Omaha daily bee., 1899-08-06
BLINDNESS is HER BLESSING.
Fanny Crosby, Famous Hymn Writer,
Thanks IL for Her Memory.

Fanny Crosby, Famous Hymn Writer,
Thanks IL for Her Memory.
Did you think you would find me griev-
ing because l am blind?" Mrs. Fanny Crosby,
the sightless hymn writer, asked when | ex-
pressed surprise at finding her so different
from any picture my Imagination had
painted. "Ah! my dear, loss OF sight is one
of my greatest blessings. But for my
blindness l should never have realized so
perfectly Gods mercies; l should not have
received so good an education, nor should l
have cultivated my memory to such an ex.
tent.
Il write my hymns, as a rule, six or seven
at a sitting. l mean by that l compose
them and hold them in my mind until / have
six or seven.
MY memory is the storehouse Of all my
knowledge; as you who retain your sight
go to the library and read a book or con-
suit a dictionary to ascertain facts, l turn
a leaf in my memory and IL it has ever been
placed there, I find it. Before / was Q
years old l had committed to memory the
first four books of the Old Testament. 1t
was my habit in my childhood and early
youth to memoriZe five chapters a week, SO
now, you see, l sit here with my hands
folded, and turn the pages of my memory
bible as I compose my hymns.
Hymn writing, in my opinion, requires
another talent beside that of poesy. for all
great poets are not great hymn writer's, and
of course the reverse is also true. My
hymns are written oftener from inner sug-
g~estions than they are inspired by actual
incidents. Though some, and many Of
them the public consider my best, have
been inspired directly by striking incidents.
Now, you remember having heard Rescue
the Perishing.' Well, the words came to
me like a flash. You know l teach in n
Methodist mission on Water street, and one
night at a meeting, while | was leading, a
poor boy under II years OF age came for
ward and asked our prayers. He had come
from the country to New York in search
for work and had been led astray. As l
listened to his story, the words of that
hymn came to me almost il not exactly as
they stand today.
Then again, I have been very much in
need of money, and quite Unexpectedly re-
ceived jus$ the sum | wished. AT once
there welled up in my mind, or my heart,
I can not say which, the words of All the
Way My Savior Leads Me- Again, Safe
in the Arms of Jesus was inspired by an
incident Which touched very nearly my
heart, but about which l should prefer not
to speak just now. Another time l viii
tell you, but not now.
"Oftenest, perhaps, my hymns have been
written to order. Don't be surprised; hymn
writing comes as naturally to me as prose
writing does to you.
The Prodigal's Return was written
in Just that manner. Mr.. Bradbury came
to me one day, saying, Fannie, can't you
write me a hymn for this tune?' and he
hummed the tune-'Joy! joy! Joy! there is
10y In heaven with the angels; joy joy!
Joy! for the prodigal's return sprang to
my lips as he finished. and in a few min
utes he had the hymn as it stands today.
"Now, besides hymn writing my work
consists in going down several ines each
week to the business place of the large
firm who publishes all my hymns these days
and criticlsing the work of other hymn
who have done and are still doing fine work.
The manuscripts, as they come in, are read
to me and / c~riticise and often suggest
alterations for those which my publishers
purchase.
There is needed something more than
a mere jingle of words in order to give a
hymn an abiding life. There must be some
thing which appeals directly TO the Christ
ian consciousness and coming forth from the
experience of the writer. So few persons,
even though they have a talent for poetry,
can be successful hymn writer's, / think
chiefly because they have never learned to
feel. That is one of the blessings produced
by my less OF sight. / feel. Rhyming
comes as naturally to me as breathing, in
deed it is often an effort to prevent myself