Milford chronicle., 1901-07-12
METHODIST HYMNAL.
HOW THE COMING BOOK WILL DR.
FER FROM THE OLD ONE.

More Musie-NOne of the FnvOrite
Hymns of the Church VIII Be
Dropped by the Revision Commit
tee.
There will be about GOO hymns instead
of LOO in the hymnal of the Methodist
Episcopal church in the autumn of next
year. The book used by 100000 OF
good Americans every Sunday will seem
as much Episcopal as Methodist when
the committee now at work GnGer the
auspices Of the general conference has
finished its task of revision.
Bishop Simpsons son, Matthew Simp-
son; Professor c. 7. Winchester of Yves
leyan university. Middletown, and Pro
fessor G. NJ. Stuart of Northwestern uni |
versity are among the men from all over |
the country, chosen for their especial fit |
ness for this duty, who have been at work |
on this matter here during the last week. |
Their cutting out Of unfamiliar and little |
used hymns of small poetic or musicaI
merit and the introduction of some new
ones of value by modern composers will
leave plenty of room for more Of the
ritual in the back of the book
For some years part of the ritual has
been printed in the back of the hymnal,
thus bringing it constantly before the
congregations, whose members did not
see it so much when it was only in the
"book Of discipline" used more by min
listers than people. -Four years ago an
"Order of Worship" with the Gloria"
an anthem and voluntary (bracketed for
omission if desired), was printed in the
/ front Of the book preceding the opening
hymn of Charles Wesley:
Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemers praisel
That hymn viii remain at the beginning
OF the book. As a matter of fact, nobody
familiar with the old book will miss from
the new any Of the hymns endeared by
usage and good music and prayerful
spirit. There was a great mass of some
what inferior verse, which was seldom
sung and might just as well come out.
1t is nearly n quarter of n century since
the book was last revised. At that tine
some good new hymns were put in.
whether written by Church Of England
or Roman Catholic poets or composers.
The most notable example was that of
) the poem by Cardinal Newman, with ].
B. Dykes music, LUX Benigna:"
Lead thou me
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on.
There are good new hymns by Dykes
and others that must in the nature Of
things go into a complete hymnal in 8
church that cherishes as an accepted doc
tTine that every person in the cOngrega
5 ton ought TO sing, not one in ten" in or
+ der to contribute to the spirituality o.
q worship through the power of sacred SOM
g upon the heart That is what the com
e mittee Of revision is at work to seeur
: and Is sure to secuTe-added power in tn
), spirituality of worship in the Methods
+ Episcopal church. John Wesley woul,
approve. He would approve, too, of tn
J proposed incorporation in the worship o
4 the "Gloria In Excelsis" with the old IN
known wOrshipful music that accom-
panied this gloria that begins:
Glory be to God on high and on cart
e peace, good will toward men! We prais
e thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, W
d glorify thee, we give thanks for thy grea
le glory!
s, John Wesley lived and died an Episct
,e palian. His Societies Of the Peopl
Called Methodists" were organized I
Il work in the Episcopal church. to brin
is spiritual life to the people. "The poop
he must be saved, church or no church,
IN Wesley used to say. He never liked IL
is word Methodist, but accepted it yer
m much as Yankees have accepted the wOl
at Yankee, especially since the Spanish wa
when we all became Yankees.
Or 1t was when Wesley and his broth,
n Charles and some other devOut your
ne scholars were at Oxford that they wei
to first called Methodists, in derision, by
of fellow student because they had a reg
sc lar method for their religious duties al
he exercises, even to the visiting of sick st
be dents or prisoners in Jail. The America
Methodist Episcopal church was an GU
tn growth Of our national independence
In England and her church.
tie Fewer words and more music-this,
nd a phrase, expresses the intent and mea
ing Of the revision of the hymnal. Mus
&c Is of increasing Importance in the life
a this country. People know more abO
at music everywhere than they used
ne know. There have been only provision
ne decisions In regard to any hymns.
If a list of hundreds of those to be lC
I'm out were given, the most cOnservati
vn Methodist, living in a place where tn
at never sing the Gloria" would miss no I
as vorite hymn that has proved its value
of long usage. The elasticity of the mo
he of worship is one great source of streng
lrs in the Methodist Episcopal church. E
tempore prayer prevails and will prevG
No change in church forms is expect
or intended. Extempore expressions a
,er not confined to the Methodist EpiscoT
tly church. Bishop Potter told Philli
il Brooks how much he liked him from I
ere pulpit at the time that the bishop
Ir. Massachusetts was ordained. On N,
Ter Years, at the watch night service, a We
oh short time before he died, Bishop Broo
ere made a long extempore prayer. De
ere Stanley used to say that John Wesl
TO founded the broad church.
lb- All creeds are moving toward a twt
ial tieth century growth of mutual und
he standing and church union, not Of sec
but Of union in the universal chur
out which sings many of the same hymns q
ent wOrships by means of the same music
led all sects Of the church militant.-N
be York Mail and Express.
t." |
in The High Priced VIOIins.
ia What is n so called $4,000 violin rea
vas worth in the open market of the a