Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-07
FAyORITE HYMNS.
THE COMPOSITION OF WORLD FA-
NOUS DEVOTIONAL SONGS.
Phebe Cary's Poem. Nearer Home"
How He Leadeth Me" Was Written.
II Would Not Live Aiway"-Origin Of
Cowper's Masterpiece.

How HE Leadeth Me- Was Written.
II Would Not Live Aiway'-Origin Of
Cowper's Masterpiece.
Among modern hymns there is probably
no greater favorite in Christian households
than Phebe Carys beautiful poem entitled,
Nearer Home" The circumstances of its
composition are simple, and are told by its
author in a few words in letter written to the
friend in whose dwelling the verses had their
birth. ut was written says Miss Cary, sin
1S42. composed it in the lit back, third
story bedroom on Sunday morning after
coming from church, and it makes me very
happy to think that any word could say has
done little good in the worldn
Among the many sweet and helpful hymns
sung at devotional meetings in this country,
few have taken stronger hold than that be-
ginning: "He Leadeth Me-" 1t was welded
by Bradbury to one of his tenderest and
purest melodies, and the words and music
appear in almost every church collection of
hymns and tunes. The author Of "He Lead
eth Me" was Rev. ]. H. Gilmore. who wrote
it in Philadelphia many years ago. 1t
was after the author had delivered a
lecture on the Twenty third Psalm
at an evening service, and while
few of the leading members of his society
were developing the subject still further in
the parlor of one of their number, that Mr.
Gilmore jotted the hymn down in pencil pre-
cisely as it now stands, save that the refrain
has since been added by another hand The
poem was handed by him to his wife, who
sent it, without his knowledge, TO The
Watchman and Reflector, in which paper it
was soon after printed
A DOUBLE CLAIM
The history of the beautiful hymn, Il
Would Not Live Away affords one of the
most remarkable instances of a double claim
to authorship on record. 1t is almost uni
versally accredited to DR. Muhlenberg, and
1t may be surprise to many to learn that
strong evidence has been adduced to prove it
| To have been written by Henry Ward, a
printer and poet, who died in Litchfieid,
Conn, in 1S7l
1t is claimed that this was one of several
original compositions which were bound into
| small pamphlet, in manuscript, by MIR.
| Ward, and given to the Rev. Isaac Jones, a
| former rector OF the church in which the
printer poet was reared, who took it to an
/ Episcopal convention held in 1926, where ii
was probably sung for the first time Until
bis death Mr. Jones strongly upheld the truth
of this account of the hymns origin
| A warm controversy was waged in 1853, in
the newspapers, between thedriends of the
claimants in regard to the siatter, and in
1873 an extended and able argument il
support Of the claim of Mr. Ward was
printed in The Boston Transcript in re
| ply to one published in The New York Sur
on the opposite side. The claim of Henry
Ward was carefully investigated during tn,
same year by o. H. Hurpel, the editor of &
| handsome and unique book entitled Poet.
and Poetry of Printerdom,n y who become con
WINGED of the justice of Wards clailt befor,
admitting it to place in his collection.
CowPER's MASTERPIECE.
Among the Older hymns which still retair
their place as masterpieces in modern collec
tions, one of the Tost sublime is Cowper's:
| God moves in q mysterious way
| His wonders to perform"
An interesting and pathetic story of tn
origin of this composition is related by Johl
Bauvard, who received it from an old clergy
man who was well acquainted with the cir
cumstances:
As is well known, Cowper was subject L
deep melancholy, which at times evel
amounted to insanity. During one of thes
fits of depression, while in London, the poe
was seized with the sudden impulse to drowl
himself. He Immediately ordered haelne'
coach to be brought to his door, and upon it
arrival he rushed down stairs and into
without giving orders where it was to b
driven. On the driver asking him where h
wished to be taken he replied eIcitedly: 1T
the Thamesr'
The manner and look in which these word
were uttered convinced the man that all wa
not right. He drove off, but not to tn
river, as Cowper had ordered him. He drov
up one street and down another for a lon
time, while Cowper sat back .jn his seat il
mental abstraction, which convinced tn
driver that his occupant was insane
After a long, roundabout journey he a
length drove up to the poets lodgings an
told him he had arrived "where he was OF
dered." Cowper descended from the vehicle
entered the house and went to his room
Then, in his returning consciousness, th
truth Of the entire transaction entered hi
mind, and be found that he had not seen th
river at all, nor had he drowned himself, a
he intended when he left the chamber, tw
hours before. In this occurrence Cowpe
plainly discerned the hand of Providence
} and Immediately composed the famous hymn
which will be sung as long as hymns ar
sung in religious worship.-Charles F. Adam
in Detroit Free Press