Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-06-25

taCse ca songs are unsurpassed by
any of the latter day jingles. Old
though they may be, they are destin-
ed tc live. With them, some of the
modern songs compare about as fav-
Crably as does rag-time with the
master pieces of Beethoven, Chaplin
and Wagner, AMI as the up-to-date
newspaper poetry with that CT
Shakespeare, Dante or Milton and
some of those cid hymns will live
forever. and many of them are sung
by nearly all denominations
For instance, who has attended any
OF the Pine Bluff churches long and
not heard that soul-stirring hymn CT
Martin Luther. the great battle hymn
OF the Reformation, "a Mighty For
tress Is Our Cod etc. It is sung
by nearly every denomination. and is
special favcrite with the German
congregations. And that thrilling
old air, that makes the welkin ring,
"All hail the power Ct Jesus name,
Let Angels PROSTATE fall. -
1t was written by Edward Perronet.
a member of John Wesley's society
and later prominent dissenter.
Nearly all the churches have adopt
ed it. and few of those who sing it
know what was the faith of the auth
or. The sentiment suits them and
no matter what may have been
mans belief or disbeliefs, the church
goers take for granted that his heart
must have been all right, or he never
could have given to the world such
a gem.
Favorites with nearly all the
churches are the great hymns of
Charles Wesley. He was the broth
er Of John Wesley. the organizer Of
the Methodist church, but his hymns
are not confined to that church alone.
What regular attendant upon religious
worship has net heard,
"A charge to keep have,
A God to glorify,
A never-dying soul to save.
And fit it for the sky?
lhls hymn was a great favorite of
the fathers in the cid lays when mr..
gans were few and books almost &C
scarce, and when the preachers. in
order that the congregation n,is.h,
Join In the singing, "lined out" the
hymns. reading two lines, and then
Iausing while the congregation sang.
then reading another couplet. again
pausing while it was sung, and so on
until the entire hymn was rendered.
Often the minister not only read the
hymn, but led the singing. AS
strange as the custom would appear
to the younger generation, not so
very many years have elapsed since
1t was general, especially In the
country churchs. The hymn has sur.
vived however. and when a minister
wishes the older members to become
stirred to the depths of their souls
he announces that the congregation
will sing "a Charage To Keep
Have" Somehow the old hymn seems
to have gathered and husbanded the
spiritual fire Of generations gone,
and it rarely fails to wake up tte
coed old brothers In the amen
corners.
Another of the great hymn writer's
was Isaac Watts He gave that
widely sung invocation, Come,
Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove, With All
Thy Quickening Power" which is al
most universally used
"Of Him who did salvation bring
I could forever think and sing"
The production of ST. Bernard CT
Claivaux, is widely sung as have
been those beautiful lines of Phillip
Dcdderge:
"Jesus, love Thy charming name,
'Tis music to my ear"
and probably more familiar than
either. sweeter than which Is none,
Jesus, lover of my soul.
Let me to Thy bosom nv
another of Charles Wesley's
And how many times have the
hearts of evening congregations beeh
touched by those tender and nea"'l'
FL, words of Cardinal Newman. win
;ts enhancing tune, bringing as II
does a feeling of deep reverence as
II one were almost in the very pres
ence Of the All-Loving Spirit HOW
many times LEAD Kindly Lisns :
has been the means Of lighting me
,ifo of some weary one, and blazing