked down the street singing at the top of his voice1 ,dare to be a ,daniel1 dare to stand alone1 then coming to a stop before a peanut vendor and looking him in the face1 said1 ,did you know that there is only one ,god1 and one ,lord ,jesus ,christ8 ,why1 no1 said the man bewildered4 ,well1 it is true1 answered the child1 and passed on singing1 ',dare to have a purpose firm1 dare to make it known4' ,here is a suggestive story quoted from ,the ,sunday ,school ,times about ,jazz and ,sacred ,music ,a ,christian mother recently found no little difficulty in leading her 'teen-age girls to overcome the habit of singing jazz4 ,it is what they heard over the neighbor's radio1 in school1 on the street1 everywhere4 ,and in order to cure the habit there seemed to be need for something more than the negative command1 ,don't sing such songs1 girls6 ,at length she hit upon a solution to the problem4 ,when the girls burst into ,carolina moon1 keep shining1 the mother would begin1 very quietly and with apparent lack of purpose1 ,he leadeth me6 oh6 blessed thought6 ,oh1 words with heavenly comfort fraught4 ,and it was not long until the singing voices began to follow her4 ,the central message of the ,gospel is well illustrated in this ,spiritual ,experience in ,song ,at a world's convention of ,christian ,endeavor ,societies1 the various delegations went to their respective places in the tent1 singing different hymns4 ,the ,new ,zealand deputation marched in singing1 ,o for a thousand tongues to sing ,my great ,redeemer's praise1 ,the glories of my ,god and ,king1 ,the triumph of ,his grace6 ,they were listened to in silence1 until they reached the stanza3 ,he breaks the power of canceled sin1 ,he sets the prisoner free2 ,his blood can make the foulest clean2 ,his blood availed for me4 ,then the vast audience could no longer refrain from joining them1 for the verse truthfully expressed the spiritual experience of all the company4 ,it was an impressive experience which strengthened the bond of unity when a group joined in this ,evening ,prayer of ,young ,campers ,the young people who had spent the evening together were about to separate and go to their several tents and cottages4 ,why not a song-prayer together8 asked one4 ,the suggestion was favorably received4 ,these were the words they sang just before they retired3 ,glory to ,thee1 my ,god1 this night1 ,for all the blessings of the light3 ,keep me1 ,o keep me1 ,king of kings1 ,beneath the shadow of ,thy ,wings4 ,forgive me1 ,lord1 for ,thy dear ,son1 ,the ill which ,i this day have done2 ,that with the world1 myself1 and ,thee1 ,i1 ere ,i sleep1 at peace may be4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,o let my soul on ,thee repose1 ,and may sweet sleep mine eyelids close2 ,sleep which shall me more vigorous make1 ,to serve my ,god1 when ,i awake4 ,the culminating moment at a missionary meeting was reached when the assembly sang a hymn1 ,acknowledging ,god's ,claims ,it was at one of the anniversaries of the ,london ,missionary ,society at ,queen's ,hall1 ,london4 ,there were present a number of young men and women who were about to leave for their several mission fields4 ,instead of some modern hymns which are convicted of false sentiment1 there was selected ,doddridge's hymn for this notable occasion4 ,the first verse is3 ,my gracious ,lord1 ,i own ,thy right ,to every service ,i can pay1 ,and call it my supreme delight ,to hear ,thy dictates and obey4 ,one can imagine the enthusiasm of those prospective missionaries as they sang3 ',tis to my ,saviour ,i would live ,to ,him who for my ransom died2 ,nor could all worldly honor give ,such bliss as crowns me at ,his side4 ,the courage of conviction was strikingly exhibited in connection with a well-known chorus1 ,can the ,lord ,depend on ,you8 ,three thousand people had gathered in a beautiful grove for the annual reunion of one of the ,state societies of ,los ,angeles4 ,the musical program consisted of old sacred melodies with variations and they were received with enthusiasm4 ,the president then announced that three young ladies would perform a special dance and he requested the pianist to play for the dancers4 ,much to his surprise and chagrin a polite negative reply was given4 ,but there is no one else here to play for the dance1 said the president4 ,the pianist insisted on refusal1 declaring that he had never used his talent in that connection and never so intended4 ,the president then threatened to expose him to the vast audience1 and no sooner had he done so than the pianist took the platform and said3 ,my reason for not playing for the dance is that my talent is not my own4 ,it is dedicated to a far higher and nobler service4 ,it is devoted wholly to the service of ,christ4 ,the impression produced upon the gathering had an effect different from that of the president of this state society4 ,on adjournment1 several got into conversation with the pianist1 which led to complete decisions for ,christ4 ,the great heart of the nation was heard on a notable occasion when1 in a spirit of unity1 ,young ,america ,made ,music ,this took place during the sessions of the ,national ,education ,association at ,dallas1 ,texas4 ,it was on the last evening of the convention1 which for five days had engaged in earnest discussion on the education of children in the ,united ,states4 ,five thousand persons applauded when the curtain rose2 and the spectators were thrilled when they saw on the stage eight hundred boys and girls dressed in pure white4 ,these were the best singers in the ,dallas elementary schools4 ,for an hour they sang1 never missing a word or a note1 without a scrap of paper before their eyes4 ,the last third of the program was the cantata of ,rip ,van ,winkle1 which was rendered with a sweetness possible only to the unspoiled voices of children who sing because they love to sing4 ,the curtain rose the second time1 and the scene changed4 ,the ,national ,high ,school ,orchestra appeared for the first time in history before the ,national ,education ,association4 ,two hundred and sixty-six boys and girls from thirty-nine states sat there with their handsome instruments4 ,they were selected from six hundred who were competent and anxious to attend4 ,it was a thrilling sight to watch these young people who sat together regardless of the states from which they came1 and whose faces had the features of every nation under heaven4 ,the program was arranged to recreate the moods of life--of play1 heroism1 questioning1 hope1 despair1 fantasy1 and religious fervor4 ,the musical selections were from the masters1 and they were rendered with perfect harmony4 ,for two hours these young people stirred the depths of their vast audience4 ,it was like a glimpse of the great scene described in the ,bible1 of the company out of every nation and kindred and tribe before the throne of ,god1 whose anthem of praise is like the sound of the sea4 ,the closing number was most impressive4 ,led by the youthful orchestra1 the audience sang the evening hymn of ,sabine ,baring ,gould3 ,now the day is over1 ,night is drawing nigh1 ,shadows of the evening ,steal across the sky4 ,so the music swept on until the closing stanza was reached3 ,when the morning wakens1 ,then may ,i arise ,pure1 and fresh1 and sinless ,in ,thy holy eyes4 ,this incident is fully described in ,yankee ,notions1 by ,henry ,t4 ,bailey4#bg ,he concludes his account with an impressive sentence3 ,i heard the great heart of my country singing as never before1 and the harmony was as rich and deep as human brotherhood itself4 ,here is a testimony to faith and hope suggested by ,hymns ,used at the ,dedication of a ,college ,chapel ,hendricks ,memorial ,chapel of ,syracuse ,university was dedicated on ,june #h1 #aicj4 ,it is the third in size of all college chapels in the ,united ,states and is to be the center for the religious guidance of the students4 ,the hymns used on this occasion were full of significance4 ,the first had a national application and was written by a physician1 ,dr4 ,alfred ,a4 ,woodhull4 ,six thousand voices blended in singing3 ,great ,god of nations1 now to ,thee ,our hymn of gratitude we raise2 ,with humble heart and bending knee ,we offer ,thee our song of praise4 ,this was followed by ,faith of ,our ,fathers4 ,the closing hymn was written by ,dr4 ,m4 ,w4 ,stryker1 one of the distinguished presidents of ,hamilton ,college3 ,almighty ,lord1 with one accord1 ,we offer ,thee our youth4 ,at the afternoon service of dedication the first hymn was ,glorious things of ,thee are spoken ,zion1 ,city of our ,god4 ,the next was ,professor ,caleb ,t4 ,winchester's striking hymn3 ,the ,lord our ,god alone is strong1 ,his hands build not for one brief day2 ,his wondrous works1 through ages long1 ,his wisdom and ,his power display4 ,deeply prayerful was the last stanza3 ,and let those learn1 who here shall meet1 ,true wisdom is with reverence crowned1 ,and science walks with humble feet ,to seek the ,god that faith hath found4 ,the hymn of dedication was most appropriate4 ,it was written by ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 who was a student in ,williams ,college4 ,and it was from occasional summer afternoons of meditation in the chapel of this college that ,senator ,francis ,hendricks conceived the idea of providing this memorial chapel for ,syracuse ,university4 ,here are two stanzas3 ,thou1 whose unmeasured temple stands1 ,built over earth and sea1 ,accept the walls that human hands ,have raised1 ,o ,god1 to ,thee4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,may faith grow firm1 and love grow warm1 ,and pure devotion rise1 ,while round these hallowed walls the storm ,of earthborn passion dies4 ,at night was held the installation service of the ,dean of ,hendricks ,chapel4 ,it began with the immortal hymn of ,isaac ,watts3 ,o ,god1 our help in ages past1 ,our hope for years to come1 ,our shelter from the stormy blast1 ,and our eternal home6 ,the last hymn on that eventful day was one which came from ,dr4 ,washington ,gladden1 a man who exercised a large influence in our national religious life4 ,the desires and hopes of all were thus deeply expressed as they sang3 ,o ,master1 let me walk with ,thee1 ,in lowly paths of service free2 ,tell me ,thy secret2 help me bear ,the strain of toil1 the fret of care4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,in hope that sends a shining ray ,far down the future's broadening way2 ,in peace that only ,thou canst give1 ,with ,thee1 ,o ,master1 let me live4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,hymns as ,prayers ,when our feelings are deeply stirred by a crisis it is the most natural thing to turn to ,god in prayer4 ,such an acknowledgment of the divine resourcefulness in the face of human helplessness advertises the inherent dignity of man1 who finds that he is best able to overcome difficulties by reliance upon ,god4 ,any person who is able to make such a contact with the ,source of ,power through prayer is well equipped for the tasks of life4 ,it is the filial spirit which inspires the tone and quality of prayer1 whereby we receive spiritual insight and moral strength for duty4 ,it has been well said that prayer is the discipline of desire in the light of the best consciousness of ,god that we can attain unto4 ,we must recover this practice of prayer for right living4 ,it will reinforce us with virtue and vitality to keep true to our best selves and fit us to meet every demand4 ,it is in actual experience and not by mere theorizing that we find out the real efficacy of prayer4 ,bishop ,edwin ,h4 ,hughes1 in ,the ,pastor ,looks at ,his ,work1#bh reports some of his experiences to show that ,hymns ,are ,prayers ,a little while ago ,i was in a service where a minister of no little eminence was suddenly called on to pray4 ,his response was simply the repeating of the entire hymn1 whose first stanza reads3 ',my faith looks up to ,thee1 ,thou ,lamb of ,calvary1 ,saviour ,divine6 ,now hear me while ,i pray1 ,take all my guilt away1 ,oh1 let me from this day ,be wholly ,thine6' ,if one man's experience was typical1 that individual hymn with its ',i' and ',my' brought scores of people into a spiritual aggregate and made a 'common supplication4' ,much of the same thing happened in the bishops' meeting not so long ago4 ,we were having a prayer service1 only that1 and it must have continued for two and a half hours4 ,one bishop's prayer that night was simply a repeating of ,whittier's hymn3 ',dear ,lord and ,father of mankind1 ,forgive our feverish ways2 ,reclothe us in our rightful mind1 ,in purer lives ,thy service find1 ,in deeper reverence1 praise4' ,as we were all on our knees we were led to treat that hymn as a public prayer2 and it was at once an inspiring and exalting thing4 ,our services would be enriched beyond measure if only this spirit of prayer could be more definitely attached to the songs of our corporate worship4 ,here is a personal testimony from ,fanny ,crosby concerning ,the ,constant ,companion of the ,pilgrim ,journey ,toward the close of a day in the year #ahgd1 ,i was sitting in my room thinking of the nearness of ,god through ,christ as the constant companion of the pilgrim journey1 when my heart burst out with the words3 ',thou my everlasting portion1 ,more than friend or life to me1 ,all along my pilgrim journey1 ,saviour1 let me walk with ,thee4' ,how prayer is the inevitable opening for guidance is finely illustrated in the circumstances which resulted in the writing of ,lead1 ,kindly ,light ,this well-known hymn was written by ,john ,henry ,newman when1 as a young clergyman of the ,anglican ,church1 he lay sick and troubled in a vessel which was becalmed in the ,gulf of ,palermo4 ,he was restless to return to ,england and perplexed concerning the future4 ,his feelings were expressed on the afternoon of ,june #af1 #ahcc1 in this prayer for guidance4 ,the well-known tune1 ,lux ,benigna1 to which it is usually sung1 was composed in #ahfe by ,dr4 ,j4 ,b4 ,dykes as he walked through the crowded ,strand in ,london4 ,it was done in ten minutes in what might seem to have been an unfavorable place1 and yet faith shows its power in overcoming distractions and difficulties1 as was done by this musician4 ,the author of this hymn later entered the ,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,he is best known as ,cardinal ,newman but none of his writings1 not even his ,apologia ,pro ,vita ,sua1 has exercised the influence of this prayer hymn4 ,to be sure1 all who use it have not been guided as was the cardinal4 ,a friend recently remarked to me3 ,i was in the habit of repeating these lines on board the ship which was bringing me a stranger to the ,united ,states4 ,the assurance that the ,light still will lead me on has remained with me during the years nor have ,i any reason to expect that it will be different in the days to come4 ,here is an experience about ,an ,eventide ,prayer ,a minister of long service and extensive travel went into the church of a denomination other than that to which he belonged when away from home1 for evening worship4 ,he was deeply impressed when the pastor offered as the evening prayer some stanzas from a hymn3 ,at even1 ere the sun was set1 ,the sick1 ,o ,lord1 around ,thee lay2 ,o in what divers pain they met6 ,o with what joy they went away6 ,once more 'tis eventide1 and we1 ,oppressed with various ills1 draw near2 ,what if ,thy form we cannot see8 ,we know and feel that ,thou are here4 ,o ,saviour ,christ1 our woes dispel2 ,for some are sick1 and some are sad1 ,and some have never loved ,thee well1 ,and some have lost the love they had4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,thy touch has still its ancient power1 ,no word from ,thee can fruitless fall2 ,hear in this solemn evening hour1 ,and in ,thy mercy heal us all4 ,no words other than those of the hymn were spoken2 but the visiting minister affirmed that he never heard a more appropriate or appealing prayer4 ,how calmness and poise are obtained are related in an experience ,through the ,long ,night ,watches ,a minister was once confined to bed by sickness4 ,when ,sunday came he could hear the hymns which the congregation sang1 for the parsonage adjoined the church4 ,evening found him feverish and restless1 but with soothing effect came the closing hymn4 ,through the open window came the prayerful lines3 ,now the day is over1 ,night is drawing nigh2 ,shadows of the evening ,steal across the sky2 ,jesus1 grant the weary ,calm and sweet repose2 ,with ,thy tenderest blessing ,may our eyelids close4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,through the long night watches ,may ,thine angels spread ,their white wings above me1 ,watching round my bed4 ,the next ,sunday morning the minister was back in his pulpit1 and with a spirit of gratitude announced the hymn3 ,holy1 holy1 holy1 ,lord ,god ,almighty6 ,early in the morning our song shall rise to ,thee2 ,holy1 holy1 holy1 merciful and mighty1 ,god in ,three ,persons1 blessed ,trinity4 ,how there was a change for the better during a sickness is revealed in this account3 ,why1 ,that's ,for ,me ,a minister's wife with whom ,i am well acquainted has told of the time when her only sister lay on a bed of pain in a hospital in one of the suburbs of ,chicago4 ,her father and mother1 being sent for1 reached the bedside at nightfall4 ,a brief interview was permitted4 ,the father1 bending low above his girl1 heard her faintly say1 ,oh1 ,dad1 ,i've lost my grip4 ,great anxiety1 therefore1 was on his mind as he left the room4 ,fearing the answer he might receive1 yet hungering for news1 the father telephoned as early the next morning as he dared4 ,how is the girl today8 was his agonized question4 ,holding her own4 ,in fact1 she has made slight progress through the night1 was the glad and astonishing answer4 ,father and mother1 therefore1 soon hastened to the hospital4 ,there they learned that the daughter's recovery was now a possibility4 ,later the parents learned the cause of the happy change4 ,a window had been opened by a nurse1 and there came through it to the accompaniment of a piano a clear baritone voice singing3 ,what a ,friend we have in ,jesus6 ,why1 that's for me1 whispered the sufferer1 as she heard the words3 ,are we weak and heavy laden1 ,cumbered with a load of care8 ,precious ,saviour1 still our refuge1 ,take it to the ,lord in prayer4 ,restful assurance was expressed in the closing lines3 ,in ,his arms ,he'll take and shield thee1 ,thou wilt find a solace there4 ,making the words her prayer1 by asking ,christ to take and shield her1 she turned her face to the wall and the first natural sleep for weeks followed4 ,from that hour her recovery began4 ,harriet ,beecher ,stowe awoke one morning to find herself famous as the author of ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin4 ,the excellent reception given this book was gratifying1 but more than anything else was ,the ,satisfying ,consciousness of ,god's ,presence ,she wrote her husband at this time1 from the home of her brother1 ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 that she felt a wonderful consciousness of ,god's presence1 which above all else quieted and comforted and satisfied her soul4 ,then she wrote out this experience in the beautiful hymn1 ,still1 still with ,thee1 which first appeared in the ,plymouth ,hymnal4 ,set to ,mendelssohn's music1 it is one of the richest recent additions to hymnology4 ,this hymn-prayer was the response of her soul and voiced a deep experience of the peace that passeth all understanding4 ,it tells most impressively what are some of the benefits of prayer3 ,still1 still with ,thee1 when purple morning breaketh1 ,when the bird waketh1 and the shadows flee2 ,fairer than morning1 lovelier than daylight1 ,dawns the sweet consciousness1 ,i am with ,thee4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,still1 still with ,thee6 ,as to each newborn morning ,a fresh and solemn splendor still is given1 ,so does this blessed consciousness1 awaking1 ,breathe each day nearness unto ,thee and heaven4 ,what the divine presence means is strikingly seen where a man in danger was able to pray and to realize that he was ,not ,alone ,seven men were buried beneath thousands of tons of rocks which fell without a moment's warning in a ,cornish tin mine early in the twentieth century4 ,willing hands immediately began the work of rescue1 though all despaired of finding anyone alive4 ,their worst fears1 however1 were not realized4 ,one man was found a little distance from his comrades1 and was uninjured4 ,the rocks had formed an arch over him4 ,encouraged by finding this one miner1 those who were engaged in the work of rescue called loudly to ascertain if any others were alive and able to speak4 ,one man answered4 ,he was an active ,christian1 and ,sunday ,school superintendent4 ,are you alone8 he was asked4 ,the questioner1 of course1 was thinking of his fellow laborers4 ,no2 ,christ is with me1 was the reply4 ,are you injured8 was the next question4 ,yes1 answered the imprisoned man1 my legs are held fast by something4 ,those engaged in the conversation were then greatly surprised as they heard this man1 who often sang when descending to and ascending from his daily task1 now begin to sing in a feeble voice3 ,abide with me6 ,fast falls the eventide2 ,the darkness deepens--,lord1 with me abide6 ,when other helpers fail and comforts flee1 ,help of the helpless1 ,o abide with me4 ,they heard no more from him4 ,two days later he was found with his legs crushed by a huge rock which rested on them4 ,both his life and his last words of song1 however1 gave the assurance that he had gone to be forever with the ,lord4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,songs of the ,negroes ,whatever else may be said about ,the ,green ,pastures by ,marc ,connelly1 it obviously represents the naive and simple faith of thousands of untutored black ,christians in the ,south4 ,they accept the wonders of the ,old ,testament with crude literalness and they unhesitatingly believe that these marvels can be reproduced in their own lives4 ,one of the chief values of this play is the discerning use made of the unique spirituals which are a distinctive contribution of ,america to music4 ,no one who has ever heard them sung can forget the impression of pathos at times rising to the heights of astonishing power4 ,without any regard for rhyme1 rhythm or meter1 these dialect songs express the long suppressed longings for freedom and happiness4 ,the ,negro furthermore firmly believes that these benefits are to be realized by means of religion alone4 ,however sensuous may be some of the figures of speech1 the emphasis is always on the supremacy of spiritual values4 ,there are other features in ,negro singing especially connected with religious revivals which throw light on the characteristic traits of this people4 ,aggrey of ,africa was a remarkable representative of the ,negro race4 ,his life1 written by ,edwin ,w4 ,smith1 is one of the outstanding biographies of recent times4 ,he once said1 ,i believe that the ,negro has a great gift for the world2 the gift of the idea of meeting injustice and ostracism and oppression by sunny light-hearted love and work4 ,i believe he is going to teach that to ,asia and the white folk4 ,his attitude to life is best expressed in songs as indicated by a few illustrations in this chapter4 ,dr4 ,willis ,j4 ,king1 president of ,samuel ,houston ,college1 ,austin1 ,texas1 in a recent article in ,the ,christian ,advocate1 pointed out ,the ,value of ,negro ,spirituals ,the peculiarity of both the melody and the dialect of the spirituals tends to make them difficult for people other than ,american ,negroes to render4 ,but these difficulties are being overcome4 ,with increasing frequency they are being rendered by white ,american choirs and congregations4 ,some of them1 like ',lord1 ,i ,want to be a ,christian' and ',were ,you ,there ,when ,they ,crucified ,my ,lord8' are quite singable1 after brief rehearsals1 by the ordinary church group of any race or nationality4 ,so it would seem not too much to expect that a number of these spirituals will ultimately find their place among the great hymns of the ,church1 and be sung down through the ages by ,christians of every land4 ,the ability to sing the spirituals depends upon ,finding the ,soul of the ,song ,dr4 ,bruce ,s4 ,wright tells of a well-known ,american-,italian tenor who said that he never sang a selection until he found out the soul of the number4 ,for that reason he refrained from singing ,negro spirituals until he had spent considerable time in the ,south living among the ,negroes1 listening to them sing4 ,so today he sings ,steal ,away as he heard it sung at a ,negro revival2 and he sings ,goin' ,home as he heard it sung at the dying bed of an aged ,negro in a ,negro's cabin4 ,here is a vivid description by ,annemarie ,ewing in ,the ,christian ,herald3 ,how the ,negroes ,sing ,in the huge stadium1 dropped like a bowl beneath the starlit sky1 thousands of people sit waiting to hear the ,hall ,johnson ,choir4 ,overhead the sky is indigo1 dotted with twinkling stars1 glorious with the cool silver of a full moon4 ,a tender1 capricious wind breathes softly over the semicircle of the waiting crowd4 ,now they come--a handful of ,negroes1 perhaps a dozen men and a half dozen women4 ,so small a group looks lost on the big platform4 ,at a signal from their leader they begin4 ',wade in de water1 chillun1 ,god's a'goin' to trouble de water444' ,challenging as the voice of a delivered soul1 the strong1 clear bass gives out the words2 others join in--a soprano acquiescence1 a contralto surge of content1 the ecstatic agreement of the tenor4 ,joy throbs through the singers' throats1 their cup of joy runneth over6 ',see dat band all dressed in white1 ,de leader looks like the ,israelite444' ,how the leader draws them out--to send their message surging across the summer night into the hearts of thousands6 ',wade in de water1 ,god's a-goin' to trouble de water444' ,the last note swells and is still4 ,in a moment they begin again4 ,this time it is a joyous refrain1 pulsing with the firmness of blessed assurance--assurance that warms the heart and moistens the eyes4 ',my ,god is so high you can't get above ,him1 ,my ,god is so low you can't get below ,him1 ,my ,god is so wide you can't get around ,him1 ,you must come in through de door444' ,your soul thrills to the swinging certainty4 ,yes1 ,he is so high1 you can't get above ,him1 so low you can't get below ,him2 so wide you can't get around ,him6 ,there is no way in but through the ,gate6 ,the music dies away1 far above the stars gleam--detached1 assured1 eternal4 ,from your eyes1 quite unashamed1 you brush away the tears4 ,thus do they worship our ,lord6 ,it was a memorable day in one man's life when ,black ,uncle's ,song ,made a ,minister ,a well-known white minister in the ,middle ,west owed his conversion and his entrance into the ministry to an unexpected circumstance4 ,he belonged to a company that was playing in ,louisville4 ,after the performance he left the theater at a late hour to take a turn around the streets of the city4 ,he passed through a little park and saw a bent old ,negro uncle sitting on a bench4 ,as he approached the actor heard him singing softly to himself4 ,and the song was ,jesus1 ,lovah uv ,mah ,soul4 ,the tenderness and feeling of the darky's song and the clear tone of his aged voice held the listener spellbound4 ,when the last verse was sung the youthful actor went up to the singer and pulling out a big bill said3 ,uncle1 you're an old man1 and it's late for you to be out like this4 ,if you have no home1 this will help you a bit4 ,take it and go and be comfortable for a few days1 anyway4 ,the ,negro took off his hat and said1 ,dat's pow'ful kind uv you1 boss4 ,ah's ol'1 an' ,ah ain't got no home1 an' ef hit's jes' de same to you ,ah'll take jes' a bit uv dat money--'case somehow or udder de good ,lawd he sen's me a bit ev'y day4 ,but ,ah don't need any mo'1 'case he allus loks arter me1 ev'y day4 ,an' hit don't matter1 boss1 ef an ol' man's ol'1 an' ain't got no home1 jes' so's he kin sing dat 'ere song uv mine4 ,ah'd like to sing hit again to yo'1 jes' case you done gib me dis4 ,hit's a wunnerful song1 boss4 ,hit's called1 ',jesus1 ,lovah uv ,mah ,soul6' ,he then sang it again softly4 ,the actor heard him through and then shaking hands with the ,negro1 to his surprise1 said1 ,good night1 uncle4 ,you've done a good night's work with that song--better than ever ,i've done with my life4 ,because you've started me doing something--for ,i'm going to learn to sing that song1 too6 ,that was the beginning of an experience which resulted in a gifted man becoming a minister of ,christ4 ,the characteristic gratitude of the dark race was illustrated when ,a ,negro ,family ,sang at ,john ,brown's ,funeral ,john ,brown's ,body ,rests ,amid the ,mountains1 wrote ,mary ,lee in ,the ,new ,york ,times1 ,october1 #aibi1 as she vividly told the story of the life of this dramatic figure in a fascinating manner4 ,at that time1 she affirmed1 there was still living at ,north ,elba one man who could remember ,john ,brown4 ,his name was ,lyman ,epps1 the son of one of those ,negroes whom ,john ,brown came to ,north ,elba to help4 ,this writer adds3 ,the ,epps family it was who sang as a quartet at ,john ,brown's funeral in #ahei4 ,lyman ,epps remembers it to this day--how he stood at the foot of the open casket singing bass1 his father at the head1 singing tenor1 and his two sisters1 ,amelia and ,evelyn1 singing soprano and alto1 at his side4 ,the hymn they sang was ,john ,brown's favorite3 ,blow ye the trumpet1 blow6 ,the gladly solemn sound ,let all the nations know1 ,to earth's remotest bound1 ,the year of jubilee is come6 ,return1 ye ransomed sinners1 home4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,christmas and ,easter ,melodies ,these two great festivals of the ,christian year fittingly celebrate the ,incarnation and ,resurrection of ,christ4 ,just as hope came with the ,saviour of the world1 so hope was quickened when ,he won the signal victory over death4 ,he is indeed the unspeakable gift of ,god1 and the spirit of gratitude for this marvelous blessing is best celebrated in song4 ,the greatest hymns of the ,church are inspired by these two events1 which have liberated the human spirit and filled it with faith1 joy1 enthusiasm1 loyalty4 ,all the greatest poets1 artists1 musicians1 were illuminated by the ,christmas and ,easter messages1 and excelled themselves in setting forth the jubilant truths of redemption and eternal life through ,christ the ,lord of love and light4 ,these productions have enriched the thought1 excited the imagination and ennobled the lives of multitudes through all the ,christian centuries4 ,this they will continue to do to the end of time4 ,the fount of poetic and artistic inspiration still flows1 and from time to time there are added new contributions to swell the jubilation of these two seasons and to spread peace and goodwill among men4 ,bishop ,f4 ,w4 ,warne recalls ,an ,incarnation ,hymn that ,fires the ,imagination ,the ,church of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ for two thousand years1 on the anniversary of the sinless ,incarnation1 has sung hymns of joy and praise4 ,here is a part of the hymn that1 when a child1 fired my heart and imagination1 when ,i heard it sung on such anniversaries1 and it fires them still3 ',mortals1 awake1 with angels join1 ,and chant the solemn lay2 ,joy1 love1 and gratitude combine1 ,to hail the auspicious day4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,hail1 ,prince of ,life1 forever hail6 ,hail1 ,brother1 ,friend6 ,though earth1 and time1 and life shall fail1 ,the praise shall never end4' ,carols have invariably been sung on ,christmas ,eve1 and the following incident from the ,syracuse ,post ,standard illustrates ,the ,joy of ,christmas ,all members of the family were gathered in the cozy living room of a south side home4 ,the lights were out1 but the mellow glow from a cheery fireplace illuminated the room with the soft light which seems to symbolize peace and quiet4 ,children romped on the floor2 a playful puppy bounded here and there1 yipping joyously2 the old cat blinked sleepily and purred with contentment4 ,father was reading the paper and mother was perusing a magazine4 ,in the windows hung red bells1 and through the window the snow lay white and sparkling under the street lamps4 ,a playful wind whipped up little swirling flurries of snow at intervals4 ,suddenly it came1 clear through the night4 ,soft music1 then a burst of song--,it ,came ,upon the ,midnight ,clear4 ,all within listened to the music in the night--,christmas music1 carols4 ,then as it came nearer all rushed to the windows and saw a band of boys and men marching bravely by1 blowing trumpets1 horns--what not8 ,the spirit of ,christmas4 ,carols are also a part of the celebration on ,christmas ,day1 and how they cheered the patients in a hospital is described when ,nurses ,sang ,carols ,the nurses enjoyed a breakfast served by candle light at #f3cj on ,christmas morning at the ,faxton ,hospital in ,utica1 ,new ,york1 and then exchanged greetings4 ,after this1 clad in their uniforms1 including their blue capes1 attractively red-lined1 they formed in a procession and marched from floor to floor of the building singing the familiar ,christmas songs4 ,young mothers and their little babies1 in the maternity building1 were not forgotten4 ,the nurses marched from the main building in the cold morning and sang as they walked along the sidewalk until they reached the maternity department1 where they continued their carols4 ,this self-appointed task conveyed pleasure beyond the power of words to express to the patients1 some of whom were far away from loved ones4 ,the act was one of those beautiful touches which unites the whole ,christian world in a kindred feeling on ,christmas ,day4 ,the thoughtful hospitality of the ,maier family in the village of ,oberndorf1 ,germany1 led one of the guests1 the young priest ,joseph ,mohr1 to write the well-known ,christmas song1 ,silent ,night ,at this party a festival play was performed in view of the approaching ,christmas4 ,it so stirred the young priest that instead of returning home he climbed the ,totenberg1 ,mountain of the ,dead1 overlooking the village4 ,he stood there in quiet meditation4 ,the silence of the night1 the blinking of the stars1 the murmur of the ,salzach ,river1 all inspired him4 ,quickly he returned to his parish house and late that night the words of ,stille ,nacht were written4 ,the next day he hastened to his organist1 ,franz ,gruber1 and requested that he write the music for this song4 ,he composed the well-known tune4 ,on ,christmas ,eve of #ahah the priest and organist were ready to offer their contribution for the first time4 ,the organ proved to be out of commission but ,gruber was ingenious4 ,he hurried home and brought his guitar and to its accompaniment he and the priest sang ,stille ,nacht as a duet4 ,it touched the congregation deeply and after the service the two friends1 with tears of joy in their eyes1 embraced on the steps of the church in gratitude for this impressive rendition4 ,since that evening the song has become one of the ,christmas favorites all over the world4 ,bishop ,phillips ,brooks was the friend of children as well as adults4 ,his popularity as rector of the ,church of the ,advent in ,philadelphia was unbounded and it continued when he went to ,trinity ,church1 ,boston4 ,it was during a year's vacation that he had an experience which later resulted in his writing the well-known hymn1 ,o ,little ,town of ,bethlehem ,in the course of his travels during this vacation he went to the ,holy ,land4 ,on ,christmas ,eve he was in ,bethlehem4 ,he walked in the fields where the shepherds had heard the angelic chorus4 ,he listened to the hymns of praise that kept ringing out upon the clear air4 ,he saw the children of ,bethlehem getting ready for ,christmas4 ,two years later when he was back home his mind went back to his experiences in ,bethlehem4 ,he recalled the dark streets1 the clear blue sky with stars1 the quiet shepherds' fields2 and under the spell of these memories1 in #ahfh1 he wrote this ,christmas hymn especially for the children of his ,sunday ,school4 ,his organist1 ,lewis ,h4 ,render1 wrote the music for this much beloved song4 ,this graphic description by ,annemarie ,ewing in ,the ,christian ,herald tells of ,carols ,sung by ,children ,i can't think of any holier sound for ,christmas ,eve than that of young voices1 clear and sweet in the cold1 singing the simple1 tuneful melodies that can't grow old4 ,last year it was my pleasure and privilege to know a small group of youngsters who wanted to go caroling ,christmas ,eve4 ,they didn't mind the cold or the long walk or the wind and snow4 ,they wanted to sing6 ,i can see those bobbing little heads now1 all sizes and shapes--from ,rose ,marie's tall1 smartly hatted elegance to ,babe's roly-poly woolen cap1 just under my arm4 ,how eager they were1 and what stories ,i had to tell them to keep them quiet till we got to each place6 ,we planned to sing under the windows of all our special friends4 ,and how we did sing6 ,i do not know whether it was sweeter to stand there holding my hand before ,babe's candle while her big blue eyes were lifted up to see the book 7she had to stand on her very tip-toes671 or whether it would have been more exquisite pleasure to have been sitting in my warm living-room1 when the shrilly sweet voices of the children began with their own enthusiasm3 ',joy to the world6 the ,lord is come2 ,let earth receive her ,king6 ,let every heart prepare ,him room1 ,and ,heav'n and ,nature sing4 ,and ,heav'n and ,nature sing1 ,and ,heav'n and ,heav'n and ,nature sing4' ,i know that there were tears in my own eyes when we reached ',silent ,night1' and that from the tight closed window of old ,mr4 ,simmons1 crotchety and bad-tempered1 there fell a shower of walnuts and pecans6 ,in the big house across the way where a little child lay ill the windows were softly raised1 and ,i could not help but stoop and kiss chubby ,babe1 who pulled my arm to whisper that 'she hoped ,margaret-who-was-sick heard4' ,christmas ,carols6 ,whether they are sung aloud or whether they buzz and chime through your heart--it is the same4 ,let them ring out6 ,one of the well-known celebrations is that on ,easter ,morning in ,america's ,bethlehem ,the ,moravians celebrate ,easter with impressive ceremonies in ,bethlehem1 ,pennsylvania4 ,early in the morning the trombonists walk through the quiet streets of the city and awaken the people with their inspiring anthem4 ,soon lights appear in the windows of the homes and the people join the procession towards the old church1 greeting each other with gladsome salutations4 ,the ,easter service in the church continues till sunrise when the congregation march out1 led by the trombonists1 to the ancient burying-ground4 ,at this place of sacred memories the people stand in a large semicircle looking towards the eastern hill1 as a symbol of their devout faith4 ,the ministers and trombone choir stand apart1 and the service proceeds with song and responsive readings4 ,the atmosphere of reverence and hope pervades this company on the chilly morning of early spring1 as they confess their faith in the glorious resurrection and celebrate the triumph of their loved ones in ,christ4 ,the appearance of the sun over the hill is the signal for the outburst of a hymn of adoration and praise1 to the accompaniment of the trombones4 ,this ,easter service1 begun in the church and concluded in the cemetery1 is a memorable occasion1 attended by thousands from all parts of the country1 as has been done for many years4 ,it is a testimony to a virile and victorious ,christianity which sings1 ,christ the ,lord is risen today1 ,hallelujah6 ,here is a fine ,easter anthology from a sermon by ,dr4 ,george ,elliott in ,the ,methodist ,review1 which reminds us of what ,hymn ,writers ,tell of ,heaven ,listen to ,cardinal ,newman1 the ,roman ,catholic1 as in the delicately beautiful poem1 ',lead1 ,kindly ,light1' he dreams and speaks about the time when3 ',the night is gone ,and in the morn those angel faces smile ,which ,i have loved long since1 and lost awhile4' ,and then ,isaac ,watts1 the ,nonconformist1 has no gloomy view when he says3 ',give me the wings of faith to rise ,within the veil and see ,the saints above1 how great their joys1 ,how bright their glories be4' ,and ,john ,fawcett1 the ,baptist1 who has written the very finest hymn of ,christian fellowship1 ',blest ,be the ,tie ,that ,binds1' sings for us3 ',when we asunder part1 ,it gives us inward pain2 ,but we shall still be joined in heart1 ,and hope to meet again4 ,from sorrow1 toil and pain1 ,and sin we shall be free2 ,and perfect love and friendship reign ,through all eternity4' ,and ,muhlenberg1 the ,episcopalian1 joins in the chorus that the poet-choir are singing1 and lifts his gaze to that heavenly country1 and exultantly sings3 ',where the saints of all ages in harmony meet1 ,their ,saviour and brethren transported to greet2 ,while the anthems of rapture unceasingly roll1 ,and the smile of the ,lord is the feast of the soul4' ,and ,bonar1 the ,presbyterian1 will not be left behind as he sings of the land ',where none shall beckon us away1 ,nor bid our festival be done2 ,our meeting time the eternal day1 ,our meeting place the eternal throne4 ,then1 hand in hand1 firm linked at last1 ,and heart to heart enfolded all1 ,we'll smile upon the troubled past ,and wonder why we wept at all4' ,and best of all1 ,charles ,wesley1 who doubtless has been appointed to lead the choirs of heaven when the angel chorister is tired1 sings for us1 and with us3 ',come1 let us join our friends above ,that have obtained the prize1 ,and on the eagle wings of love ,to joys celestial rise3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,one family we dwell in ,him1 ,one church1 above1 beneath1 ,though now divided by the stream1 ,the narrow stream1 of death3 ,one army of the living ,god1 ,to ,his command we bow2 ,part of ,his host have crossed the flood1 ,and part are crossing now4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,o that we now might grasp our ,guide6 ,o that the word were given6 ,come1 ,lord of hosts1 the waves divide1 ,and land us all in heaven6' ,it was a great open-air service when we were favored with ,salvation ,army ,music on ,easter ,morning ,brooklyn's ,easter ,dawn ,service in #aicj found ten thousand people assembled at ,prospect ,park ,plaza for a community gathering under the auspices of the ,brooklyn ,federation of ,churches4 ,the first in the order of worship was a selection by the ,salvation ,army ,band4 ,low in the grave ,he lay-- ,jesus1 my ,saviour6 ,waiting the coming day-- ,jesus1 my ,lord6 ,up from the grave ,he arose1 ,with a mighty triumph o'er ,his foes2 ,he arose a victor from the dark domain1 ,and ,he lives forever with ,his saints to reign3 ,he arose6 ,he arose6 ,hallelujah6 ,christ arose6 ,it was so appealingly appropriate that every listener seemed to be touched1 and men quietly lifted their hats even though the morning was cool4 ,the band led the various hymns1 the closing one of which was-- ,all hail the power of ,jesus' name6 ,let angels prostrate fall2 ,bring forth the royal diadem1 ,and crown ,him ,lord of all4 ,what proved to be the climax of this exhilarating service was reached when the ,salvation ,army band left the scene playing their favorite marching song of conquest1 ,onward1 ,christian ,soldiers6 ,how the good we do comes back to us is seen in a familiar hymn1 ,sung by and for ,sankey ,when lying in weakness and the darkness of blindness the musical genius of the evangelistic world1 ,ira ,d4 ,sankey1 was visited by ,dr4 ,f4 ,b4 ,meyer1 of ,london1 a long-time friend4 ,would you like me to sing something for you8 asked ,sankey as ,meyer was about to leave4 ,then he began3 ,there'll be no dark valley when ,jesus comes4 ,though weak1 he continued through all four stanzas1 ending with ,there'll be songs of greeting when ,jesus comes1 ,there'll be songs of greeting when ,jesus comes2 ,and a joyful meeting when ,jesus comes ,to gather ,his loved ones home4 ,on an ,easter morning a group of young people went to the home of ,sankey in ,brooklyn1 when he was in his last illness1 and outside the window amid the morning sunshine sang the hymn which he had sung to thousands of others1 and which he greatly cherished3 ,there'll ,be ,no ,dark ,valley ,when ,jesus ,comes4 ,the thoughtfulness of these young people was greatly appreciated by the great evangelistic singer4 ,it was an inspiringly appropriate message for a sunrise song service on an ,easter morning4#bi ,,chapter ,,xiv ,funeral ,music ,the ,christian assurance of immortality brings its message of consolation most appropriately in life's darkest hours when death invades the family circle4 ,no one has pierced the veil between the present and the future life1 but there is a sense of the fitness of things which has convinced men of divers creeds that a life beyond is a reality4 ,it is the desire for completion and not merely for continuance which quickens in our breast the hope of life everlasting4 ,it is moreover certified to us by the fact of the living ,christ through whom we commune with ,god4 ,this experience convinces us that our earthly pilgrimage is the prelude to the heavenly life of spiritual attainment and satisfaction4 ,thus when the physical remains of our loved ones are consigned to the earth1 we have the assured confidence of a reunion in the land that is fairer than day4 ,since ,jesus ,christ has brought life and immortality to light through the ,gospel1 we know that death does not sever the ties which bind us to those who have crossed the flood4 ,we shall meet again when the day dawns and these shadows flee away4 ,this is the outlook of faith which comforts and cheers us4 ,for what e'er befalls1 ,love conquers all1 ,and ,death shall not prevail4 ,the thought deepest in the soul often finds expression at a crisis4 ,this fact is what led to the ,hymn of ,martyred ,president ,sung by the ,nation ,good-bye1 good-bye1 all1 said ,president ,william ,mc,kinley as he lay dying in ,buffalo1 a few days after he was shot on ,september #f1 #aija4 ,it is ,god's way4 ,his will1 not ours1 be done1 he added soon afterwards4 ,toward the end in the presence of his wife and intimate friends1 his lips moved again and with a light on his worn face1 his inner soul expressed itself in the lines of his favorite hymn3 ,nearer1 my ,god1 to ,thee1 ,nearer to ,thee6 ,e'en though it be a cross-- ,a moment of silence followed and then in a whisper he said1 ,that has been my inextinguishable prayer4 ,the funeral services at the ,capitol began with ,lead1 ,kindly ,light1 sung by the choir1 and concluded with ,nearer1 ,my ,god1 to ,thee4 ,the final service was held in the ,first ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 ,canton1 ,ohio1 of which he was a member4 ,during those days of sadness the nation sang this familiar hymn which profoundly moved the popular heart4 ,possibly in all the history of the ,united ,states1 the nation has never so unitedly joined in singing a particular hymn as during those days4 ,it was a national tribute to a fallen leader4 ,in the ,city of ,utica1 ,new ,york1 the home of ,vice-,president ,james ,s4 ,sherman1 as soon as word was received of his death1 ,october #cj1 #aiab1 the leader of the orchestra in the chief hotel asked the company in the dining room to stand1 while ,nearer1 ,my ,god1 to ,thee was played4 ,thus the song which was sung for a fallen ,president was likewise rendered in his home town when a ,vice-,president passed thence4 ,it is a hallowed custom to sing a person's favorite hymn at his funeral4 ,thus it was that there was sung at his funeral1 ,president ,wilson's ,favorite ,hymn ,visitors at the ,chautauqua ,assembly1 especially in the days of its founder1 ,bishop ,j4 ,h4 ,vincent1 can never forget the ,sunday evening vesper services4 ,one hymn in particular was always sung3 ,day is ,dying in the ,west1 written by ,mary ,a4 ,lathbury1 at ,bishop ,vincent's request4 ,this happened to be ,president ,wilson's favorite hymn4 ,his remains were carried to ,bethlehem ,chapel on the cathedral grounds in ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ,over the outer door of this chapel the inscription in the stone work is ,the ,way of ,peace4 ,during the service the men's voices of the choir led by a clear tenor gave the favorite hymn an infinitely sweet appeal1 especially the lines3 ,gather us who seek ,thy face ,to the fold of ,thy embrace1 ,for ,thou art nigh4 ,it has been well said that some tunes and hymns are so closely united that one recalls the other4 ,thus it was that ,bells ,played ,hymns ,when ,taft ,was ,buried ,the service was held in the quaint little ,unitarian ,church in ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ,floral wreaths and sprays abounded1 representing the deep affection and high respect for a former ,president of the ,united ,states and later the ,chief ,justice4 ,the dirge notes of ,chopin's ,funeral ,march1 a flourish of trumpets saluting a ,president1 and the tolling of the great bell of ,all ,souls' ,church1 as has been the practice since #ahbb at the passing of ,presidents1 constituted parts of this impressive service4 ,no hymns were sung but there was the soft music of the bells which pealed forth the strains of ,abide ,with ,me4 ,the words were not spoken but the familiar verses ran through the minds of the congregation3 ,abide with me6 ,fast falls the eventide1 ,the darkness deepens--,lord1 with me abide6 ,when other helpers fail1 and comforts flee1 ,help of the helpless1 ,o1 abide with me4 ,few hymns have had so many remarkable associations as1 ,peace1 ,perfect ,peace1 written by ,bishop ,edward ,h4 ,bickersteth4 ,it has brought comfort to many and on one occasion1 as stated below1 the author himself was ,comforted by ,his ,own ,hymn ,an informed contributor to ,the ,churchman writes as follows of this hymn's vogue3 ,it has been sung at the obsequies of princes and statesmen as well as at the funerals of the poor4 ,it has afforded consolation to the mourner in the palace as well as to the grief-stricken peasant in the cottage4 ,it was a favorite hymn with the good old ,queen of ,england1 and it was sung in her death chamber at ,osborne4 ,it has sustained the lonely soul of ,bishop ,hannington when he was a caged prisoner in ,central ,africa awaiting execution from the hand of a heathen king4 ,they were the sweet stanzas that bound up the broken heart of ,general ,roberts when his only son was placed in a soldier's grave in ,south ,africa4 ,it has been sung at the interment of authors1 actors and statesmen in ,westminster ,abbey and ,st4 ,paul's4 ,when in the cemetery of the village of ,chislebon1 ,wiltshire1 ,england1 the early harvest was being gathered and shepherds were folding their flocks1 the venerable prelate stood at the head of his eldest son's open grave as this hymn1 so often quoted in the hour of death and sung on the day of burial1 struck a note of ,christian hope to the bereaved spirit of its author4 ,on this side of the ,atlantic the hymn is sung at almost every funeral service conducted in church1 and ,mr4 ,coldbeck's appropriate tune1 ',pax ,tecum1' is singularly adapted to its soothing and inspiring strains4 ,a good hymn is the most difficult thing to write1 said ,alfred1 ,lord ,tennyson4 ,it was not until his eighty-first year that he succeeded in writing his single great hymn1 ,crossing the ,bar1 although stanzas from his ,in ,memoriam are sung as hymns4 ,it was1 therefore1 most fitting that its first public use was as an anthem at the poet's funeral in ,westminster ,abbey on ,october #ab1 #ahib4 ,the description of the scene1 written by the daughter of the ,dean of ,westminster1 is here quoted in part of the singing of ,tennyson's ,hymn at ,his ,funeral ,in the intense and solemn silence which followed the reading of the lesson were heard the voices of the choir singing in subdued and tender tones ,tennyson's ',crossing the ,bar'--those beautiful words in which the poet1 as it were1 prophetically foretold his calm and peaceful deathbed4 ,in the second line the clear1 thrilling notes of a boy's voice sounded like a silver trumpet call amongst the arches1 and it was only at intervals that one distinguished ,dr4 ,bridge's beautiful organ accompaniment1 which swelled gradually from a subdued murmur as of the morning tide into a triumphant burst from the voices1 so blended together were words and music4 ,one of the best hymns of fervent devotion is ,take my life1 and let it be ,consecrated1 ,lord1 to ,thee4 ,illness and suffering had been the lot of its author4 ,she worked under difficulties and might well have said with the ,apostle ,paul1 ,most gladly therefore will ,i rather glory in my infirmities1 that the power of ,christ may rest upon me4 ,her characteristic confidence was1 however1 expressed in the ,text ,selected by ,miss ,havergal for ,her ,tombstone ,her last days found her at ,caswell ,bay1 ,swansea1 ,wales1 where she had gone for a rest4 ,when informed that she was approaching the end of her sufferings1 she is said to have answered1 ,if ,i am going1 it is too good to be true4 ,death came on ,june #c1 #ahgi1 in the forty-third year of her age2 and she was laid to rest in the ,astley churchyard beside her father1 and close to the church and home of her childhood4 ,by her own desire her favorite text was carved on her tombstone3 ,the ,blood of ,jesus ,christ ,his ,son ,cleanseth ,us ,from ,all ,sin4 ,it was an unusual scene1 according to ,the ,standard1 that comforted the bereaved mother as well as the few persons present ,when ,parepa ,sang at ,annie's ,funeral ,this famous singer1 through a friend1 attended the funeral of ,annie1 the only daughter of a poor widowed mother1 in the ,east ,end of ,london4 ,this friend's description is worth quoting3 ,the undertaker came and bustled about4 ,he looked at myself and ,parepa1 as if to say1 ',it's time to go4 ,the wretched funeral service is over4' ,without a word1 ,parepa rose and walked to the head of the coffin4 ,she laid her white scarf on an empty chair1 threw her cloak back from her shoulders1 where it fell in long1 soft1 black lines from her noble figure like the drapery of mourning4 ,she laid her soft1 fair hand on the cold forehead1 passed it tenderly over the wasted1 delicate face1 looked down at the dead girl a moment1 and moved my flowers from the stained box to the thin fingers1 then lifted up her head1 and1 with illumined eyes1 sang the glorious melody3 ',angels ever bright and fair1 ,take1 oh1 take me to thy care4' ,her magnificent voice rose and fell in all its richness and power and pity and beauty4 ,she looked above the dingy room and the tired faces of the men and women1 the hard hands and the struggling hearts4 ,she threw back her head and sang till the choirs of paradise must have paused to listen to the music of that day4 ,she passed her hand caressingly over the girl's soft1 dark hair1 sang on and on2 ',take1 oh1 take her to ,thy care4' ,the mother's face grew rapt and white4 ,i held her hands and watched her eyes4 ,suddenly she threw my hands off and knelt at ,parepa's feet1 close to the wooden trestles4 ,she locked her fingers together1 tears and sobs breaking forth4 ,she prayed aloud that ,god would bless the angel singing for ,annie4 ,a patient smile settled about her lips1 and the light came back into her poor1 dulled eyes1 and she kissed her daughter's face with a love beyond all interpretation of human speech4 ,i led her back to her seat as the last glorious notes of ,parepa's voice rose triumphant over all earthly pain and sorrow4 ,and ,i thought that no queen ever went to her grave with a greater ceremony than this young daughter of poverty and toil1 committed to the care of angels4 ,an unusual funeral service was held when1 instead of the family sitting in silence1 ,each ,member of the ,family ,sang a ,verse ,the description must be quoted in full as it appeared in ,the ,christian ,advocate3 ,when ,i was in ,rome a friend came to me asking if ,i would be a pallbearer at the funeral of a young ,american girl4 ,her family wished only ,americans present at the little service4 ,i went to the room where the casket stood and presently the family entered--a noble lady1 evidently the mother1 a daughter and two sons1 the eldest leading a little girl4 ,they surrounded the casket and softly repeated the ,apostles' ,creed4 ,then the mother's voice1 uncertain and trembling1 began3 ',shall we gather at the river ,where bright angel feet have trod1 ,with its crystal tide forever ,flowing by the throne of ,god8' ,all joined her in the chorus4 ,then the eldest son1 a grown man1 sang3 ',on the margin of the river1 ,washing up its silver spray1 ,we will walk and worship ever1 ,all the happy golden day4' ,after the chorus there was silence--a choking silence that benumbed me4 ,then my friend whispered1 ',it is their family prayer service and it is her verse4' ,then the little girl was lifted in her father's arms1 and sweet and clear and wonderingly came3 ',ere we reach the shining river ,lay we every burden down1 ,grace our spirits will deliver ,and provide a robe and crown4' ,i do not know how ,i endured it1 the emotion of that moment4 ,in a broken manner they sobbed through the chorus and then the younger brother1 a lad of fourteen1 sang3 ',at the smiling of the river1 ,mirror of the ,saviour's face ,saints whom death will never sever ,lift their songs of saving grace4' ,his voice was so confident that it steadied all present and the chorus rang out clearly4 ,then all together they sang3 ',soon we'll reach the silver river1 ,soon our pilgrimage will cease1 ,soon our happy hearts will quiver ,with the melody of peace4' ,and the chorus was strong1 clear and almost exultant4 ,after repeating the ,lord's ,prayer1 the minister read the service and we went to the grave4 ,on the way my friend told me of the many times he had been present at this same little family service in the ,michigan home when each sang his verse in the old hymn4 ',the last verse was father's1 and after his death they all sang it for him1 and now the little granddaughter had picked up the broken thread of song for her sweet young auntie4' ',what a wonderful glorification of a poor little hymn6' ',truly so1' he agreed4 ',i never before had much respect for that piece4' ,the faith and loyalty of a noble ,christian were remembered when his daughter ,played ,her ,father's ,favorite ,hymn at a ,memorial ,service ,this service conducted by the ,north ,dakota ,conference of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church for ,judge ,charles ,s4 ,pollock was impressively beautiful4 ,held for a layman1 it yet followed the ordination of young men for the ministry4 ,judge ,pollock1 a faithful follower of ,jesus ,christ and a courageous advocate of civic righteousness1 had dutifully carried heavy responsibilities at the session of the ,general ,conference in ,may1 #aibh1 and not long thereafter was summoned into the courts of heaven4 ,on that autumn day at this service the judge's daughter played on the organ her father's favorite hymn3 ,o ,master1 let me walk with ,thee ,in lowly paths of service free2 ,tell me ,thy secret2 help me bear ,the strain of toil1 the fret of care4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,in hope that sends a shining ray ,far down the future's broadening way2 ,in peace that only ,thou canst give1 ,with ,thee1 ,o ,master1 let me live4 ,the assurance of reunion was well advertised by ,songs at a ,missionary's ,grave ,the great missionary1 ,james ,gilmour1 of ,mongolia1 lost his beloved wife at ,peking4 ,in a letter to his children's uncle in ,scotland1 to whom ,mr4 ,gilmour had decided to entrust the two boys after their mother's death1 he wrote3 ,oh1 it is hard to think of them going off over the world in that motherless fashion6 ,we were at mamma's grave yesterday for the first time since ,september #ba4 ,we sang ',there's a ,land ,that ,is ,fairer ,than ,day1' in ,chinese1 and also a ,chinese hymn we have here with a chorus1 which says1 ',we'll soon go and see them in our heavenly home1' and in ,english1 ',there is a happy land4' ,the children and ,i have no reluctance in speaking of mamma1 and we don't think of her as here or buried1 but as in a fine place1 happy and well4 ,as the ,rev4 ,mark ,guy ,pearse approached the end of his great career as minister and author he said to a brother minister concerning his funeral service3 ,there must be no mourning1 no tears1 no misery1 no gloom4 ,i go not into the gloom but into the dawn4 ,start the service with ',praise ,god4' ,take all the stops out of the organ and let everybody thunder it out4 ,thus it was that there were sung the ,hallelujah ,chorus and ,doxology at the ,funeral ,service ,his wishes were met1 and the memorial service at ,kingsway ,hall1 the headquarters of the ,west ,london ,mission1 was unusual4 ,the organist played ,i ,know ,that ,my ,redeemer ,liveth as the people assembled4 ,then came1 ,praise ,god1 ,from ,whom ,all ,blessings ,flow4 ,the triumphant ,hallelujah ,chorus pealed forth at the close4 ,the hymns were3 ,come let us join our cheerful songs ,with angels around the throne4 ,nearer1 my ,god1 to ,thee1 ,nearer to ,thee4 ,for all the saints1 who from their labors rest1 ,who ,thee by faith before the world confessed1 ,thy name1 ,o ,jesus1 be forever blessed4 ,hallelujah1 ,hallelujah6 ,jerusalem the golden1 ,with milk and honey blest4 ,the last lines of the fourth hymn were a powerful wish which the saint had realized3 ,jesus1 in mercy bring us ,to that dear land of rest2 ,who art1 with ,god the ,father1 ,and ,spirit1 ever blest4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,hymns on ,patriotic ,occasions ,the impelling motives of patriotism are best expressed in the national anthems of the nations and in songs which breathe the spirit of loyalty to country4 ,devotion to the ideals and institutions of the land of one's birth or adoption is the indispensable qualification for the intelligent appreciation of what other peoples hold sacred among their national possessions4 ,such patriotism is neither of the hoot owl or spread eagle type4 ,it faces all the facts without evasion and frankly acknowledges errors and omissions1 with the determination to improve conditions4 ,the patriot thus has no occasion to apologize or defend because he shows reason for his faith in the nation to which he has consecrated his best powers4 ,the greatness of any nation is evidenced in the quality of its citizenship4 ,so judged1 we have cause for gratitude because the hymns which voice our sentiment impressively advertise the idealism which has inspired our activities4 ,the same test can be satisfactorily met by other nations4 ,it is1 therefore1 quite fitting that reference should be made to their use of hymns on those special occasions when the heart is stirred with gratitude and thanksgiving4 ,indeed1 the incidents related in this volume are taken from the annals of different nations4 ,the chief interest is their testimony from experience to what hymns have meant to them in the varied crises of life4 ,such a consideration disregards racial barriers and denominational differences4 ,hymns speak the universal language of the heart1 which penetrates deeper and travels farther than the formalities of customs peculiar to various peoples4 ,in these days of international appreciation and co-operation it is well to remind ourselves that the higher unity of all peoples is practicable only through ,jesus ,christ4 ,there is truly no stronger reminder than hymns of the unity of faith1 the stability of hope1 the harmony of love4 ,for all are one in ,thee ,and all are ,thine4 ,since it was first published on ,july #d1 #ahie1 in ,the ,congregationalist1#cj multitudes of people have sung ,america1 the ,beautiful ,one hundred thousand persons1 it has been estimated1 each day sing the patriotic poem of ,miss ,katherine ,lee ,bates1 who was a teacher of ,english literature in ,wellesley ,college4 ,some schools make it a practice to have the children sing it daily4 ,at the commencement of ,syracuse ,university in #aicj1 a strange thrill swept the company of over one thousand young men and women who were assembled to receive their degrees1 and the four thousand persons who were present to witness the graduation exercises1 as they sang this hymn4 ,mighty was the volume of song as the words were reached3 ,america6 ,america6 ,god shed ,his grace on thee1 ,and crown thy good with brotherhood ,from sea to shining sea4 ,the source of the inspiration of this poem was related by ,beatrice ,york ,houghton4 ,in an interview ,miss ,bates said that she and some friends had gone up ,pike's ,peak and the vision from that great height exalted her soul into poetic fervor4 ,the wide reaches of country--her country--the dizzy height which set her above it all1 gave her a god-like inspiration1 and the lines which came into her mind were remembered1 afterwards to be set down4 ,the origin of a nation's life was strikingly evidenced in ,a ,praise ,service ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 ,london1 is the ,parish ,church of the ,british ,empire4 ,when the repairs were completed after seventeen years in #aicj1 a memorable thanksgiving service was held under the renovated dome which was ,sir ,christopher ,wren's masterpiece4 ,this famous architect was the son of a clergyman and such was his consuming devotion to his work that he could have said with ,michael ,angelo3 ,it is enough to have bread and to live in the faith of ,christ4 ,the ,thanksgiving service was attended by one hundred and sixty bishops of the ,anglican ,church1 assembled from all parts of the ,empire4 ,it was broadcast to ,new ,york1 ,melbourne1 ,calcutta1 ,toronto and other cities4 ,dean ,inge1 of ,st4 ,paul's1 standing on the chancel steps1 exhorted everyone to give praise to ,god that he hath called us to take part in the joy and adventure of his glorious ,kingdom4 ,the feelings of the occasion were voiced by seven thousand people through ,henry ,lyte's hymn3 ,praise1 my soul1 the ,king of ,heaven6 ,to ,his feet thy tribute bring2 ,ransomed1 healed1 restored1 forgiven1 ,who1 like me1 ,his ,praise should sing8 ,praise ,him6 praise ,him6 praise ,him6 praise ,him6 ,praise the ,everlasting ,king6 ,in ,the ,war ,romance of the ,salvation ,army1 by ,hill and ,booth1#ca there is a reference to what was ,sung on ,memorial ,day in ,france ,the girls went down to decorate the two hundred ,american graves at ,mandres1 and even while they bent over the flaming blossoms and laid them on the mounds1 an air battle was going on over their heads4 ,close at hand was the ,american artillery being moved to the front on a little narrow-gauge railroad that ran near to the graveyard1 and the ,germans were firing and trying to get them4 ,but the girls went steadily on with their work1 scattering flowers and setting flags until their service of love was over4 ,then they stood aside for the prayer and a song4 ,one of the ,salvation ,army captains with a fine voice began to sing3 ',for loved ones in the ,homeland ,are waiting me to come ,where neither death nor sorrow ,invades their holy home3 ,o dear1 dear native country6 ,o rest and peace above6 ,christ1 bring us all to the ,homeland ,of ,his eternal love4' ,into the midst of the song came the engine on the little narrow track straight toward where he stood1 and he had to step aside on to a pile of dirt to finish his song4 ,the same captain went on ahead to the ,homeland not long after when the epidemic of influenza swept over the world2 and he was given the honor of a military funeral4 ,edward ,marshall had an article in ,scribner's ,magazine in #ahih which is here abbreviated1 about the unique conditions under which the boys sang ,america ,after the ,battle ,there is one incident of the day which shines out in my memory above all others now as ,i lie in a ,new ,york hospital writing4 ,it occurred at the field hospital4 ,about a dozen of us were lying there4 ,the surgeons1 with hands and bared arms dripping1 and clothes literally saturated with blood1 were straining every nerve to prepare the wounded for the journey down to ,siboney4 ,it was a doleful group4 ,amputation and death stared its members in their gloomy faces4 ,suddenly a voice started softly1 ',my country1 'tis of thee1 ,sweet land of liberty1 ,of thee ,i sing4' ,other voices took it up3 ',land where my fathers died1 ,land of the pilgrims' pride--' ,the quivering1 quavering chorus1 punctuated by groans and made spasmodic by pain1 trembled up from that little group of wounded ,americans in the midst of the ,cuban solitude--the pluckiest1 most heartfelt song that human beings ever sang4 ,there was one voice that did not quite keep up with the others4 ,it was so weak that ,i did not hear it until all the rest had finished with the line1 ',let freedom ring4' ,then halting1 struggling1 faint1 it repeated slowly3 ',land--of--the--pilgrims'--pride1 ,let--freedom--' ,the last word was a woeful cry4 ,one more son had died as died the fathers4 ,under different circumstances but in the same spirit of loyalty the tune of ,america was played in ,france as our boys promptly obeyed the order1 ,salute ,america6 ,exercises were held on ,memorial ,day at ,menil-la-,tour when the ,world ,war was raging in ,france4 ,two regimental bands took up their positions in opposite corners of the cemetery4 ,the commanding general placed a flag on each of the eighty-one graves4 ,he and the soldiers then saluted the large flag1 while battle was still being waged about a mile away4 ,the general then faced the west1 and pointed in that direction as he addressed the soldiers4 ,he said3 ,out there are ,washington and the ,president1 and all the people of the ,united ,states1 who are looking to you4444 ,over there are the mothers who bade you good-bye with tears and sent you forth1 and are waiting at home and praying for you1 trusting in you4 ,out there are the fathers and the sisters and the sweethearts you have left behind1 all depending on you to do your best4 ,now1 said he in a clear ringing voice1 turn and salute ,america6 ,all turned and saluted toward the west1 while the flags fluttered on the breeze and the band played softly1 ,my country1 'tis of thee1 ,sweet land of liberty1 ,of thee ,i sing3 ,land where my fathers died1 ,land of the pilgrims' pride1 ,from every mountain side ,let freedom ring4 ,a distinction with a difference was clearly evidenced when ,britishers sang a ,german's hymn1 ,now ,thank ,we ,all ,our ,god ,i quote from ,the ,christian ,advocate3 ,at the dedication of the ,british ,war memorial at the ,menin ,gate of ,ypres1 where its arch spans the main street1 three great hymns were sung3 ',o ,god1 ,our ,help in ,ages ,past1' by ,isaac ,watts2 ',for ,all the ,saints ,who ,from ,their ,labors ,rest1' by ,bishop ,how1 and ',now ,thank ,we ,all ,our ,god1' which is a translation by ,catherine ,winkworth from the ,german of ,martin ,rinkart6 ,time heals wounds4 ,who would have believed it1 had he been told soon after the ,armistice that this hymn--noble and beautiful as it is--would be selected and sung by ,british soldiers at the dedication of a monument erected to the memory of those who fell in a war against ,germans8 ,yet no one raised a word of protest or remarked upon any incongruity1 for the instincts of the human heart are deeper than the traditional and conventional differences which separate nations4 ,the ,new ,york ,times for ,august #ah1 #aibi1 had an article1 ,georgia ,lower ,house ,opens ,day with ,song4#cb ,it is interesting to note this reference to ,a ,singing ,legislature ,the ,rev4 ,w4 ,d4 ,hammack1 ',uncle ,billie1' has been the chaplain of the ,lower ,house for several years4 ,he is a great believer in the power of song4 ,he likes to 'raise a tune1' and he doesn't care whether the ,governor of ,georgia and the ,legislature are at loggerheads or at peace2 he thinks a legislator should be made to sing whether he can sing or not4 ,so every morning for ten minutes he lines up the early arrivals just before the ,house opens for the day and starts on some of the old-time religious vocal numbers4 ,richard ,russell ,jr41 ,speaker of the ,house1 gives ,mr4 ,hammack carte blanche to lead his flock of lawmakers just as far in the harmony line as he can1 and ',uncle ,billie' has made good4 ,he pitches the tune every morning and the ,house sings4 ,sometimes it is ',jesus1 ,lover of ,my ,soul' and the next morning it is ',nearer1 ,my ,god1 to ,thee4' ,another favorite is ',all ,hail the ,power of ,jesus' ,name4' ,once or twice they have tackled ',gimme the ,old-,time ,religion' with much success4 ,many years ago a philosopher said1 ',let me but write the songs of a nation and ,i care not who makes its laws4' ,and the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,hammack1 although he had written none of them1 has done a lot with his songs during the dog days of the legislative session4 ,georgia has probably the only singing legislature in captivity4 ,no better song could have expressed the feelings of our nation1 and so it was that we sang ,the ,doxology on ,armistice ,day ,new ,york ,city1 in common with other parts of the ,united ,states1 was wild with excitement on ,armistice ,day1 #aiah4 ,the fighting was over1 and men1 women and children gave expression to their happiness in various ways4 ,city1 village and hamlet alike had some kind of wild demonstration4 ,seeing the excited crowd1 a young woman1 an officer of the ,salvation ,army1 as reported in the newspapers at that time1 stood on the steps of the great ,public ,library in ,new ,york and began to sing the old ,doxology4 ,instantly the crowd took up the strain1 and in a moment1 as though by magic1 thousands of voices blended in the noble words of thanksgiving3 ,praise ,god1 from whom all blessings flow2 ,praise ,him all creatures here below2 ,praise ,him above1 ye heavenly host2 ,praise ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost4 ,men reverently removed their hats1 and the eyes of women filled with tears4 ,the words of ,thomas ,ken that day expressed the gratitude of a great multitude4 ,among the many things done through that entire day1 perhaps there was none more appropriate or beautiful than that which the ,salvation ,army lassie did4 ,and with this reference to the ,doxology we conclude our story of the influence of hymns in the experience of all peoples that on earth do dwell4 ,,footnotes #a,published by the ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott ,company1 ,philadelphia4 #b,published by ,the ,dial ,press1 ,new ,york4 #c,tate and ,brady4 #d,published by ,houghton ,mifflin ,company1 ,boston4 #e,used by permission of ,john ,a4 ,davis4 #f,published by the ,methodist ,book ,concern1 ,new ,york4 ,used by permission4 #g,used by permission of the author4 #h,published by ,the ,century ,company1 ,new ,york4 ,used by permission4 #i,used by permission of ,the ,methodist ,book ,concern1 ,new ,york4 #aj,published by ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott ,company1 ,philadelphia1 ,pa4 ,used by permission4 #aa,used by permission of ,the ,rodeheaver ,company1 ,chicago4 #ab,published by ,houghton ,mifflin ,company1 ,boston4 ,used by permission4 #ac;,from ,the ,ladies' ,home ,journal1 ,philadelphia4 #ad,used by permission of ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott ,company1 ,philadelphia4 #ae,used by permission of ,hope ,publishing ,company1 ,chicago4 #af;,from ,my ,life and the ,story of the ,gospel ,hymns1 by ,ira ,d4 ,sankey4 ,published by ,harper ,brothers1 ,new ,york4 #ag;,by ,mrs4 ,frank ,a4 ,breck4 ,used by permission of ,grant ,colfax ,tullar1 ,new ,york4 #ah,used by permission of ,john ,a4 ,davis4 #ai,published by ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company1 ,new ,york4 ,used by permission4 #bj,used by permission of ,the ,hope ,publishing ,company1 ,chicago4 #ba;,from ,all's ,well1 published by ,doubleday1 ,doran and ,company1 ,new ,york4 ,used by permission4 #bb;,from ,the ,christian ,herald1 ,new ,york4 #bc,used by permission of ,the ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company1 ,new ,york4 #bd,this incident is found in ,hall ,young of ,alaska1 published by ,the ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company1 ,new ,york4 #be,with permission of ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott ,company1 ,philadelphia4 #bf,published by ,the ,cosmopolitan ,book ,corporation1 ,new ,york4 ,used by permission4 #bg,published by ,washburn and ,thomas1 ,cambridge1 ,mass4 #bh,published in pamphlet form by ,the ,commission on ,courses of ,study of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 ,new ,york4 #bi;,for further stories of the use of this hymn1 which was one of ,mr4 ,sankey's favorites1 see ,my ,life and the ,story of the ,gospel ,hymns1 by ,ira ,d4 ,sankey4 #cj;,boston4 #ca,with permission of ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott ,company1 ,philadelphia4 #cb,printed with permission4 ,,index ,,of ,,hymns ,a ,a ,mighty ,fortress ,is ,our ,god1 #ch ,abide ,with ,me1 #ah1 #ba1 #eh1 #ff1 #acf1 #afd1 #aib ,alas1 and ,did ,my ,saviour ,bleed1 #acj ,all ,hail the ,power of ,jesus' ,name1 #ahf1 #bad ,all ,people ,that on ,earth ,do ,dwell1 #acg ,almighty ,lord1 with ,one ,accord1 #aej ,angels ,ever ,bright and ,fair1 #aif ,art ,thou ,weary1 ,art ,thou ,languid81 #acc ,at ,even1 ,ere the ,sun ,was ,set1 #aeg ,b ,be ,not ,dismayed ,whate'er ,betide1 #ai1 #da1 #df1 #ajh ,beloved1 ,now ,are ,we the ,sons of ,god1 #gf ,blessed ,assurance1 ,jesus ,is ,mine1 #ib ,blest ,be the ,tie ,that ,binds1 #ed1 #ahc ,blow ,ye the ,trumpet1 ,blow1 #agb ,c ,can the ,lord ,depend on ,you81 #ade ,christ the ,lord ,is ,risen ,today1 #ahb ,come1 ,every ,soul by ,sin ,oppressed1 #ee ,come1 ,let ,us ,join ,our ,cheerful ,songs1 #bjc ,come1 ,let ,us ,join ,our ,friends ,above1 #ahd ,come ,on1 ,my ,partners in ,distress1 #he ,come1 ,thou ,fount of ,every ,blessing1 #gf1 #ajh ,come1 ,ye ,that ,love the ,lord1 #fi1 #ajh ,d ,dare to be a ,daniel1 #ada ,day by ,day the ,manna ,fell1 #gd ,day ,is ,dying in the ,west1 #aia ,dear ,lord and ,father of ,mankind1 #aee ,e ,eternal ,father1 ,strong to ,save1 #aj1 #ce ,f ,face to ,face with ,christ ,my ,saviour1 #ii1 #ajf ,faith of ,our ,fathers1 #aej ,for ,all the ,saints1 #bjc1 #bab ,g ,give ,me the ,wings of ,faith to ,rise1 #ahb ,gimme the ,old ,time ,religion1 #bad ,glorious ,things of ,thee ,are ,spoken1 #aej ,glory to ,thee1 ,my ,god1 ,this ,night1 #add ,god ,be ,with ,you ,till ,we ,meet ,again1 #ib ,goin' ,home1 #afg ,great ,god of ,nations1 ,now to ,thee1 #adi ,guide ,me1 ,o ,thou ,great ,jehovah1 #gg1 #hd ,h ,hark1 ,hark1 ,my ,soul1 #ea ,have ,you ,had a ,kindness ,shown81 #aaa ,he ,leadeth ,me1 #cf1 #adb ,holy ,father1 in ,thy ,mercy1 #ajj ,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 ,lord ,god ,almighty1 #acf1 #aei ,how ,bright ,these ,glorious ,spirits ,shine1 #hg ,how ,firm a ,foundation1 #fj1 #hi ,i ,i ,am ,so ,glad ,that ,our ,father in ,heaven1 #adj ,i ,grieved ,my ,lord ,from ,day to ,day1 #ei ,i ,know ,that ,my ,redeemer ,liveth1 #bjb ,i ,need ,thee ,every ,hour1 #dh1 #gc ,i ,think ,when ,i ,read ,that ,sweet ,story of ,old1 #adj ,i to the ,hills ,will ,lift ,mine ,eyes1 #ic ,i ,will ,sing the ,wondrous ,story1 #ag ,i ,would ,not ,live ,alway1 #ahc ,if on a ,quiet ,sea1 #h ,i'll ,praise ,my ,maker1 #f ,i'm ,not ,ashamed to ,own ,my ,lord1 #acc ,i'm the ,child of a ,king1 #ajg ,in ,heavenly ,love ,abiding1 #fj ,in the ,warfare ,that ,is ,raging1 #ade ,it ,came ,upon the ,midnight ,clear1 #age ,it ,may ,not ,be on the ,mountain's ,height1 #ga ,i've ,reached the ,land of ,corn and ,wine1 #bb ,j ,jerusalem the ,golden1 #bjc ,jesus ,is ,tenderly ,calling1 #ajj ,jesus1 ,lover of ,my ,soul1 #e1 #aa1 #di1 #ec1 #ge1 #hb1 #aji1 #acf1 #agj1 #bad ,jesus ,shall ,reign1 #e ,jesus1 the ,calm ,that ,fills ,my ,breast1 #de ,jesus1 the ,first and ,last1 #dg ,joy to the ,world1 #ahj ,just ,as ,i ,am1 #abj1 #acg ,l ,last ,night ,i ,lay ,a-sleeping1 #aja ,lead1 ,kindly ,light1 #dj1 #acg1 #aci1 #aef1 #ahb1 #aij ,leader of ,faithful ,souls1 #ef ,lord1 ,i ,want to ,be a ,christian1 #aff ,lord of ,all ,being1 ,throned ,afar1 #c ,low in the ,grave ,he ,lay1 #ahe ,m ,mortals1 ,awake1 with ,angels ,join1 #agd ,my ,country1 ',tis of ,thee1 #baj1 #bab ,my ,faith ,looks ,up to ,thee1 #acd1 #aed ,my ,father ,is ,rich1 #ajg ,my ,god1 ,my ,father1 ,while ,i ,stray1 #cd ,my ,gracious ,god1 ,i ,own ,thy ,right1 #ade ,my ,hope ,is ,built on ,nothing ,less1 #ace ,my ,jesus1 ,i ,love ,thee1 #aag ,n ,nearer1 ,my ,god1 to ,thee1 #cj1 #ed1 #fj1 #acf1 #ahi1 #aij1 #bjc1 #bad ,now ,thank ,we ,all ,our ,god1 #bab ,now the ,day ,is ,over1 #adh1 #aei ,o ,o ,beautiful for ,spacious ,skies1 #bjf ,o ,day of ,rest and ,gladness1 #ad ,o for a ,thousand ,tongues to ,sing1 #adc ,o ,god of ,bethel1 #ach ,o ,god1 ,our ,help in ,ages ,past1 #cf1 #aea1 #bab ,o ,joyful ,sound of ,gospel ,grace1 #e ,o ,little ,town of ,bethlehem1 #agh ,o ,love ,that ,wilt ,not ,let ,me ,go1 #db1 #di1 #acg ,o ,master1 ,let ,me ,walk with ,thee1 #aeb1 #bja ,o ,thou in ,whose ,presence1 #fb ,o ,thou ,who ,camest from ,above1 #be ,on a ,hill ,far ,away1 #abi ,one ,more ,day's ,work for ,jesus1 #gj ,one ,sweetly ,solemn ,thought1 #abd ,onward1 ,christian ,soldiers1 #be1 #ahf ,p ,pardon the ,debt and ,make ,me ,free1 #ih ,peace1 ,perfect ,peace1 #fc1 #aib ,praise ,god from ,whom ,all ,blessings ,flow1 #bjb1 #bad ,praise ,my ,soul1 the ,king of ,heaven1 #ae1 #bjh ,r ,rejoice for a ,brother ,deceased1 #eg ,remember ,now ,thy ,creator1 #ab ,rescue the ,perishing1 #aae ,rock of ,ages1 ,cleft for ,me1 #eh1 #acb1 #acf ,s ,see ,that ,band ,all ,dressed in ,white1 #afh ,shall ,we ,gather at the ,river81 #acg1 #aih ,silent ,night1 #agg1 #ahj ,sowing the ,seed by the ,daylight ,fair1 #aad ,stand ,up1 ,stand ,up1 for ,jesus1 #ajd ,steal ,away1 #afg ,still1 ,still with ,thee1 #afb ,sun of ,my ,soul1 #i ,sunset and ,evening ,star1 #aid ,sweet ,hour of ,prayer1 #acf ,t ,take ,my ,life1 and ,let ,it ,be1 #bd1 #aie ,take the ,name of ,jesus with ,you1 #ej ,the ,homeland1 #bji ,the ,light of the ,world ,is ,jesus1 #af ,the ,lord ,our ,god ,alone ,is ,strong1 #aej ,the ,son of ,god ,goes ,forth to ,war1 #aje ,there ,is a ,happy ,land1 #bjb ,there ,is a ,land of ,pure ,delight1 #d1 #aj1 #fh1 #hd ,there ,were ,ninety and ,nine1 #abb ,there'll ,be ,no ,dark ,valley1 #ahf ,there's a ,church in the ,valley by the ,wildwood1 #bg ,there's a ,land ,that ,is ,fairer ,than ,day1 #gi1 #bjb ,there's ,sunshine in ,my ,soul1 #hh ,thou ,hidden ,love of ,god1 #c ,thou1 ,my ,everlasting ,portion1 #aee ,thou1 ,whose ,unmeasured ,temple1 #aea ,through ,all the ,changing ,scenes1 #g ,throw ,out the ,life ,line1 #abj1 #acg ,w ,wade in ,de ,water1 #afh ,were ,you ,there81 #aff ,what a ,friend ,we ,have in ,jesus1 #aai1 #afj ,what ,means ,this ,eager1 ,anxious ,throng81 #abc ,when ,all ,my ,labors and ,trials ,are ,o'er1 #if ,when ,i ,survey the ,wondrous ,cross1 #fd1 #aca1 #acf ,while the ,days ,are ,going ,by1 #fj ,transcriber's ,notes --,retained copyright information from the printed edition3 this e,book is public-domain in the country of publication4 --,silently corrected a few palpable typos4 --,in the text versions only1 text in italics is delimited by underscores4