The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-05-30
EsSAAysS AND HYMNS.
AN INTERESTING DEBATE IN rHE NORTH
ERN PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL
: T. VI Is l. Y.
[ Irnm the Riliilnurc 4 mcrican.

The Committee on the Book of Praise sub
mitcd minority report with resolution
approving the plan pursued by the commit
tee, and authorizing thcm 10 proceed in their
compilations also 10 empower the Commit
lee on Publications 20 print and stereotype
the book.
DR.. llerrick Johnson, chairman OF the
committee, advocated the adoption Of this
resolution. Ii Is Necessary, he said, 10 h.rc
Standard book of pr;Ii>" 4, soon is y" ..Siblc.
and it is hazardous to po-tncnc the work any
longer.
DR.. Hatfield thought it very Improper for
iiir General Assembly to record lIpou its
minutes report fer which the chairman of
The committee alone i, responsible, and to
accept n hymn.hook which it has 10; seen
and of which it knows so liLle.
DIR. WATTS NOT POET.
Dr. Bell said thai in the matter Of the Sc
lection of hymns on the Sabbath he was a
great sufferer, rs r ere is not more than one
t:nth OF nose songs in the hymn-bookS
which he : noe ashamed to read before Ills
congreSt'o' }. y man may be great, and yet
he may &C u poor judge Of divine poetry.
de WI, not Give Iii vote 20 any book 1T
ps;,' .noAy until lm is satisfied that every
hmm i absolutely "poctry." Gnr OF the
astonishing things in Dr.. Watts is that he
wrote poetry, and the neAt thing a>tonish-
| inr is Fiat he wrote so much that i not
| poetry. Only about onc-tcnlh of the hymns
! nc composed is hit to be read. Orthodoxy
! does not constitute 4 claim to p cite merit,
neither is all that rhymes poetry.
. The SPEAKER hoped that there was enough
! leavcu OF understanding in the Assembly ls
! not to adopt any book until it has been read
/ through by every member. lie rdlr'llcl The
idea OF II cummittee coming before this body
/ Alth the profound ASSURANCE of printing Il
hook which the I'lcsby;erianS have Not seen.
!, There is only one pot born in century. and
il any member OF the committee consider,
| himself 10 I've that man, lie my vote tor the
book. He hoped they would keep out ma
chimes before the presence Of the living Cod.
/ Fhc Moderator here called DR.. Bell to
order, as his tive minutes of time had cX-
| PRED.
| SPEECH OF DIR VAN DYKE.
DR.. Van II, Ike said he would not trans
gre>s the prupricticS of the OCCASION by max
| ing much Of Il speech. He thought that
some of the statements were exaggerated.
! When it i said that there i not two score
! hymns in it that were worth anything he
! was inclined TO doub, the statements. When
we are told that DR.. Watts WAS not Ioet
he thought that they wclr passing upon
matter that did rumc in lheir province.
! |! they had to wait until they could ret Il
book that would satisfy Df. Bell and every
! one else in the PRESBYTERIAN Church he
thought they would not sing until they
joined in the song ol Moses aud the Lamb in
/ ~. fi,,tI, pl,f tt,a ff..r
, should he lett in Tie care of lie committee.
pr. Helrick johnson, the chairman of the
Permanent Committee, explained the meth
oil, by which the committee went TO work
to make
The REST COMPILATION POSSIBLE.
The advice of competent persons WIS
,ouSh; for and obtained, II general invitation
was extended through the press, and special
appeals were made by circulars 10 those of
the Church who were SUPPOSED to h We
Judgment in such uIatters in order 10 get
their opinion, and the committee were
greatly influenced by the suggestions re-
ceiyed. II the recommendations of the COM
mittee were not adopted two years must
elaySe before the work could be prepared for
the use OF the Church, and meanwhile ipdc-
pendent and irresponsible publi.hers will
bring their books into general usc to the ey-
elm ion OF the Official work. OF thl, the
friend, of those books are aware in their OPP
position TO the glantlug OF this permission.
The matter, ut any time. would have To be
lett IN a committee, WHO would not he a
competent to judge Of the merits Of the work
as the present committee. He earnestly IA
yored the passage of the resolution. and that
permission should be granted to the commit
Tee to proceed with the work, stereotype,
and pnbli,h It..
Rev. L. Il. Read inquired III reference to
the text Of The hymr~ no;,d tneJ be tin
kcted and altered by the cohplers:
Dir. johnson said ii was matter in which
the committee would use
sAScTIFiED coAMOs-sENsE.
They would sometimes restore toe original
version, when they thought 1t best, but they