Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-04-24
Outside Point of View

ments Recently Onward, Christian
Soldiers became the target The
writer, a minister, takes exception to
the third stsnZa, because, as he says
and justly so, it is founded on un-
truth Here Is the stanza:
Like a mighty army
Moves the church of God.
Brothers, we are treading
Where the saints have trod.
We are not divided,
All one body we.
One in hope and doctrine,
One in charity.
He points out that we are divided
and very much so: that we are not
treading where the saints have trod !;
that we are not one in doctrine, etc.
Now. l am not a theologian nor a poet.
but II seems to me that our critics
objection might be easily overcome by
making the stanza read like this:
Like a mighty army
Moves the church of God.
Brothers, let us follow
Where the saints have trod.
Let US all united,
March in harmony.
One In faith and doctrine,
One in charity
He seems to forget all about ''poeti-
cal license" And surely he is not a
theolosian or he would know tina; we
never have been able TO march in
harmony.
1t seems strange that this critic
George Fentrick-w!shes TO apply prose
rules to poetry. Take his substitute
! nj he'll
he substitutes destroy the poetical in
fluence and harmony OF the whole.
There are great many other
standard hymns which contain errone-
Gus statements, exaggerated language.
phrases written for the sole sake Of
example, Jesus, Lover Of My SOUL
Jesus, lover Of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high:
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,
Till the storm Of life be past,
Safe into the haven guide.
o receive my soul at last!
1T is remarkable that the first
stanza should be inferior to the other
portion of this hymn. Such poem to-
day would not be accepted by the Sun
or any first class magazine. In the
first place, the word lover when ap-
piled to our Lord seems undignified
and out Of place in sacred literature.
1t is not used in the bible in this con-
nection. nor is it used by any other
hymn writer in all the annals of
hymnology. The logical word would
seem to be guardian. The word
bosom might be user with propriety in
this connection. but would not refuge
be more applicable: What Wesley
meant by nearer waters is hard to
fathom. Why not 'surging waters?'
On the fourth line the word while IL
repeated, as is also the word hide on
The fifth line, which too is a poorly
chosen word It should not be neceS-
sary for US to call upon the Almighty
to hide US from danger: for, to quote
Cowper. He plants His footsteps in
the sea and rides upon the storm The
seventh line is disconnected. The
stanza as revised would read thus:
Jesus, guardian of my soul,
Let me to Thy refuge fly.
While the surging waters roll,
And the tempest still is high;
Saviour, shield me from all harm,
Till the storm Of life be past
Guide me to the haven calm,
o receive my soul at last!
Hymn compilers are very much
averse to having the old hymns re-
vised, especially those of Wesley.
Without wishing to detract from the
great and good Wesley, the fact re-
mains that hundreds Of his hymns
have become almost obsolete, and the
fifth stanza of this hymn has been
out Of use 80 long that few know that
it ever existed. At any rate, hymn
critics who are always tearing down
would be better appreciated IL they
endeavored to improve and build up"
Some Of us reading these criticisms
feel very much like criticisinE the
critic. And this is not old fogyism
Leave out of mind all Of association.
has this critic offered any real i'm
provement in style. thought or
imagery?