The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1899-11-07
BLll DiESS IS A BLESSING.
SO Says the Famous Hymn Writer, Fanny
Crosby

40 says the Famous hyinn- " fttef,Fanny
Crosby.
"Did you think you would find ne
grieying because l an blind?" Mrs.
Fanny Crosby, the sightless hymn
writer, asked when expressed sur
prise at finding hex 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 I should never have
realized so perfectly Gods mercies; [
should not have received SO good an
education, nor should have cultivated
my memory to such al extent.
II write my hymns, as e rule, six
or seven at sitting. I mean by that
l compose and hold them in my mind
until [ have six Oh seven.
"My memory is tie storehouse Of
all my knowledge; as YOU who retain
your sight SO to the library and real
book or consult dictionary to as
certain facts, T turl a leaf in my me-
mory, and if ever it has been pl:ced
there I find il. Before l was nine
years old had committed to memory
the first four gospels, as we'll as the
first four books OF the Old Testament
It was my habit in my childhood and
early youth to memorize five chapters
a week. so now, YOU see, [ sit here
with my hands folded and turn the
pages Of my memory bible as I COM
pose my hymns.
Hymn writing in my opinion, re-
quires another talent besides that of
poesx, for all great poets are Not great
hymn writer's, and OF course the re-
verse is also true. Ny hymns arc
written ofteaer from inner sugges-
tions than they are nspire1 by actual
incidents. Though some, and many
OF them the public consider my best,
have been inspired directly by strill-
ing incidents. Now, YOU may remem-
Der having heard Rescue the Perish
ing. Well. the words came to me
like flash. You know I teach in a
Methodist mission in Water street, and
one night at meeting, while I was
leading, poor boy under II Years of
age came forward and asked our pray.
ers. He had come from the co1atry
to New York in search for - Il
had been led astray. As.I li~,aSaq
his story the words OF that hymn CO.
to me almost if not exactly asM
stand today. @<
Then again I had been very ,<Hch
in need of money, aud quite unez-
pec:elly received just the sum I
wished. At once there welled up i'll
my mind, or my heart, I cannot say
which. the words, Of All the Way Ny
Savior Leads Me- Agan Safe in the
a1G9aehe afl9S aeb; wb;s Wscbed very ln~~227 k1:,Eas
my heart, but ABOUT which I should
prefer hot to speak just now. Another
time I will tell you. but not now.
':Oftenest,, perhaps, my hymns have
been written to order, Don't be sur
prised; hymn-writing comes RS ns-
turally to me as prose writing does to
Tou.
SThe Prodigal's Return was writ
ten in just that manner. Mr.. Brad
bury came to ne one day, saying,
Fannie, can't you write me hymn
for this tune?' and he hummed the
tune-Joy! joy! joy. there is JOY in
heaven with the angels; Joy! Joy! Joy!
fol- the prodigal's return, sprang to
my lips as ne finished, and in few
minutes he had the hymn as it stands
today.
"Now, besides hymn writing my
work consists i'll going down several
times each week to the business place
of the large firm who publishes all my
hymns these days and criticising the
work Of other hymn writer's. We have
many in this country who ha: done,
and are still doing. fine work. The
manuscripts as they cone il are read
to me and I c:iticise and often suggest
alterations fer those which my pub-
fishers purchase.
"There is needed something more
than a mere jingle of words IL order
to give a hymn al abiding life. There
must lie some hing which appeals
directly to the Christian conscious
ness aud coming forth from the ex-
perieuce OF the writer. SO few pc.
sons, even though they have 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
loss of sight. feel. Rhymins comes
as natural to me as breathing-indeed,
it is often an effort to prevent myself
from speaking in rhymes. But can
not write prose; every one laughs at
ii. It resembles, more than anything
else to me, man wearing tight shoes.
l never write line of it when it can
be avoided. ''-Lafayette McLaws, in
Chicago Record.