Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-19
A MEMORIAL TO
AUTHOR OF HYMN

The Episcopal bishop coadjutor Of Penn-
sylvania, Right Rev. Alexander Mackay-
Smith, has addressed an appeal 10 promi-
nent clergymen in this country to solicit
their aid for the completion of a memorial
church to the author of the hymn Abide
with Me- in DeVonshire, England The bish-
op says:
1T is sixty years ago since the Rev. Hem
~ Francis Lyle, who wrote this beautiful
hymn, died at Nice, and this year a final
effort is being made in the far-distant lit
tie seaport In Deyonshire, where he lived
and ministered for twenty-five years. to
complete the rebuilding of the memorial
church, which has taken the fishermen
thirty years to build. Now it is finished all
but the upper portion Of the great belfry
tower but their own money is exhausted,
and they have begged me to say a word
for them to the great heart of the American
people, who love this hymn full as well as
do their English brethren, and to ask for
help, so that they may not have the pain
and disappointment of seeing their scat
folding taken down and the end of the work
indefinitely postponed. Ten thousand dollars
more Is wanted to build the rest of the tow
er and to provide and hang the bells. VIII
America give half of this and let England
give the rest?
The story of the writing of the hymn is
very touching. The gifted preacher and
poet, who had refused all preferment and
lived only to devote himself to the Brix-
ham fishermen, found himself at the age OF
fifty-four stricken with consumption and
grieyed to the heart to think that he would
so soon be called away. leaving his work
only half done; he prayed that it might be
granted to him at least TO write something
which should live to the glory of God and
the comfort OF his fellow-men when he was
dead.
''The prayer was granted. On the very
last day of his ministry at Brixham, when
he had preached and administered the holy
communion to his flock for the last time, as
he sat in his study and gazed on the sun
setting over the bay, the words of the
hymn came Into his mind like an inspira-
ton. He wrote them down and gave them
to his wife to keep. Next day he oade fare
well TO her and to home and set forth with
his son to go to Nice in search of health,
which was never again to be his. He died
a month later. and the hymn was first sung
by the fishermen in Brixham on the Sunday
in November when the news reached them
Of his death.
Thirty years later that church in which
he had ministered became dilapidated
that a new generation of fisherfolk, among
whom his memory was tenderly cherished.
resolved to rebuild IT. But Brixham Is n
poor place. and although the parishloners
have ever since given and collected all they
could, the work has gone slowly. Bit by bit
II has been rebuilt as the money came in,
and IL Is only now, when the work Is near
iy done. since the task is beyond their
strength to finish unaided, that they cry TO
you for help to save the scaffolding.
Hundreds Of thousands-perhaps mil
lions Of English-speaking men, women ana
children in every quarter of the globe have
at one time or other felt a real uplifting OF
the heart when they sang this hymn. Round
many. an open grave 1t has been sung, to
many II brings tears to the eyes-tears OF
sweet, sad memories. VIII not those who
love the hymn do some little thing for tho
sake of the poor old parson poet who wrote
1t, in sorrow of heart. ell those years ago.
and who. to use the words OF his intimate
many in America, would have rejoiced to
the very bottom of his heart to see the
beautiful church rising on the bleak hill
side "a beacon to sea and land-and to hear
the bells ring out over the bay ON Sunday
when the harbor is nlisd with boats ~ The
fishermen ooOo A0hoCA"