The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-06-13
Sankey's fIost Famous iylhn.

compositions which has perhaps
brought him the mostfame-"rhe
Ninety and Nine" Before sing.
ing it he gave an account OF its
birth. He was in Scotland at the
time, very many years ago. He
was leaving Glasgow for Edns-
burg with Mr.. Moody, after hav-
ing conducted services for three
months in the former city. Going
to the railroad station, he stopped
at news stand TO buy paper to
read upon the train. Something
in a copy of a religious paper
caught his eye, and he purchased
it for penny. Settling down in
the car, he glanced over the pa
per, and his eye chanced to light
upon some little verses in the cor
ner of the page. He was pleased
with them, and he said to Mr..
Moody, "I've found my hymn. +"
But his companion had no ears
for the hymn then, being deeply
engaged in reading a letter from
home. Mr.. Sankey read the
verses aloud, but Mr.. Moody did
not hear a word, las was developed
afterward.
Mr.. Sankey tore off the corner
of the sheet and put the verses in q
scrapbook in which he pasted all
verses and sentiments and songs
which struck him as available ma
terial for his work. This scrap
book, by the way, was the origi-
nation of the Gospel hymns; but
that name was not bestowed by
either Mr.. Sankey or Mr.. Moody
but by clergyman in the north
of England.
For several days Mr.. Sankey
got no time to make tune for the
verses which had struck him.
Then, one DAY in Edinsburg, there
was great meeting, an unusual
ly impressive meeting, and the
subject was "The Good Shep-
herd" When DR.. Bonner closed
his talk, Mr.. Moody beckoned to
his partner, and asked him to
sing something appropriate. Mr.
Sankey could not think of nothing
but the 23d Psalm, and that had
been sung so often that he did not
like to repeat it. And then came
an inspiration, a second thought,
which was to sing the verses he
had cut from the paper. But the
third thought was how he could
sing them when he had no tune
for them. Then fourth thought
came, and that was to sing the
verses anyhow.
He put the verses in front of
him, touched his fingers to the
organ keys, opened his mouth
and sang. He did not know where
he was going to come out, and he
says that whatever there is in the
song, God gave him that emer-
gency. Having finished the verse
amid profound silence, he took a
long breath, wondering if he could
sing the second in the same way.
He tried and accomplished it, and
after that, through the other
verses, it was easy. When he
concluded, the meeting was all
broken down, the ministers cry
ing-Scotch ministers at that.
Mr.. Sankey explains-and it was
the most intense moment he had
ever known. Mr.. Moody came
down to where he sat and de
manded to know where he got the
song. Mr.. Sankey replied that
he had read it to him on the train
but Mr.. Moody said that he had
never heard song like that. The
song was sung at every meeting
after that, and was soon going
over the world. And while tray
cling in the highlands short
time later, Mr.. Sankey received a
letter from a lady at Melruse,
thanking him for singing the
verses written by her sister.
That sister was Elizabeth G. Clep-
hane. He had named the song
'The Lost Sheep, "but Mr.. Moody
insisted upon calling it Ninety
and Nine" whenever he announc-
ed the hymn, and ultimately Mr..
Sankey had to adopt that name.