The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-10-27
A NEW HYMNAL.
The Episcopal Church Has Finally
Adopted One After Six
Years Consideration.


The most astonishing thing in the re-
cent triennial convention of the Protes-
ant Episcopal Church is the adoption of
the new Hymnal at the session last week.
1t is astonishing for several reasons,
among them being the very general and
openly expressed expectation that it
would be emphatically rejected. Since
the publication of the committees report
in July last. the Church papers have been
full of criticisms of the proposed book /,
and every sort of objection has been
made, and if the opinions of all the
critics should be needed, hardly q dozen
OF the six hundred and odd hymns would
have been left in the book. Perhaps 1t Is
this very chorus of criticism that mas re-
acted on the delegates aud shown them
tnat it would be- impossible to pie ase
everybody, and this Influenced the % TO
adopt the report with some modi ficationS
and get the whole matter out of the a
Certainly the Church is to be congraIu-
lated, for The new hymDal is a vast i'm
| provement over the old one, which Was
about as poor a collection as ever passed
the approval of a body of educated men.
Nine years ago the Church clamored for
a new book, and six years ago the conven-
tion then in session appointed q commit
tee of three bishops, three priests and
three laymen TO prepare one. This COM
mittee reported a ook to the convention
of 1889, which was excellent in its way.
But the critics picked it TO pieces. Some
condemned il for what it did contain,
Others for what IL did not contain. Some
declared it too large, others too small.
and so on.
The convention recommitted the report
to a new committee, which reported again
to the present convention a book which is
practically the report of 1889 with a few
notifications. The total number OF
hymns in the report is CTS as against 6S8
in 1889. The classification is very close
and minute. there being Is different sub
jects specified. as against 20 in 1859. This
was one OF the weakest features in the
book now in use. there beng but AZ SUBJ
jects represented. AS finally adopted the
new hymnal will contain $40 hymns. as
the convention ordered 38 of the report to
be omitted aud A inserted from the pres
ent hymnal.
The idea that this is too many is felt by
some, but very few hymnals contain
fewer and some many more. Hymns An
Gent n Modern contains 63S; Church
Hymns Is. p. G. K.(, 925; Church of Eu-
gland hymn Book, 743; Blckerstetn's
Hymnal Companion, $50; The Iymuary,
Gas; The Peoples Hymnal, 600. These
are English books. OF American books
The Presbyterian contains 972; the Re-
formed Episcopal, SAL; the Evangelical
Lutheran. 5S8; Hymns of the Faitn. 629;
DIR. Hitchcock's Carnina Sauctorium. 746:
the Evangelical Hymnal, 613, and DR..
Robinson's Lludes Doraini over one
thousand. With these examples, $40
does not seem excessive. A very careful
examination of the new hymnal shows a
very decided advance in literary quality.
While the book does not come up FULLY to
the desires of the High Churchmen, it
contains nothing absolutely Objectionable
to the Low Churcnmen, and, remarkable
as showing the tendency Of modern re-
ligious thought. the doctrine OF eternal
retributlon aud the torn ents of hell hav-
ing been reduced to a minimum. In this
respect the new book might almost be
used by the Universalists. Whether
this doctrine be believed or not.
the committee did not undertake
to decide, but they evidently con-
sidered that it was not a proper
matter to sing about. Most of the metri-
cal psalm versions of Tate and Brady
have disappeared, and with them have
gone many OF the subjective musings,
pious meditations in verse, addresses to
sinners and to souls and various other
animate and inanimate things, that were
such a blot on the present hook in use.
While the new book is not, and in the
nature OF things cannot be, a perfect
hymnal, it certainly is the equal of any
book used by any religious body, and bet
ter than many. The Episcopal Church
will accept it with thankfulness, as i'm
measureablY superior to the one In use
| since 1871 F