The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-06-24
NEW SERIES-NO. 55f.

BY w. G. BRYANT.

0S"AoAOI FOetfy Oh Drs WattSs
BY w. c. BRYANT. ..r
nave liked DR.. Watts Psalms and HYMNS
ever since the time when. g arcely three wears
oio, was maze to repeat, with bis book in
my hana, ana with such gestures as were pre-
scrioed TO me. the psalm beginning with the
words:
F., "Come sound his praise abroad
Z, And hymns of glory sing"
The critics. in general have shown but stint.
ed favor to DR.. Watts' devotional poetry. Dr.
johnson pronounced it unsat sfactory, though
he admits that DR.. Watts ''has done better
than anybody else, what nobody else has done
we'll" Southey, from whom IeXpected some
thing different, in that meagre memoir of Dr.
Watts -meagrc, yet interesting, SO far as re-
lates to bis theological opinions, which seem
principally to have engaged Southeys atten-
Il n-a'ludes to JOhnsons opinion. yet takes
no pains to cOntrOvert IL. He. indeed, Qucs-
tions JOhDsons decision against devotional pc.
etry in general; but takes no pains to show,
cs he might easily have done that Watts book
contained great many very beautiful things.
maintain, for my part, that DR.. Watts has
done admirably well what he undertook to do,
and the proof, if wanted any other than the
pleasure with which | always read him. find
in the strong hold which his devotional verses
have taken on the hearts of men In all cOndi-
tions of life, and, think, all varieties of reli-
gious belief No compilation of hymns for
the public worship OF any denomination
from DIR. Watts He has been in his grave for
considerably more than century, yet have his
psalms and hymns lost none of the favor which
they had when they were first adopted by reli-
gious assemblies FIR public worship, and I be-
lleve are even now, generally speaking. in
greater esteem than ever, notwithstanding that
such poets us DOddridge, Cowper Charles
Wesley, Barbauld and Heber have written de-
yotiOnal verses of very great merit since his
time.
The secret of this popularity lies. as it seems
10 me- in the union of strong feeling with
great poetic merit. In what he wrote there
are occasional transgressiOns against good taste,
as in his ver>ifcation of Soomon's Song.
There are sovenly lines, and even stanzas. but
there is always great fervor and profound ear
nestness. No poet has ever expressed emo
tions with greater energy. He faints and Ian
gulShes for the divine presence; he deplOres
the waywardness of the human heart; he ex-
ults in the divine favor; he is awed by the de-
vine majesty; he looks with transport on the
works If the divine hand; he dwells with de-
light on the vision of a better life beyond tho
grave; and oil these moods of mind find full
expression in his verse. Many of his hymns
seem TO have been dashed out in the excite
ment OF the moment as if the feeling which
had taken possession Of him could not be sat-
isfed without expressing itself in poetic forms.
His versions of the Hebrew psalms are as re-
markabie for this as tue compositions, which
he called hymns. He seems to have first filed
his mind with the imagery of the ancient bard,
and catching inspiration from him, flung his
Thoughts upon the page in form suited to
the more mild and perfect dispensation of
Christianity. $50
Some of DIR. Watts's devotional verses show
that he possessed imagination in q high degree
What beautiful picture, for example, is set
before us in the hymn beginning
There is a land of pure delight"
In this hymn, which is too familiar to all
readers to be transcribed here we have the
green fields of immortal life with their unwitil-
ering flowers lying in perpetual light; the
narrow river of death, dividing it from the
present state of being, and the tmorous crowd
of mortals on the hlher bank, shivering and
shuddeIing ut the thought of passing through
thOse cool waters l remember that once on
fine Sunday evening in the latter part of
April, coming out of the harbor of Havana in
a steamer moving easily ON the tossing waves
of the Gulf Stream, which here rush against
the reefs of the northern coast of Cuba rhad
been driven to my berth by strong preraoni-
ton OF sea sickness. party of Americans on
deck struck up this hymn, and when they had
ended sang the scarcely less beautiful Cne he.
when can read my title clear.
As they sang it almost seemed as if the sea
felt the influence ofthe gentle strain and grew
smoother, end the waves murmured more soft
ly before the prov that divided them.
once heard distinguished literary gentle
man Instance the following couplet from ono
OF Watts hymns. as conveying to the mind i'm
ages which could only occur TO a poet of no.
common genius:
''Cold mountains and the midnight mir
Witnessed the fervor of his prayer"
was able to match them, or nearly so. With,
q stanza from his version of the one hundred
and twenty first psalm:
+ mo sun shall smite thy head by day,
Nor the pale moon, with sckly ray,
Shall blast thy couch no baletul Star
Dart his malignant fire SO far"
How pathetic is this expostulation n the enc
hundred and second psalm:
"Spare Us. o Lord aloud we pray,
Nor let our sun go down at Coon!
Thv wears are one eternal day,
And must thy children die 90 soona"
How magnifcantly is the one hrndredth
psalm vershed, closing with the following
gr md stanza:
cWerl crowd thy gates with thankful soaes.
High as the heavens our voices raise,
And earth, with her ten h1usand tongues.
Shall fill thy courts with sounding praise"
might refer to many other examples of Iika
excellence insthese poems, bnt / will mention
only one more. the chsrming little funeral
hymn, the eighteenth Of the first book, begin.
ming thus:
''Hear what voice from heaven nroc,.;,c
For all che pious dead.
Sweet is the savior OF their names.
And soft their sleeping bed.
aThey die in Jesus and are blest,"
know very well that poetry of a very mod
crate degrea Of merit not unfreuuea,lv Obtains
great popularity on account OF Its religious
character, b"t do not recolect an instance In
which 1t has held that popularity long. The
devot0naf yenos of Watts have stood The test
of time and it seemed to me due to him that
somo OF tho Characteristic merits by which
they are recommended to the general mind
should be pointed ont,