Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-03-24
Mythology.
Popular Hymns, and How They Came
10 be Written.
From the St. Louis Globe Democrat.

| Popular III hymns, and How They Came
10 be Written.
From the St Louis Globe Democrat
Among all the varieties of poetry which have
tickled the ears of mankind, none has had so
| immediate or so enduring an influence as the
hymn. The hymns Of pagan worship are
among the best relics of antiquity, and those
of Christianity are better known than any other
species of composition. The reason of the in
! huence OF the hymn is not, at first glance
plainly evident, but is to be unearthed BY a
little effort. hymn is the expression of some
particular religious emotion, keenly felt at the
moment and therefore told in such glowing
words as to command attention from it's Ian
guage, even If the thought be left entirely out
OF the question. particular hymn will thus
commend itself to those who at any time eype-
| rience that emotion; and as all devOut people,
Ike BunyaDS Christian. pass the same land
marks, they must necessarily have about the
same religions feelings. A better expression of
these Is found in a well-written hymn than the
average individual can usually command and
therefore the hymn becomes Immediately or per-
manently popular, as they are adapted to the
passing emotion of the moment, and perina-
! nently popular as they express an abiding feel
ing of the human heart
Revival hymns such as we have lately had
surieit of in such books as those complied BY
Moody and Sankey and their fellows seldom
have more than few months lease of life
and usually pass away with the excitement
that gave them birth. while the standard HYMNS
OF the church. which show forth permanent
feeling, WILL in one form or another, last as long
as the church itself. But much is added to the
interest of even the better class of HYMNS by q
| knowledge of the circumstances under which
they were written. The Hebrews understood
this very we'll, and were careful to preserve,
In one way or another. the history of their
hymns. Thus we are told in a single line
that the Goth Psalm was Moses prayer in the
wilderness after the sin of the people; that the
Sth Psalm was written by David early in life
that the 45'h celebrated the glorious reign of
JehOsnaphat. and the 10th the Feast OF Taber-
nacles Sometimes the history is given IN full,
as IN the case of Miriam's song and the Magnifi-
| cat OF Mary. still used in the vesper service of
| the Catholic church. In the case of our modern
| English hymns, the history has not been pre-
served with such care but i, little search in reli-
giOus biography develops many curious facts,
| not the least being the number of hymns. There
are probably about 1900 in the various hymn
books in use in Protestant churches. and in 1851
| there was published a catalogue OF 61S authors
who are represented in these books by one or
more hymns each.
Assumptions Of Praise
| The most inspiring hymn in our language is
probably
| ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS NAME"
| 1t was written by Perronet, who was also the
author of one of the keenest satires ever writ
| ten against the Church of England. He was an
intimate OF Charles Wesley and was appointed
as pastor under the auspices of the Countess
OF Huntingdon, pious lady those days. But
| he fell under her dspleasure by reason of his
| lncurable dislike to the Established Church,
ana was obliged to resign. He knew resigna-
! ton meant poverty and almost starvation for
him and family. but did not hesitate ana under
! these unfaVorabe circumstances, when the
| future looked darkest, sat down and wrote the
! Triumphant hymn which has made him immortal.
The famous dOXology,
PRAISE GOD"
was written more than two hundred years ago
by Thomas Kenn, afterwards Bishop. He was
Chaplain to Charles H.. and singuarly fearless
In the discharge of his duties, openly and boldly
reproving the King for his vices and folies
whenever a reprOOf was necessary. To the
honor of the King. no Offense was ever taken at
these unceremOniOus seedlings and. indeed
Charles seems to have highly esteemed him and
| made him Il Bishop. When the court once Wis
| tied Winchester he refused to allow the Kings
mistress to come into his house, and so far
| from being angry. the King only laughed at the
| wrath OF the lady, and ordered that other lodg
| ings be found for her. kenn was one Of the
.'Seven Bishops" whose trial did so much to
break down the royal authority of James H.,
! but strangely enough. having done all he could
| to exile Catholic Prince he refused to swear
| Wien required TO 90 so Oy w llllam
of Orange, was deprived of his see, and died in
| poverty. The "DOXoiOGy' was composed for
, the use of students at Winchester College, and
was originally appended to each of two hymns,
morning and an evening hymn or prayer 1t
| thus had humble origin but mighty destiny,
for, like the roll Of the British drum, it has fol-
lowed the sun round the world wherever Eng
/ lishmen have gone or the English Ian guage has
| been spoken.
The well-known hymn.
"A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD"
Is only translation of Luthers famous hymn
Fine Feste Burg is Unser GOtt." Luther
wrote it In the year of the Diet of Spires, and it
is believed after the German Princes had made
the well-known Protest" which gave name
to all dissenters from the Church of Rome
Thus the DOxOlogy reminds us of the most crit
ical period in English politics, and the Luthe-
ran hymn of the greatest revolution Germany
ever experienced.
1t is a little singular that while psalmody
now looks back to the Wesleys as among its
leading authors, one Of the best hymns Of the
church was written by a man who seems to
have detested their very name, who contro-
verified their doctrines by every means in his
power. and who, II he had been allowed his
way, would probably have sent them and their
followers to the nearest JAIL The writer of
| ROCK OF AGES
was Topady, who was minister Of the Church
of England. He was a Calvinist of the most
ultra type, and when engaged in controversy
with the Weseys and others, as he always was,
used language that one would hardly employ in
| abusing pickpOcket. He was extremely intol-
| Grant and could see no good whatever In the
Wesleyan movement, but regarded it as sort of
spiritual riot or piOus instruction against the
established authorities. His controversial works
| are bitter even for that age, and would be re-
/ garded as detestable now. but he thought he
was right and gave the early Methodists much
/ trouble. His hymn. however, is a model of it's
| kind, and has been translated into every lam
| guage of Europe. into Turkish. Arabic, Persian,
! into several OF the Hindoo dialects. into Japan
| csc and Chinese and one or two of the African
| languages Gladstone the present Premier Of
| England, made n Latin version that some wears
| ago was much admired.
| The lines beginning:
| "GUTDE NE, THOU GREAT JEHOVAH"
were written by Welsh preacher named VIII
lams, shortly before beginning missionary
tour into Wales. This hymn became popular in
America before it did in England, being first
published in hymn book for the use of White
1alI 10 otto in ha