Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1905-08-16

4kketbfN4klSk not contain go Of the poems found
sSgs@v, in the book used by the Northern
iS.ssSsS church for the last thirty years.
nE,ZR8- The book has been reduced In
length by the exclusion Of 400 hymns, while 125 new
ones have replaced as many Of the old.
Although the revision committees took great
care to leave out only the least used hymns,
doubtless there are WOrshipers in the Methodist
church who win miss some hymn which peculiarly
appealed to them. But the sense OF loss will be less
il the committees have dealt reVereny with the old
and familiar tunes.
For it is fact that tunes and their religious as
sOciatiOns are clearly recalled when only snatches
of the words can be remembered. There are men Of
middle age to whom the present Methodist bymnal
has seemed quite right because tunes learned
in childhOod-sueh as those to which "Guide Me, o
Thou Great Jehovah" and HHead Of the Church
Triumphant" we're sung forty and fifty years ago
have vanished from it.
But, whatever the changes made, the new book
will still give the first impression Of the old. On
it's first page stands, as it has in all Methodist hym-
nails since 1880 Charles Wesley's "Oh, ior a thou
sand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise"
This hymn has an interesting history and its place
In the spiritual life lis author not unfty called
'the greatest hymn writer of all ages we'll as
its merits, entities it to it's place Of distinction.
1t was written by Charles Wesley on May 21
1899, in celebration Of the first anniversary OF his
conversion, and then began with the line, "Gory to
God, and praise and love-" 1t was published early
III IL 4U IN = COlleCbiOu oUltcu uY Ou6 aulnOf ana
john Wesley, in which also first appeared "Jesus,
Lover Of Ny Soul" perhaps Charles Wesley's most
widely known and best beloved poem.
The Rev. r. COnyers one Of the first to use it for
congregational purposes in 1867 published cellec-
ton in which the original eighteen stanzas were
condensed into five, beginning with the line which
has ever since stood first. Others made similar
COMBINATIONS and rearTangements, among them DR..
T0plady, author Of Crock Of Ages,v and finally
John Wesley made that for his hymnal OF 1880
which is still In general use. The present opening
ling s supposed to have been suggested By remark
OF Peter B0ehler, the M0raVian, 10 Charles Wesley
Quite possibly the ommisaiOns Of the new Metho-
dist hymnal are the result Of departure, in some
sense, from John Wesley's idea Of what hymns
should be. he intended hymns to be not only
praise but also sort OF creed in verse-tta bOdv'
as he put it, oi experimental and practical divini-
ty" That idea undoubtedly had it's uses in Wes-
ley's time In England, when many converts we're
iliterate end needed TO have d0ctrinal teachings
presented in form easily borne in the memory.
But conditions have changed and praise and
worship rather than doctrine are now the dominant
ideas Of the musical part Of the church service AS
these are the theme Of Charles Wesley's hymn, It
httingy retains first place in the Methodist hymna
--s
What Tom Lawson says Of Standard Oil, aud what
Mr.. Russell says OF the meat packers cannot be dis
posed Of with pOo-pOO by those whom they affect
remarked the Mobile Register. The incidents
related are so circumstanea thoroughly fortified
by current commercial, judicial and legislative his
tory, that they carry conviction with them Aud
the general public believes the writer's are telling
the truth. II not, Why they not brought to the
bart They could be sent to the penitentary for the
rest Of their natural lives, along with the publishers
for criminal libel