Evening journal., 1910-09-28
HYMN MUST BE
KEPT In BOOK
ChurChmen Protest Against
Elimination Of From Green
lands Icy Mountain
EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE
TO BE SCENE OF BATTLE

Protests from every section of the
country against the recent action of
the Mission Hymnal Commission of
the Protestant Episcopal Church,
which ordered that the famous mis-
sionary hymn, From Greenland's
Icy Mountains,' be eliminated from
the revised hymnal. will be presented
before the Episcopal general conven-
ton, which convenes at Cincinnati,
Ohio, on October next.
The fight to save the hymn which
has been sung for ninety-one years
by missionaries In all parts Of the
world promises to be stubborn and
bitter one.
II is on the ground that the hymn
tends TO Inspire the Christian student
with the beauties of nature rather
than the allness OF God that the
] hymnal commission recommends that
I It be removed from the revised song
/ book. Other well known hymns also
/ fell under the ban OF the commission
/ for the same reason, and in the fight
that will be made to have From
Greenland's Icy Mountains" returned
/ to its old place the cause of several
other hymns also will be pleaded.
Among the other hymns that the
commission reported have outlived
their usefulness are Christian,
DOest Thou See Them" "A Christ
Whose Glory Fills the Skies" 81 Love
! Thy Kingdom, Lord" 20 Love Divine
I That Stopped to Share" our Blest
Redeemer, Fer He Breathed." THE
| Kingdom of Love My Shepherd Is,
and Thou Hidden Love Of God"
| Within the ranks of the Episcopal
church the action of the hymnal COM
mission has met with protest that has
| found its way into the columns of the
! Churchman, one of the church periOdi-
calls, The following letter. charact-
eristic of others that have been print
ed. is from the current number
Sir: II is reported that there has
been a rejection OF the dear old
hymn, From Greenland's Icy Noun
tains." by a committee on a new Epis-
copal missionary hymnal, because Of its
personitications OF nature. The hymn
which has been waited over the earth
was written for a missionary service
before Bishop Reginald Heber went t.
India, at the request of his father-in-
law. Dean Shipley. of st. Asaph's, on
a Saturday before the service men
toned
If appeals to nature to worship Goo
are improper. what Of the glad Bene
dicite, where the Lords works, waters
sun moon. and winter and summer
mountain ami hills, seas and floods
fowls and cattle, are appealed to bles
the Lord?
THE thirteenth verse of the sixty
fifth Psalm represents the valleys
covered with grains, as shouting an
3 singing. and the twelfth verse tn
hills are repoizing. In the sixty-nint
2 Psalm the seas and the moving thing
4 in them are adiured to praise n
4 Lord.
s Good Bishop Heber had divine pr
s cedent for his sacred imagery"
Two members of the cOmmisslC
that revised the hymnal have die
since the meetings. These are q
Rev. DR.. William r. Huntington an
George G. Thomas. Of Philadelphia.
The other members are Bishop Cor
landt Whitehead. of Pittsburg; Bisho
James Henry Darlington. of Harris
. burg the Rev DR.. Alfred Harding, {
2 Washington. ID. c.. the Rev. Dr.. J. s.
. bastian Hodges. Of Baltimore; IN
I Rev. Carroll NJ Davis, of St. Loui
= Mo: George Wharton Pepper, {
p Philadelphia, and r. C Pruyn.