The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1897-06-24
1.-THE NINETY AND NINE"
The Chance Beginning of Sankey's
Famous Song.

The other day Ira D. Sankey told
reporter how his famous, soul-winnipg
song, "The Ninety and Nine," came In
to the world. 1t was In 1873, and
Moody and Sankey, who had been to-
gether but a couple Of months, were
travelling through Scotland and hold
ing meetings everywhere. On train
one day, while Moody was busy In his
corner Of the railway compartment,
Sankey picked up a paper. Tucked
AWAY in the bottom of column were
some verses which met his eye.
There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold.
So 1t began, and Mr.. Sankey followed
down the lines, while the express for
Edinburgh rushed on at sixty miles an
hour.
"Hurrahw cried Mr.. Sankey, bring
ing his hand down on his knee in CHAR
acteristic enthusiasm. "Pve found the
hymn I've been looking for for years.
"Yes," said Moody, what is it:'
Mr.. Sankey did read it, and he put
feeling into his words, for the beauty
of the verses impressed him, but when
he looked up he saw that Mr. Moody
had heard nothing Of the reading, be-
Ing lost in his letters.
"All right" thought Mr.. Sankey,
"he'n hear that hymn later on and
cutting out the verses from the paper
he put them away carefully for future
use.
A few days after this the evangelists
held a revival in Edinburgh. Mr.. Moody
spoke most eloquently on the GOOD
Shepherd" AS he finished there came
over the meeting that stiffness when
Indicates deep spiritual feeling. Bend
Ing down from his pulpit toward Mr.
sankey, who sat by his right at the
little melodeon, Mr. Moody said:
"Mr. Sankey, have you anything to
sing on this subject as solo?'
Mr.. Sankey hesitated. He could
think of nothing directly on the sub
feet except the Twentythird Psalm,
which had already been sung three
times that day by the congregation.
They must have something else. Like
a fash it came to him, Sing the song
YOU found on the train" But his Sec
ond thought was, How can l sing
hymn without a tuneT Meanwhile the
audience was waiting in silence. Sing
the hymn you found on the train,'
came the thought again. MIR. Sankey
opened his little scrap book of solos,
found the newspaper slip, laid it before
bn oh of UnpI06p0n
then struck a full chord and began to
sing. What notes he sang he did not
know. nor what chords he played; he
took no heed of harmony, nor OF
how he got through the first stanza.
And then he paused and played some
chords on the melodeon, waiting to be-
gin the second stanZa. The thought
came to him, Can l sing the second
stanza as l did the first; can l remem-
her the notes?" and he concentrated
his mind once more for the effort and
began to sing. And so he went through
the five stanzas, and the audience sat
still as death until he finished.
When it was all over Mr.. Moody
came down from the pulpit, and, rest
ing a hand on Mr.. Moody's shoulder,
looked with wonder at the newspaper
clipping. MY dear friend" he. said,
"where did you get that song; l never
heard anything like it,
.sThat," said Sankey, sis the hymn
read to you on the train, the one you
didn't hear"
And thus the tune of the "Ninety and
Nine" was born into the world. AS it
was sung that day in Edinburgh by IN
spiration, so it has been written down
In the hymn books. and so it has been
sung in the many languages, and no
note or chord of it has been changeA