The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-23
Blind Composer
OF 5000 Bgnnns

p obabiY Few people who have sung
any IL the many hymns written by Fanny
Crosby have given the slightest or no
thought TO tbs personality of the author;
nevertheless, her hymns are, perhaps.
more widely known than those OF any
other living writer, and her own life
shows how much may be accomplished by
one deprived of the gift of sight For
Fanny Crosby Van Alstyne has been
blind ever since infancy, yet she never
murmured at her misfortune, bot has
given instead. matchless example Of
the power of joyful song.
She was born in southeast New York,
March ~ 1870. When six weeks OF age
she became blind The application of
hot poultiees TO hers eyes during an i'll
ness destroyed the optic nerve. At fifteen
years of age she entered the institution
for the blind in New York city, where she
was educated.
In 1917 Miss Crosby became a teacher
in this school, and continued her work
there for eleven years, teaching English
grammar, rhetoric, and Greek and R,aaan
and American history. While she was
teaching she wrote the words to many
songs FOR George F. Root Among them
were "Rosalie the Prairie Flower
There's Music in the Air Hazel Dell
IIoneysuckle Glen Good by, Proud
World, m Going HOme''-all popular in
their day. She likewise wrote the words
for the cantantas of The Flower Queen
and The Pilgrim Fathers - Her first
Sunday school hymn was written for VIM.
b. Bradbury.
+ As early as 1914 she published q volume
of verse entitled .eThe Blind Girl ana
Other Poems" A second volume Mon
f9lJo
| years later. and in 1858 "A Wreath of Co
lumbia's Flowers appeared. These pub
lications, though of much merit, dids.net
bring her fame. 1t is as a writer OF
gospel hymns that sheis known the world
+. over.
She has supported herself by writing
hymns. for the last thirty years or more
She has writtens oyer three thousand
hymns for Philip Phillips S. J.. Vail Rev
! Samuel A1man, IL p. Danks w n
Doane, Fl. P. Main, J. r. Sweeney, W. j.
/ kirkpatrick, Ira D. Sankey and others.
/ When Miss Crosby eomposes her hymns
| she sits ;tlone with a little hymn book
/ pressed 10 her brow, and allows her
/ thoughts fun play. She never writes he's
/ hymns out, but composes7the stanzas ore
/ by one until the whole hymn is COM
pleted; then she dictates it to an ANAL
|. iqsnsis Her memory is re1rtarkabl9. AS
| a. instance OF this she states that Pfikp
1 li1iilpS DetO once TO Write the
words of forty hymns. the titles of which
| he read tG her. These titles She Retained
in her menar,-. ana sope by@one-sf q corr
posed the hymns When the fo ~ wor
| fmished she cictatad them titles and a
10 an amanucnsis.
Safe in the Arms Of Jesus" is her
favorite hymn 1t was written in fifte an.
minutes. One day w. If, Doane called upon
her and said i have forty minutes in
which to catch ny train, and ] want to
ke with me tie words to this music
And he hummed the melody can you
Go it, he asked. Miss Crosby renlied:
All right; | Will Go it" In a quarter
OF an hour the hymn, Safe in the Arms
OF Jesus was completed. at was an IL
spiration. she explains.
IL IS difficult to choose for srecial men
tlon a few out OF tie large number Of
hyinns that she has written, bur here *
a llst OF some OF the best known and most
popular: Safe in the Arms of Jesus. -
Pass Me Not, o Gentle Savior ;, ..Res}i3a.
the Perishing. 4 Am Tbine. O f,,,,,f r's
10 the Work, There's a Cry From
Macedonia, Jesus Dear, Come To
Thee, Light ana Comfort of NV So, ;,
@Fhere,s a Gentle Voice Within, . ."rte
Bright Forever" Close to Thee LORD.
at Thy Mercy Seat, ITO God be the
G Story Like the Sound of Many
waters, Keep Thou Ny Way. O Lord ;,
So Near to the Kingdom, 80 Come
to the Savior, Believe in His Name. -
tJeSuS, Keep Me Near the Cross. ..fe-I
My Savior Hear Me- ..Thro' the New
Jerusalem. Jesus the Water of life
WIZ Give. Savior, More Than Lie 20
Fhere is no happier Woman in all the
world than this blind singer. Her husband
dled many years age and his death was
the keeneSt of her sorrows Her sonoe
are all written under her maiden name
Her life may be said to be one long.
happy song