The age-herald., 1901-10-05
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald.
 Always popular, the beautiful hymn, Nearer, My God. to Thee" has taken new hold upon the hearts of the Ameri- can people. To It's immortality has been added a halo of association that will for all time endear 1t with special and pathetic charm to the millions who loved and admired William Mckinley
 And with It's sudden and widespread re- vival has come an interest and curiosi- ty with reference to the authorship of the hymn; and yet there are few who can answer 1t, for there are few who know of the gifted author of this immortal song few who know that 1t was written by a woman. more than sixty years ago. While her glorious words live on she is forgotten. Her humble grave lies hidden in village churchyard, unmarked by any monument or token of the world 5 recognition of her genius.
 Her name was Sarah Flower Adams She was an English woman, born in the little village of Harlow, in the year 1905. Though there are not many at this day who have ever heard of her, she won no small amount of fame as a poet and writer during her life. and for many years after her memory was cherished by the literary world of London. She was Rob- ert Browning's first love. It was to her alone of all his friends that he showed his first volume of poems, and it was through her efforts that his first volume of poems was published and given to the world. She recognized the genius of the young poet. Had she failed to give him encouragement, who knows but that tho name of Robert Browning might never have adorned the world of literature
 She was a Unitarian and a member of the congregation of William Johnson Fox, the noted Unitarian preacher of London. Because of the fact that she be- longed to this denomination there were a number of churches, especially the Methodist and Baptist-that refused for many years to include Nearer, My God to Thee" In their hymnals. A Unitarian was regarded as a heretic, if not an lfi- fdel. and it was pointed out that the hymn contained no reference to Christ The objection to its use. however, was finally overcome by interpolating 6 stanza in which Christ and the Trinity were specifically mentioned The hymn was written in the year 1S40 and set to music by Eliza Flower, an elder sister of the author.
 In addition to his religious work the Rev Mir Fox also edited a literary mag azine, to which Sarah was frequent contributor together with John Stuart Mill, Harris Martineau, Charles Dickens Leigh Hunt, Robert Browning and others equally famous in the realm of letters She became much interested in the writ ings of a contributor who signed himself 'Junius Redivivus.' She did not know who he was but she took occasion to ad- dress a note to him in care of the mag azine. expressing her admiration of his work She signed this with her nom de plume, IS. r." which represented her pet name of Sally.
 Without revealing his identity, "Junius Redivivus'' replied. acknowledging her courtesy and returning the compliment with some commendatory criticism of the work of IS. Y.' This led to further cor respondence on topics of mutual literary interest, until there was established be- tween the two unknown writers a cordial friendship and understanding, while Miss Flowers admiration for her masked charmer found added Justification in his delightful and scholarly letters.
 This was in the year 1883. Miss Flower was then 2s years old. and it was during that year that she met MT. Adams, her future husband. He was a civil engineer and a man of eminent attainment as a scientist and a scholar. An instant at tachment sprang up between him and