The first four lines of the third stanza of hymn 266 contain common-place expressions and are not in keeping with the rest of the hymn. They are as follows: Fair shall be Thine earthly temple : Here the careless passer-by Of the holier house on high. The union referred to in the last stanza we do not understand. It is stated in these words: Praise to Thee, eternal Spirit, Till our earthly praise be ended, The questions, with which three of the stanzas of hymn 270 end, are not pleasing in a hymn. In the second stanza, we are treated to this statement of the Christian church in the world: Though pilgrim hearts are moaning The sin and strife of earth, The whole creation groaning In travail-pangs of birth. In the third stanza, the relative positions of Satan and the church are thus described: Though more the devil rages As nearer draws his hour, Hid in the Rock of ages We bide His wrath and power. Hymn 290, descriptive and historical, abounding in references to miraculous interposition, and interceding for the bestowal of spiritual comfort now as in former days physical relief was sought for, is inappropriate for public worship. The characteristics of hymn 294 differ from those of 290, but the former is no more fitted for public worship than is the latter. Hymn 294 is an argument in rhyme, proving most satisfactorily the duty of almsgiving, and 20 would be very effective if read as a pendant to a sermon on beneficence. Among the hymns for "National festivals and fasts" is number 301, beginning O Lord of Hosts! Almighty King! Behold the sacrifice we bring. The hymn is spirited and majestic, but at the same time one is left in doubt as to the nature of the sacrifice alluded to and which God is invoked to behold. The address to the Deity in the third stanza of hymn 395, O Thou, Who canst not slumber, is peculiar, as is also the beginning of hymn 307, For Thy mercy and Thy grace, In the latter hymn, the statement is, to say the least, egotistical, that announces the faithful conduct for a year of those who may constitute the congregation. If, however, the intention of the hymn is to express thankfulness for the mercy and grace which Jesus has bestowed, that idea could be expressed by changing the hymn so as to read, For Thy mercy and Thy grace, The weak sentimentality apparent in hymn 308, unfits it for the worship of the house of God. Some parts of this production are a good specimen of that puerility in composition which, in some quarters, is deposing the hymnic expression of a manly and vigorous Christianity. The declarations of devotion in hymns 316, 317, 318, 335, 336, 353, 355 and 356, although fitted to certain conditions in the Christian life, are not such as would be adopted by ordinary Christians when engaged in public worship. They are thoroughly subjective and are better adapted to exceptional situations consequent upon searching introspection than for general use. Of course some hymns of this nature must be accepted, but the number should not be made unnecessarily large and those least fervently subjective should be preferred. The well known hymn beginning, Jesus, and shall it ever be, A mortal man ashamed of Thee? which is number 218 in the Hymnal now in use, has been omitted from the proposed hymnal. A hymn based on the same theme is, however, offered, in number 326 of the proposed hymnal, beginning, Ashamed of Thee! O dearest Lord. Many, we know, will join with us in the wish that the former hymn be restored, whether hymn 326 is retained. or omitted Hymn 334 is deservedly liked, but we have often wished that the third stanza could be changed. Jewish children when weaned may have become "lowly" or "humble," but we well know that weaning does not affect Gentile children in this manner. We suggest as a substitute for the third stanza, the following: Lowly as a little child, Trusting to a mother's love, By no subtleties beguiled, From Thee let me never rove. The repetition in the third and sixth lines in each of the eight stanzas of hymn 339, of the words May Jesus Christ be praised! becomes very wearisome in reading, and cannot but be wearisome and ineffective in singing. Hymn 352 is in the nature of a soliloquy, excepting in the last stanza which is supplicatory in character. As a 22 poem it is effective and consolatory, but it is not appropriate for public worship. The absence of lyrical character in hymn 358, renders its presence objectionable, and the peculiar collocation in the last two lines of the fifth stanza is another reason for its rejection. These lines are in this form, Pray we, that Thou wilt hear us, still imploring Thy love and favor, kept to us always. Hymns 362, 363, 364, 365, 387, 388 and 390 are bewildering rhapsodies, suggestive of the Moody and Sankey emanations, which may temporarily arouse the nervous and excitable, but which to the reflective reader will afford but little if any comfort, and cannot, by any possibility, elevate the service of public devotional song. Hymn 368, in long metre, is engaged with the same theme that in hymn 450 is treated in common metre. Hymn 368 is not felicitous and should be omitted, while hymn 450 which is highly pleasing should be retained. The Holy Ghost is addressed in hymn 400, as follows: O Finger of the Hand divine, The sevenfold gifts of grace are Thine. Mystical metaphor may serve a certain purpose in Rosicrucian literature, but we seriously object to its presence in Christian poetry and especially in what is recommended as appropriate for Christian song. A singular commingling of positions is noticeable in hymn 412. It is said of "martyred saints" that, now - on the bosom of their God, They rest in perfect love. Of those who are Christians, the statement is made, Bright shall the crown of glory be When we have borne the cross, but in the closing stanza of the hymn a willingness for a humbler place is declared in the lines, And let us rest beneath Thy feet, The heavenly Jerusalem presents a fruitful theme for devotional poetry, and has not been neglected. Hymns 416, 417, 427 and 430, descriptive of that blessed abode, might prove acceptable were there not so many better hymns on the same topic. They are not required, however-hymns 423, 424, 425, 426, 428 and 429 having supplied, with lavish yet with direct and simple statement, all that the spiritualized imagination may conceive as composing the beauty and splendor of the golden city. The difficulty which must necessarily be experienced in providing hymn 419 with a vehicle of song on which it may be readily borne by a worshipping assemblage, unfits it for a place in the hymnal of the future. Hymn 420 is a good poem in the spirit of one of Macaulay's Lays of ancient Rome, but it is a poor hymn. In hymn 421-the familiar lyric O Paradise, O Paradise, Who doth not crave for rest? -we have an instance of a mediocre hymn that has woven itself into the hearts of the people through the music to which it is wedded. So pleasing is this music, with such a wild yet alluring swing does it make its appeal to the heart, that it would serve to float effectually a hymn of much less merit than that which it now adorns. We have already stated that we do not favor the retention of hymn 336. We are of a similar opinion concerning hymn 436. They are both unsatisfactory versions in rhyme of the beautiful Psalm, the 23d. Better than either of these compositions is hymn 504, in the present Hymnal, beginning, The Lord my pasture shall prepare, And feed me with a shepherd's care, and for what reason this hymn is omitted it is difficult to conceive. We strongly urge its restoration. |