Wichita eagle., 1888-12-18
FAVORITE HYMNS.
THE COMPOSITION OF WORLD FA-
NOUS DEVOTIONAL SONGS.

l
Phebe Cary's Poem. Nearer Home"
How He Leadeth NE" Was Written.
81 Would Not Live AIway"-OrisiD Of
| Cawper's Masterpiece.
Among modern hymns there is probably
no greater favorite in Christian households
than Phebe Cary's 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. sit was written" says Miss Cary, ''in
1872 l composed it in the little 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 world"
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. j. FL. Gilmore, who wrote
1t in Philadelphia many years ago. 1t
was after the author had delivered q
lecture on the Twenty-third Psalm
at an evening service, aud 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
Waterman and Reflector, in which paper it
was soon after printed.
DOUBLE CLAIM.
The history of the beautiful hymn, 81
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
it may be a 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 Litchfeld,
Conn, in 1871.
1t is claimed that this was one Of several
original compositions which were bound into
small pamphlet, in manuscript, by Mr.
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 1920, where it
was probably sung for the first time Until
his death Dir. Jones strongly upheld the truth
of this account of the hymns origin
A warm controversy was waged in 1858, in
the newspapers, between the friends OF the
claimants III regard to the matter, and in
1919 an extended and able argument in
nj ba nj Of 1fr-
printed in The Boston Transcript in re-
ply to one published in The New York Sun
on the opposite side. The claim of Henry
Ward was carefully Investigated during the
same year by o. H. Eurpel, the editor of a
handsome and unique book entitled Poets
and Poetry Of Printerdom," who became con
WINGED of the justice of Wards claim before
admitting it to place in his collection.
COwPER's MASTERPIECE.
Among the older hymns which still retain
their place as masterpieces in modern collec-
tons, one Of the most sublime is Cowper's:
God moves in mysterious way
His wonders to perform"
An interesting and pathetic story Of TIE
origin Of this composition is related by John
Barnard, who received it from an old clergy
man who was well acquainted with the cir
cumstances:
AS is well known, Cowper was subject to
deep melancholy, which at times even
amounted 10 insanity. During one of these
fits Of depression, while in London, the poet
was seized with the sudden impulse to drown
himself. He Immediately ordered a hackney
coach TO be brought TO his door, and upon its
arrival he rushed down stairs and into it
without giving orders where ii was to be
driven. On the driver asking him where ne
wished to be taken he replied eIcitedly: ITO
the Thamesr
The manner and look in which these words
were uttered convinced the man that all was
not right. He drove OF, but not to the
river, as Cowper had ordered him. He drove
up one street and down another for long
mental abstraction, which convinced the
driver that his occupant was insane.
After long, roundabout journey he at
length drove up to the poets lodgings and
told him he had arrived where he was or
dered.' Cowper descended from the vehicle
entered the house and went TO his room.
Then, III his returning consciousness the
truth Of the entire transaction entered his
mind, and ne found that lie had not seen the
river ct all, nor had he drowned himself, as
he intended when he left the chamber, two
hours before. In this occurrence Cowper
plainly discerned the hand of Providence,
and Immediately composed the famous hymn,
which VIII be sung as long as hymns are
sung in religious worship.-Charles F. Adams
ID Detroit Free Press