The Republican journal., 1915-05-06
NO MONOTONY IN HER VERSES

crossed the narrow sea-
NO MONOTONY IN HER VERSES
"All her hymns may be said to be
variations of this same great theme, and
yet there is no monotony in her verses,
and, less than almost any other author,
has she repeated herself. This, it is said,
is largely due to her wonderful memory,
not only for the writings of others, but
for hymns that she herself had written,
Years and years after they had been pen
ned and printed, she could recall the
verses and repeat them, and remember
when they were written, though perhaps
she had written thousands Of HYMNS in
the meantime.
''But this theme of conservation and
whole-hearted devotion, of steadfast
hope and of upward look, is theme
great enough to engage the life and the
thoughts of any poet, and to afford allied
subjects for the worlds most volumin-
GUS hymn writer, as Fanny Crosby was.
"Another beautiful characteristic of
her poetry as Of her life is its unfailing
good cheer. There was no morbid streak
in her character, no unwholesome line in
her poems. We never hear suggestion
of Hank from the tombs doleful sound
in any of her writings. The quaint lit
tie verse of little girl, for Fanny Cros-
by was only eight years of age when she
wrote it, the verse which has been so
often quoted, was equally characteristic
of her when she had well nigh rounded
out her four-score years and fifteen.
This verse cannot be quoted too oft en-,
since it not only tells the secret of the
blind singers happy life, but reveals it
to many another:
O what happy soul am 1,
Although l cannot see;
am resolved that in this world
Contented will be:
How many blessing enjoy,
That other people don't,
To weep and sigh because I'm blind
cannot and l won't.
"Here is revealed one of the most
beautiful characteristics of her beauti-
full life. 1t was so free from self-pity.
SO unwilling to burden another with her
woes, so much more considerable of
others comforts than her own! How
many woman enjoys beng miserable.
telling the details of her petty ills and
discomforts, rejoicing to make others
wretched with the story of her misery!
Fanny Crosby never INDUCED in any
such morbid self pity, and though she
had abundant reason for considering her
lot hard one, her optimistic spirit turn
ed it's darkness into light and its discom-
fort into pure joy.
''This wonderful and beautiful spirit
of religious optimism, which shines forth
in her poems and hymns, was doubtless
what commended her to all sorts and con-
ditions of men. There are few women in
the world who could number among their
friends such statesmen as John Quincy
Adams, President Van Buren,, Presi-
dent Tyler, President Polk, Henry CLAY,
Grover Cleveland; such musicians as
Jenny Lind and Ole Bull; such poets as
William Cullen Bryant and Francis Rid
ley Havergal; such evangelists as Ira D.
Sankey and Dwight L. Moody; such re-
formers as Frances Willard and Francis
Murphy. Yet all these statesmen and
musicians, poets, evangelists and re-
formers were among her friends. Only
woman of rare intellect and more rare
ly beautiful spirit could have attracted
people of such diverse interests and
character.
''Withal she maintained her beautiful
simplicity of character. Her success
never spoiled her. Her worldwide pop
ularity only made her the more humble.
when her eyes were opened to the
beholding of heavenly glory she could