The times., 1899-08-06
BLINDNESS A BLESSING.
So Says Funny Crosby. the Popular
Hymn w ritter.

HymB-N ritter.
New York. Aug 5.-"Did you think you
would find me grieving because l am
blind?" Mrs. Fanny Crosby, the sightless
hymn writer, asked when a visitor ex
pressed surprise at finding her so different
from any picture imagination had painted
'Ah. my dear. loss of sight is one of my
greatest blessings. But for my blind
ness / should never have realized so per-
fectly Gods mercies / should not Lave
received so good an education. nor should
1 have cultivated my memory to such an
extent.
Il write my hymns, as a rule, six or
seven at a sitting ] mean by that | com
pose them and hold them in my mind I'm
til / 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 book or con-
suit dictionary to ascertain facts, turn
a leaf in my memory, and If il has ever
been placed there find IT. Before l was
nine years old / had committed to memory
the first four gospels. as well as the first
four books of the Old Testament. 1t was
my habit in my childhood and early youth
to memoTize five chapters week, SO now,
you see, | sit here with my hands folded
and turn the pages CT my memory Bible
as ! compose my hymns.
Hymn writing, in my opinion. requires
another talent beside that of poesy, for all
great poets are not great hymn writers,
and of course the reverse is also true. My
hymns are written oftener from inner sEg-
ges1ions than they are inspired by actual
incidents, though some, and many OF them
the public consider my best, have been in
spired directly by striking incidents Now,
you remember having heard Rescue the
Perishing We'll. the words came TO me
like a fash You know ! teach in a Meth
odist mission on Water Street, and one
night al meeting while I was leading, a
poor boy under seventeen years of age came
forward and asked our prayers. He had
come from the country to New York in
search of work and had been led astray. AS
/ listened TO his story, the words of that
hymn came 20 me almost if not exactly as
they stand today.
Then again. l had been very much in
need of money, and quite unexpectedly re-
ceived Just the sum I wished. At once
there welled up in my mind. or my heart,
l can not say which, the words Of All the
Way Ny 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 ] 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 Prodigars Return was written
in just such manner. Mr.. Bradbury came
TO me one day. saying. Fannie. can't yor
write me a hymn for this tune?' and ht
hummed the tune. Joy! Joy! joy, there
is joy in heaven with the angelsi JOY joy
I inr for rha nuc
my lips as he finished, and in a few min
utes he had the hymn as it stands today.
Now, besides hymn writing my worl
consists in going down several times eacf
week to the business place of the large
| firm which publishes all my hymns these
days and critieising the work of Other
/ hymn writer's. We have many in this coun-
| try who have done and are still doing fine
work. The manuscripts as they come il
are read to me. and / criticise and otter
suggest alterations for those which ns.
| publishers purchase
There is needed something more thar
a mere Jingle of words in order to give {
/ hymn an abiding life. There must be
! something which appeals directly TO ths
! Christian consciousness and coming fortf
! from the experience of the writer. Sc
! few persons, even though they have tai
! ent for poetry, can be successful hymn
writer's think, chiefly because they have
never learned TO feel That is one of t6t
blessings produced by my loss Of sight.
/ feel Rhyming comes as naturally 10 me
as breathing; indeed. IL is often an effori
| to prevent myself from speaking in
rhymes But / cannot write prose; every
one laughs at it. 1t resembles. more thar
anything else to me. a man wearing tight
shoes. / never write line Of it when Il
can be avoided"