The Washington herald., 1907-06-07

sing his songs, and the NesleyS ereCte,
the Methodist church on a foundation o
hymn singing. The great revivals o
modern-day religion have been largel!
indebted to song for the spread of thei
influence. Moody and Jones were grea
evangelists. but thousands who went Il
hear them preach were drawn and helC
by the singing Of Bliss and Sankey anC
Excel The beauty Of the services o
the ritualistic Christian churches is great
~ enhanced by the music of the hymni
and chants. No other poems are known
word for word by so many English,
speaking people as the more popular
church hymns.
Jesus. Lover Of My Soul is perhap.
the most widely sung hymn in the world
II is sung wherever the English languag.
is spoken, and wherever evangelical
Christianity has gone it is sung In other
tongues. 1t was written by Charles Wes-
ley, who has been called the successor OF
David, the Psalmist This brother OF
John Wesley, the founder OF Methodism
and reformeT. of England. wrote the
enormous number Of 1000 hymns OF these
4,60O have been printed and the others
are preserved in manuscript. About 60t
are now in use in the hymnals Of the
Methodist and other denominations. Al
though this greatest OF the Wesleyan
hymns was written early in Charles Wes-
ley's life, IL was not sung widely until a
century had gone by, and it remained for
an American to give it the tune which
made its popularity world wide
Simeon 3. Marsh was an old-fashioned
itinerant singing master IN rural New
York. On his way from Amsterdam to
Johnstown one day he sat down by the
roadside and jOtted down an air which
had just came TO him as he rode along
He taught his singing class at Johnstown
10 sing il. using the words Of the hymn,
Mary, 10 Her Saviours Tomb" few
years later Dr. Thomas Hastings. a leader
in the production Of modern church music,
suggested that the afr was better adapted
TO Wesley's Jesus. Lover of My Soul. -"
The excellence Of the hymn and the tune
at once caught the popular taste. and
within few years IL was at the head Of
the list Of popular American and English
songs. In 1872. at the Worlds Jubilee I'm
Boston, Patrick Gilmore, the bandmaster.
selected the tune. which is named Mar
tyn. as a representative American air.
and Simeon Marsh was present % hear
il played
Two or three stories are told OF the in
Fnf L. rs
Il is generally accepted that the idea
20 Wesley during the great
storm on the Atlantic on the occasion OF
the visit Of the Wesley brothers To
Georgia. The tweuty-six Noravians on
board were not frightened. even the
women and children singing through the
storm John Wesley asked why they
were not afraid. and the answer of siupla
faith was the turning point in his life
Another version is that a sparrow DUP
sued by hawk flew in Charles Wesiey's
bosom for protection. and that the idea
Tor the hymn came 10 him then
II is said that when Charles Wesley.
Methodist and Arminian. met Augustus
roplady. Calviuist and Presbyterian. who
shares with Wesley and Watts the honor
Of being the three greatest hymn writer's
Of the English language. there was a de-
bate royal The topic Of conversation was
theology, and the nature Of the contro-
rersy was violent. After midnight the
Two men parted, each convinced that he
had triumphed completely over his adver-
saTy Each went 20 his home 10 write a
hymn. Wesley wrote Jesus. Lover Of Nv
Soul and Toplady wrote Rock Of
Ages.
Rock Of Ages is also among the first
In the list Of great hymns. It was the
aVorite of Gladstone. who translated il
nto Greek and Latin and several modern
ongues. his translatons being almost as
perfect as the English poem. A different
Tate was that of the version done into
.lindoo az the request Of a missionary.
The Indian scholar translated the lines
Rock Of Ages. cleft for me. Let me
hide myself in Thee. most literally. The
'esalt was: Very old stone, split for nv
'eneft; Let me get under one Of your
fragments. Which is, as must be ad- |
nitted very good companion piece TO
he French translation Of Mark Twain's
Jumping Frog story.
Another English hymn which waited
or many years for the quickenlng in
iuence Of an American tune to bring il
nto universal popularity is Nearer NV
God, To Thee This sublime hvmn was |
written by Mrs. Sarah Flower Adams
The tune which gave II life was COM
.Osed by Dr. Lowell Mason. who has
lone more than any other one man. per-
aps, for the psalmody Of the United 1
states. The words Of this HYMN were /
reathed by President Mckinley lust as 1
e was passing into the Great Bevond /
nd since that time it has been consid- /
red a part Of the national hvmol0gv
without regard To creed. Lead. Kindly 1
light was great favorite of the 1
President.
My Faith Looks Up to Thee. one Of the
most inspiring Of the hymns Of faith. was
written by DR.. Ray Palmer. a native Of
rhode Island, and is perhaps one of the
most popular hymns Of American origin
Jr. Palmer wrote il when he was twenty
w0 years old, just out Of Yale. and an
in a private school for Young
aides in Fulton street, New York He
opied it IN little book which he carried
n his pocket and there it remained for
wo or three years, seen by no one but
imself. He had gained some little repu-
alton as a s7ng writer, however. and one
ay DR.. Thomas Hastings met him and
sked him 70 contribute TO Hymn and
'une Book about to he published Pal
Ter showed him the hymn in the little
oOk, they walked into a store. and DIR
hastings copied il. Lowell Mason wrote
he tune "Olivet." 10 which II has been
ung. and it became popular the world
yer in very short time. Ray Palmer
fterward entered the ministry Of the
congregational church and lived many
ears
Blessed Assurance. 90 Jesus Is Mine"