Mary Baldwin College - Bluestocking Yearbook (Staunton, VA)

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The Mary Ba dwiii Seminary. 25 was not iiicorporatecl into the regular use of the Prayer Book until the time of Kdward VI. Turning now to that form of sacred song which is more generally ternu-d •hymn, we find that the saints of all ages have chosen mcjst frequently this style of writing to express their praise of God. Francis Lyte, during the last few months of suffering from a mortal disease, constantly prayed that he might be enabled to write a hymn which would live forever in the church. His prayer was answered, and to-day we sing with soul uplifted and a consciousness of the Father ' s nearness, his death song : Ai)ide with nie ; fast falls the eventide. One of the greatest mediaeval hymn writers was St. Ber- nard, whose jn ' oductions are all of a rich free type. His Je- rusalem the golden, which in our Hymnal has been divided into four parts, was originally one long poem. The spirit of the times in which he lived is easily discernible in this hymn. When the approach of the year 1000 was awaited with so much terror and fear by the worldly, and with so great religious en- thusiasm by the more spiritualb- minded, St. Bernard sang, ' The world is very evil, The times are waxing late, Be sober and keep vigil, The judge is at the gate. To the same writer has also been attributed the beautiful hymn, so full of pious love and trust. Jesus, the very thought of thee. In the latter part of the i8th century, lived Bishop Heber to whom we owe some of the most beautiful hymns in our Church. Bishop Heber was not only a churchman, but also a literary man of merit ; his rank in English literature was fixed upon the publication of his well known poem, Palestine. Marked poetical ability was displayed from his earliest 5 ' ears and his favorite recreation in later life was to make use of this gift of hymn writing, hoping to improve the devotional poetry of the Church. His is the hymn which we regularly use at Communion season, Bread of the world, in mercy broken,

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24 The Annual of ble in every respect, as well in style of composition as in senti- ment. Although poorly written hymns may be the expres- sion of very pious sentiments and fervent emotions, yet, if their authors have not in connection with their piety, the ability to express their thoughts well, these writings should not be adopted into the general usage of the Church ; for we must consider the effect these hymns may have upon after gen- erations of those who use them. Suppose that an unbelieving, and, at the same time, intellectual person should be seeking for the truth and should examine, among other things, the hymns of Christians as an expression of their faith ; if he should chance upon a verse unworthy of the subject into which he is searching, uninspiring, ordinary, and perhaps containing false doctrine smeared over with semi-relig- ious, sentimental words ; what opinion will he have of the Christian religion, or its accepted form of worship ? A hymn, however, may be utterly devoid of rhetoric or grandeur of sen- timent, and yet by its very simplicity commend itself to us: and there are circumstances under which hymns of this nature are the most acceptable. In the Hymnal of the Episcopal Church there are hymns of every variety, suited to the various seasons of the church year, to personal devotions, and all cir- cumstances of human life. Her greatest hymn, however, is not contained in the Hymnal, but forms a part of the morning service in the Prayer Book. It has been in use for over 1400 years, though not in the exact form in which we now have it. The story of this TeDeum ' s having been sung by St. Ambrose under inspiration while baptising St. Augustine, is probably nothing more than a beautiful legend, though it is possible that he did make use of at least a part of it during this ceremony. Other authorities say that it was written by Hillary, a sainty French Bishop, in the year 300 A. D., but passages almost identical with parts of it have been found in the writings of St. Clement of Alexandria which makes beginning date from the second century after Christ. The earliest no- tices of its use have been at times of great general thanksgiv- ing, as at the celebration of the victory of Dettingen, for which Handel wrote his famous Te Deum. However, the Te Deum

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26 The Annual of and the well known h3 ' mn, embodying the doctrine of the Trinit.v, Holy ! Holy ! Holy ! Lord God almighty. In the latter part of his life, moved by a zealous love of missionary work, he accepted the bishopric of Calcutta, where he spent all the remaining years of his life, laboring amidst great hardships until his death. He has breathed the very spirit of his work into the old familiar missionary hymn, ■ ' From Greenland ' s icy mountains. Philips Brooks, the well known and widely loved bishop of Massachusetts, whose death occurred but recently, made an invaluable addition to our Hymnal in his Christmas hymn, so beautiful in diction and poetic conception, O, Little town of Bethlehem. The following hymn by Milman, an English divine of great eminence, is perhaps the most perfect in form of compo- sition, in grandeur and beauty of sentiment of all in our Hymnal : Ride on ! ride on in majesty ! Hark ! all the tribes hosanna cry ; O Savior meek, pursue Thy road With palms and scattered garments strowed. Ride on ! ride on in majesty ! In lowly pomp ride on to die ; O Christ, thy triumphs now begin O ' er captive death and conquered sin. Ride on ! ride on in majesty ! The angel armies of the skies Look down with sad and wondering e3 ' e.s To see the approaching sacrifice. Ride on ! ride on in majesty ! Thy last and fiercest strife is nigh ; The Father on his sapphire throne Expects his own anointed son Ride on ! ride on in majesty ! In lowly pomp ride on to die ;