New-York tribune., 1901-04-07
HYMNS OLD AND NEW.
a DECIDED IMPROVEMENT IN PUBLIC
rAc.rE In ,rHE, LAST HALL F-CENTURY.

E.star morning of the wear 1901 English
sion. of at least three of the medieval hymns,
which fifty years ago might very well nave
been regarded as musty rubbish of the Dark
Ages. are being sung in many scores of churches
In This newest of Christian landS- Neicolle'
harry morning, Age to age shall tell is the
y~,rk of that same Venantius Fortunatus who
rnorc than fifteen centuries ago composed the
original of The royal banners forward go,
ari sang il from between the bars Of the prison
into which the secular arm had thrown HIM
f., his unrompromising adherence to the
church's laws Come ye faithful, raise the
strain of triumphant sladness. is entered IN
thc Episcopal hymnal as from Greek original or
The eighth century. while Sing. my tongue, the
Saviour's battle, is from "A Latin range nm
;.ra" of the thirteenth-and close translation,
too following the rhythm of its original foot for
foot as does "Th, Royal Banners"
The chief favorite. probably, among all the
Easter hymns is
Jesus Christ is risen to-day Alleua.
our triumphant. holy day Allelula!
Who did upon the CrCss
Suffer Ia redeem our loss.
'"lis ie a translation from medieval hymn or
uf.i,noMn II authorship. which held its own through
what may he called the dark ages Of English
hymns having been in the TAFT and Brady col
ction. Bur how much the taste az c"ngrega-
tons has changed in these latter days may best
lc realized by first considering the literary
character of two other favorites If the present
Time. and then taking a glance AT the vagaries
II thirty or forty years ago. Everybody. almost.
nowadays knows Lead kindly light" hut in the
year 1870. say. il was seldom sung in churc hes
,usidc Of its authors own communion. Again.
Bafing- Gould's proces sional. onward. Christian
folders marching to wal. is. in the opinion
of one who has daily experience to guide him,
more often sung both in church and in sunday
fchool than any other.
These examples taken for the special
J ason that they t. hc found IN thu Episco-
Ialan Hymnal and the last edition OF Gospel
aymns, which is N general use among IN,
Evangelical bodies and may hc regarded as the
7wo prime faVoritcs IF American non Roman
Catholic worshippcrs at the present timc. 1t is
J'csumed that the hymns sung IN the family
= whore humns sung at Altar. thos, which
SIc children have learned To- like best in the
Sunday school.
whatever els, may have helped to bring about
TINS reaction t. the hymns Of centuries long
gone by. it certainly seems when Cnc considers
the character of the supposedly religious songs
which used t. swell t" heaven forty years ago
ia this country ana in England. that "a general
revolt of good taste must have had much 90
with the change. Men who have not arrived
al the stage known "one foot IN the grave"
may yet stare in horrfed amaz, rcnt at var
time photographs of themselves III 'pcrtop"
trousers and oth"r Contcmpurancous furnish
ihes; 50 may they and their wives perhaps. re-
gard such as these examples Of what they
thought II right to Try to think podly and cdify-
lng Lyrnnody in their young days
TIL to Jesus Cross you cling
Ry a simple faith.
Doing Is deadly thing.
Doing ends ia death
Speaking of th' tendency Of congregations to
make special favoritcs Il certain HYMNS =
c' reyHan connected with of thu largest
parishes III New York said the other day that the
great general trend Of devotional taste nowadays
is against the strongly controversial Exactly
the opposite trend Of feeling forty years ago
might account for the popularity Of this crude
exposition Of favorite doctrine if tn. same
had not bcen 80 prettiiy expressed in
Nothing in my hand bring
simply 10 Thy Cross | cling,
Foul. to the fountain fly:
Wash me. Saviour or | die
This is Of the s,anzas in that Rock of
Ages" 10y Toplady. which Mr.. Gladstone is said
self out OF mischief during a tiresome debate i'm
the House Of Commons Al any rate The re is no
peculiarly doctrinal significance to excuse this:
Should all the banks in Britain break
The Bank Of England smash
Ga" send your checks to lions bank
You'll surely get your cash.