Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1892-07-23 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

HYMNS AND HYMN-WRITERS.  The Quarteely Review, in a review of the Rev. J. Julian's "Dictionary of Hymnology," has the following interesting remarks about hymns and hymnwriters: Of all known hymn-writers Charles Wesley ranks by far the foremost for quantity, about 6,500 hymns being credited to him. Two may be singled out as pre-eminently popular: "hark! the herald angels sing" (a line, by the way, substituted by Whitfield for the original "Hark! ho a all the welkin rings") ; and "Je.su, Lover of my soul," on the first four lines of which some two score of subsequent compilers have tried their ruthless hands at emendation. Next in fertility among English writers may be placed the architect, James Edmeston, whose professional honour it was to have Sir Gilbert Scott for his pupil. For at least two out of his 2,000 hymns the lasting gratitude of the Church is due; for he enriched our collections with "Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us," and "Saviour, breathe an evening blessing." Considerably after him come Beddome, the English Baptist, with 830 hymns, more used in America than here, and none first-rate; and Kelly, an ex-Irish clergyman, with 765, of which three have achieved wide popularity: "The head that once was cro ;cried with thorns," "We sing the praise of Him who died," and "Through the day Thy love has spared us." Less prolific, but higher in the quality of his work, was James Montgomery, the Moravian journalist of Sheffield, the author of more than 400 hymns, as well as the emendator of many others. Such lyrics as, "Hail to the Lord's Anointed," "Go to dark Gethsemane," "Songs of praise the angels sang," "Angels from the realms of glory," attest the genuineness of his poetic fire. Next we come to our childhood's friend, Isaac Watts, the real father of English hymnody, much less of a poet than Montgomery, yet managing somehow in the range of his 400 hymns to ascend occasionally from the lowest abyss of doggerel to a height of impassioned praise and contemplation that has rarely been surpassed. Among the more prolific of later writers may be mentioned the saintly invalid, Charlotte Elliott, who from her couch of pain gave the Church some 150 hymns, of which two, "Just as I am," and "My God, my Father, wkile I stray," are a possession for ever; Bishop Christopher Wordsworth, of whose 120 hymns perhaps one, "hark! the sound of holy voices," has enough of the lyric fire to survive all changes of taste ; Horatio Ilonar, of the Scotch Free Church, author of about the same number, who is best known by "A few more years shall roll," and "I heard the voice of Jesus say"; and lastly, Henry Francis Lyte, only a little inferior in productiveness, whose dying strain, "Abide with me, fast falls the eventide," composed for the close of life, has become by reason of its melodious tenderness and pathos one of our most favourite evening hymns. Toplady is forgotten but for his immortal "Rock of Ages." °livers, the Welsh shoemaker, retains a place in our collections by a cento from his free paraphrase of a medieval Hebrew doxology, I." The God of Abraham praise"; Dean Alford, chiefly by his harvest hymn, "Come, ye thankful people, come"; Mrs. Adams, the Unitarian, by her impassioned strain, "Nearer, my God, to Thee"; Isaac Williams by his fervent Lenten supplication, "Lord, in this Thy mercy's day "; Mrs. Maude by her admirable confirmation hymn, "Thine for ever, God of love"; Miss Auber by her tender little Whitsuntide strain, "Our blest Redeemer ere He breathed"; Mrs. Toke by her plaintive Ascension hymn, "Thou art gone up on high." Even Heber, to whom English hymnody is so largely indebted for an elevating impulse, may be said to live in his "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty," perhaps the finest strain of adoration in the language, far more than in any other of his sacred lyrics. And if we may speak of an eminent hymn-writer still with us, we would augur that it is by his pealing Zion-song, "The Church's one foundation," that his name will be most surely remembered.  At the Liverpool iiqty Police-court, on Nifuruay, a woman named Ellen Murphy was charged with attempting to commit suicide by drowning in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal on the previous evening. Mr. Stewart, the stipendiary, remanded the woman for seven days. Miss Leale, the Guernsey "lady shot" who distinguished herself last year at Risley, is adding to her first laurels. On Thursday she was again among the riflemen on Sisley Common, trying her hand at 200 yards, and in three shots putting on a magpie and a brace of inners. The "chit of a girl," as her admiring colleagues of the National Rifle Association called her, evidently "means business" when she enters the ranks of marksmen. Miss Leale, the Pall Mall Ga:ette says, is a tall slight girl of twenty-one, fair-haired, and of a healthy complexion, neatly but very i simply dressed, and perfectly natural and easy n manner. She believes in "a fair field and no favour," and scorns to accept any advantage in the way of a rifle below the regulation weight or any other privilege because she happens to be a woman.