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Hymns

Today in 1785 – Samuel Ecking Died

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Today we’ll take a quick look at several songs by more obscure hymn writers.

Samuel Ecking was a Baptist believer born in 1757 at Shrewsbury, England. He contributed hymns to the Gospel Magazine, under the odd signature “S. E-k-g.” His hymn Peace, Troubled Soul is still found in some books.

Peace, troubled soul, thou need’st not fear;
Thy great Provider still is near;
Who fed thee last, will feed thee still:
Be calm, and sink into His will.

The Lord, who built the earth and sky,
In mercy stoops to hear thy cry;
His promise all may freely claim;
Ask and receive in Jesus’ Name.

(2) Data Missing – Keep on Believing

Occasionally I want to include songs for which dates are lacking–or other information. For a time it seemed to me there was some confusion as to the authorship of the song Keep on Believing. A Salvation Army publication (Salvation Army Songs of Faith) credits the lyrics to Lucy Booth-Hellberg. But the only hymnal I have seen that includes it is Living Hymns, edited by Alfred Smith. He credits the words to “M.D.” and the tune to “L.M.B.”–noting also that he has edited the text and arranged to tune.

I contacted Smith’s son, but he could shed no more light on the origin of the hymn. However, a correspondent passed on the following information to me, which seems to clear up the mystery. “L.M.B” is Lucy Milward Booth (1868-1953), the daughter of William and Catherine Booth, who wrote the song when she was 17 (in 1885, before she married Mr. Hellberg). Though the message of the song was her own, she was assisted somewhat with the rhyming by “M.D.”–Mildred Duff–who later became a Commissioner in the Salvation Army.

I include a bit of the song here because it seems to fit the theme of Peace Troubled Soul above, and it is very honest about the struggles through which we sometimes go. At such times, our emotions may mislead us. God’s care doesn’t waver according to our feelings of the moment. “If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things” (I Jn. 3:20).

When you feel weakest, dangers surround,
Subtle temptations, troubles abound;
Nothings seems hopeful, nothing seems glad,
All is despairing, often times sad.

Keep on believing, Jesus is near,
Keep on believing, there’s nothing to fear;
Keep on believing, this is the way,
Faith in the night as well as the day.

If all were easy, if all were bright,
Where would the cross be? and where the fight?
But in the testings God gives to you,
Chances for proving what He can do.

(3) Today in 1893 – Isaiah Baltzell Died

Isaiah Baltzell was born near Frederick City, Maryland, in 1832. He published a number of books of sacred song, and wrote some himself, sometimes contributing the music, other times authoring both words and music. He was partnered, in this endeavour, with editor and songwriter Edmund Lorenz. Of interest is his song The Missionary’s Farewell, to be sung on the occasion indicated by the title.

The second-to-last line of the lyric suggests that the song may have been first applied to a missionary heading to Africa. However, with a bit of creative adjustment, the name of another country could be substituted.

Far away, beyond the sea,
Where the fields are bright and fair,
There’s a call, a plaintive plea;
I must hasten to be there.

Let me go, I cannot stay,
’Tis the Master calling me;
Let me go, I must obey;
Native land, farewell to thee.

Hark! I hear the Master say,
“Up, ye reapers! why so slow?”
To the vineyard far away,
Earthly kindred, let me go.

Bear me on, thou restless sea,
Let the winds the canvas swell;
Afric’s shore I long to see,
Native land, farewell, farewell.

4) Today in 1940 – William Hewlett Died

William Henry Hewlett was a composer, organist, and choral conductor, who has a number of connections with my own family. For many years, he was the organist of the Centenary United Church, in Hamilton, Ontario, where I was born. Each Saturday afternoon, for twenty-five years, he gave a recital on the church’s great Casavant pipe organ. I heard my parents speak of him, and believe they attended some of those concerts.

Mr. Hewlett was also one of the founders of the Mendelssohn Oratorio Choir, in Toronto, and was its first accompanist. He was on the editorial committee of The Hymnary, the hymn book of the United Church of Canada, produced in 1930. Check out his tune Somerset, for John Newton’s hymn, Dear Shepherd of Thy People, Hear.

Dear Shepherd of Thy people, hear;
Thy presence now display;
As Thou hast given a place for prayer,
So give us hearts to pray.

William Hewlett died six months before I was born, and is buried in Hamilton, in the same cemetery as my father and mother.

Today in 1841 – Sarah Doudney Born

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English author Sarah Doudney was known in her own time for several works of fiction, and for articles and poems published in various magazines. She wrote a number of hymns as well. Published in 1871, The Master Has Come makes use of the tune of the old ballad The Ash Grove. It is one of those extremely singable melodies, the kind you find yourself humming for hours after you hear it.

The Master hath come, and He calls us to follow
The track of the footprints He leaves on our way;
Far over the mountain and through the deep hollow,
The path leads us on to the mansions of day:
The Master hath called us, the children who fear Him,
Who march ’neath Christ’s banner, His own little band;
We love Him and seek Him, we long to be near Him,
And rest in the light of His beautiful land.

The Master hath called us; the road may be dreary
And dangers and sorrows are strewn on the track;
But God’s Holy Spirit shall comfort the weary;
We follow the Saviour and cannot turn back;
The Master hath called us, though doubt and temptation
May compass our journey, we cheerfully sing:
“Press onward, look upward,” through much tribulation;
The children of Zion must follow the King.

Sarah Doudney also wrote The Christian’s Goodnight, a moving funeral hymn for which Ira Sankey wrote the tune. The latter sang it at the funeral of Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Sleep on, belovèd, sleep, and take thy rest;
Lay down thy head upon the Saviour’s breast;
We love thee well, but Jesus loves thee best—
Good night! Good night! Good night!

Only “Good night,” belovèd—not “farewell!”
A little while, and all His saints shall dwell
In hallowed unison indivisible—
Good night! Good night! Good night!

Until we meet again before His throne,
Clothed in the spotless robe He gives His own,
Until we know even as we are known—
Good night! Good night! Good night!

(2) Today in 1985 – Lance Latham Died

I met Lance Latham around 1980, when he was in his mid-eighties. He was still vital and energetic, even in old age, and a marvel at the piano. Meeting him and listening to him I felt a bit like a young Timothy at the feet of an aged Paul. I count our brief encounter as a privilege and a special blessing.

Lance Brenton Latham was a child prodigy. No doubt about it. At the age of thirteen he took the entrance exams for the University of Pennsylvania and achieved the highest scores on record at that time. But his unusual gifts were demonstrated long before that.

His father was a Presbyterian clergyman named Abraham Lathem (they later changed the spelling of the last name). And Rev. Lathem was a strict disciplinarian, demanding a high academic standard of his son. As a little boy, Lance would rise at 4:55 a.m. to begin reciting his daily lessons five minutes later. Saturday mornings, from six o’clock till noon, he reviewed the entire week’s work with his father.

At the age of five, Lance could recite the 107 questions and answers of The Shorter Catechism. And each day, he was also required to memorize two verses of Scripture, studying them until they could be recited perfectly. The scope of his accomplishments in this respect is indicated by a book awarded him by Abraham Lathem when Lance was six years old. On the flyleaf are these words: “This book is presented to you for having memorized and recited correctly the Gospel by St. John, the Epistle to the Romans, the Epistle of James, each entire on one occasion”!

But for all this, there was something still missing in Lance’s spiritual makeup. His mastery of Scripture, and of Bible doctrine was an intellectual wonder, but Lance Latham had never come as a sinner to the cross and personally put his faith in Christ. He was not born again. All that changed when he was engaged as a pianist for a prominent evangelist of the day. Night after night, the young man heard the gospel, and finally, on September 18th, 1915, when he was 21 years of age, Lance Latham put his faith in the Saviour.

Through his later ministry, the Awana Youth Association was founded. Not surprisingly, the week-day club program puts an emphasis on Bible memorizaton (A-w-a-n-a stands for “approved workmen are not ashamed,” from II Tim. 2:15.) Having been the Commander of Awana Clubs in two different churches, I can personally testify to the way in which the Lord uses the ministry to transform the lives of children and young people, and of whole families.

Lance Latham has also made a mark, though a less significant one, in the area of sacred music. The boy’s mother was his first piano teacher. By the age of five he could play any hymn in the hymnal, and he was the regular pianist of the Primary Department of the Sunday School. By the age of twelve, his dazzling renditions of Bach, Beethoven and Liszt were enjoyed by his friends. He has found his way into many of our hymn books by writing the tune for Avis Christiansen’s gospel song, Blessed Calvary. (To learn a bit more about Mrs. Christiansen, see Today in 1895.)

I look at the cross upon Calvary,
And oh, what a wonder divine,
To think of the wealth it holds for me—
The riches of heaven are mine.

Blessèd Calvary! Precious Calvary!
’Neath thy shadow I’ll ever abide.
Blessèd Calvary! Precious Calvary!
’Twas there Jesus suffered and died.

And after this all-too-brief review of some of Mr. Latham’s accomplishments, let me leave him the last word. The comment on the value of having children memorize the great hymns of the faith still has resonance, though the words were written a generation ago.

Boys and girls should be encouraged to learn and sing hymns….“Speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart” is such a vital part in the growth of young believers. We do not include in this recommendation most of the modern folk song-hymns which have very little spiritual truth and are consequently of no value. Some will argue, “But the young folks love to sing these songs.” We are responsible to train them another way than the ways of the world. They are not our leaders; we are their leaders.

Today in 1985 – Avis Christiansen Died

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Avis Christiansen

Avis Marguerite Burgeson Christiansen is an American hymn writer who lived her whole life in the city of Chicago. She produced hundreds of hymn poems over a period of some six decades, making her one of the more significant gospel songwriters of the twentieth century. She said:

All of my songs have come from my own heart experiences with the Lord through more than sixty years of writing for his glory.

Avis Christiansen

Here are just a few of her songs found in our hymn books:

Blessed Redeemer
*Come, Come, Ye Saints
Fill All My Vision
How Can It Be?
I Know I’ll See Jesus Some Day
It Is Glory Just to Walk with Him
Jesus Has Lifted Me
Jesus! Wonderful Name
Love Found a Way
Only One Life to Offer
Precious Hiding Place
What Must I Do?

*Come, Come, Ye Saints is Avis Christiansen’s adaptation of a Mormon hymn, using little more of the original than a revised version of the first stanza. And where the Mormon hymn speaks of the sect seeking a place to live in the American West (which eventually turned out to be Utah), Avis’s song points Christians to our heavenly home.

Published in 1961, How Can It Be? will remind some hymn lovers of Charles Wesley’s great hymn And Can It Be? In the song, Christiansen seems to allude to Psalm 8, and the glorious privilege given to man to be the crown of God’s creation. That God should love and honour such poor creatures of dust is a marvel beyond comprehension.

O Saviour, as my eyes behold the wonders of Thy might untold,
The heav’ns in glorious light arrayed, the vast creation Thou hast made–
And yet to think Thou lovest me–my heart cries out, “How can it be?”

As at the cross I humbly bow and gaze upon Thy thorn-crowned brow,
And view the precious bleeding form by cruel nails so bruised and torn,
Knowing Thy suff’ring was for me, in grief I cry, “How can it be?”

The author’s song of dedication Only One Life ponders the significance of the days and hours God has allotted us, and the importance of being good stewards of them. It was apparently inspired by the words of missionary to China C. T. Studd, who wrote:

Only one life, ’twill soon be past;
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life to offer–Jesus, my Lord and King;
Only one tongue to praise Thee and of Thy mercies sing;
Only one heart’s devotion–Saviour, O may it be
Consecrated alone to Thy matchless glory,
Yielded fully to Thee.

Only this hour is mine, Lord–may it be used for Thee;
May ev’ry passing moment count for eternity;
Souls all about are dying, dying in sin and shame;
Help me bring them the message of Calv’ry’s redemption
In Thy glorious name.

The prayer hymn Fill All My Vision has a similar theme to the older Be Thou My Vision, though Mrs. Christiansen’s song is more specifically Christ-centred.

Fill all my vision, Saviour, I pray,
Let me see only Jesus today;
When through the valley Thou leadest me,
Give me Thy glory and beauty to see.

Fill all my vision, Saviour divine,
Till with Thy glory my spirit shall shine;
Fill all my vision, that all may see
Thy holy image reflected in me.

Fill all my vision–let naught of sin
Shadow the brightness shining within’
Let me see only Thy blessed face,
Feasting my soul on Thine infinite grace.

For a little more on Avis Christiansen and information on two more of her songs, see Today in 1895.

Today in 1836 – Edwin Parker Born

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Edwin Pond Parker was an American Congregational clergyman and author. Parker served for a time as Senate Chaplain for the state of Connecticut. He edited several hymn books, and wrote a number of hymns himself. To accompany one of his sermons, Edwin Parker wrote the beautiful hymn Master No Offering.

Master, no offering costly and sweet,
May we, like Magdalene, lay at Thy feet;
Yet may love’s incense rise, sweeter than sacrifice,
Dear Lord to Thee, dear Lord to Thee.

Daily our lives would show weakness made strong,
Toilsome and gloomy ways brightened by song;
Some deeds of kindness done, some souls by patience won,
Dear Lord to Thee, dear Lord to Thee.

Some word of hope for hearts burdened with fears,
Some balm of peace for eyes blinded with tears,
Some dews of mercy shed, some wayward footsteps led,
Dear Lord to Thee, dear Lord to Thee.

(2) Today in 1935 – Eleanor Hull Died

Though born in Manchester, England, Eleanor Henrietta Hull’s passion was anything to do with Gaelic culture. She founded the Irish Text Society, and was president of the Irish Literary Society of London. It is from Eleanor Hull, in 1912, that we get the versified English translation of a centuries old Irish hymn, Be Thou My Vision.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

For a bit more about the origin of this hymn, see Today in 1880. Concerning the tune, Slane, see Item #2 under Today in 1808.

Today in 1730 – Johann Schwedler Died

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Johann Christoph Schwedler was educated at the University of Leipzig. He was known as a great man of prayer, and a powerful preacher. It is reported that his church services lasted from six in the morning until two or three in the afternoon, with relays of people coming to hear him! Schwedler is known for one hymn translated into English, Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know. It focuses our attention on the centrality of Christ, “that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18). (For a bit more about the hymn, see Item #2 under Today in 1771.)

Ask ye what great thing I know,
That delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win?
Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

What is faith’s foundation strong?
What awakes my heart to song?
He Who bore my sinful load,
Purchased for me peace with God,
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.

77 Ideas for Promoting Hymn Singing: Sadly, in some churches the singing of our traditional hymns and gospel songs has been neglected. Here are some ideas for reviving interest in this practice.

Worship in Song: Why do we sing in church? No doubt for a variety of reasons–not all of them biblical! But there is a key verse in the Psalms that shows the proper connection between music and worship.

(2) Today in 1912 – James Orr Born

James Edwin Orr was born in Ireland. He was ordained as an American Baptist pastor in 1940, and served as a chaplain in the Pacific, in the Second World War. He wrote a number of books, particularly on the history of revival, as well as authoring six hymns. The only one of these that remains in common use is Search Me O God. The hymn is based on Ps. 139:23-24:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Search me, O God, and know my heart today;
Try me, O Saviour, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin and set me free.

Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine;
Tall all my will, my passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord–in me abide.

Today in 1791 – William Williams Died

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Graphic William Williams

William Williams, known as “the sweet singer of Wales,” was a much-traveled evangelist and revivalist preacher in that country. For forty-five years, Williams averaged 2,230 miles on horseback annually, sharing the gospel.  He also wrote many Welsh hymns, but most remain unknown in the English-speaking world.

There is one notable exception. His great hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah. It not only became virtually a second national anthem to the Welsh, it is highly regarded in English hymnody as well. Taking the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness as a picture of our Christian walk, Williams wrote:

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.

The instructions of the director before the following, and the kind of informal atmosphere suggest this may have been recorded at a choir practice. Whatever the case, great singing, well led!

(2) Today in 1799 – Charles Purday Born

English composer, Charles Henry Purday wrote and lectured on music, and was a fine singer as well. He wrote the beautiful hymn tune Sandon, which is sometimes used with Lead, Kindly Light. Better still, John Campbell’s hymn Unto the Hills is often partnered with this tune. If you can get hold of an old recording of the Black Dyke Mills symphonic band playing Nightfall at Camp, you’ll hear a memorable rendering of Sandon, intertwined with a bugler playing Taps. (I’ve tried to find this on YouTube, but so far it’s not there.)

Unto the hills around do I lift up my longing eyes
O whence for me shall my salvation come, from whence arise?
From God, the Lord, doth come my certain aid,
From God, the Lord, who heaven and earth hath made.

The text for this hymn was written by an early Governor General of Canada.

(3) Today in 1843 – Francis Scott Key Died

Francis Scott Key is best known for being the author of the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner (see Today in 1814). However, he was a dedicated Christian, and has given us a couple of fine hymns as well, Before the Lord We Bow (see Today in 1779), and Lord, with Glowing Heart I’d Praise Thee.

Lord, with glowing heart I’d praise Thee,
For the bliss Thy love bestows,
For the pardoning grace that saves me,
And the peace that from it flows:
Help, O God, my weak endeavour;
This dull soul to rapture raise:
Thou must light the flame, or never
Can my love be warmed to praise.

Today in 1867 – William Merrill Born

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William Pierson Merrill was an American Presbyterian clergyman, who served in Philadelphia, Chicago and New York. Considered an outstanding preacher, he was also an author and a hymn writer. One of his songs, Not Alone for Mighty Empire, is a call to his nation (applicable to any nation) to set righteous priorities.

Not alone for mighty empire, stretching far o’er land and sea,
Not alone for bounteous harvests, lift we up our hearts to Thee.
Standing in the living present, memory and hope between,
Lord, we would, with deep thanksgiving, praise Thee more for things unseen.

Not for battleships and fortress, not for conquests of the sword,
But for conquests of the spirit give we thanks to Thee, O Lord;
For the priceless gift of freedom, for the home, the church, the school,
For the open door to manhood, in a land the people rule.

God of justice, save the people from the clash of race and creed,
From the strife of class and faction, make our nation free indeed;
Keep her faith in simple manhood strong as when her life began,
Till it find its full fruition in the brotherhood of man!

When an editor told Dr. Merrill that there was a need for more hymns on Christian brotherhood, he responded by writing Rise Up, O Men of God, another hymn that emphasizes human priorities and responsibilities. While I would argue some points of doctrine implied by the hymn, it is a stirring challenge nonetheless. (For a fuller discussion of the doctrinal issues, see the second item posted on Today in 1844.) To be sure, the Lord’s work needs committed men.

Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
To serve the King of kings.

Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up, O men of God!

(2) Today in 1877 – Helen Alexander Born

Helen Cadbury was born in England, heiress to the immense Cadbury chocolate fortune. But she clearly had higher goals in mind. She married gospel musician Charles Alexander in 1904. When he died in 1920, she married A. C. Dixon, a well-known pastor, Bible expositor, and evangelist. (Along with Reuben Torrey, Dixon helped to compile and edit The Fundamentals, an influential set of books defending the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith.) But Charlie Alexander seems to have remained the love of her life. Years after, she loved to sing the old songs and reminisce about the old days with him. And biographer Simon Fox says of her, “She never lost her youthful love of music and retained a fine singing voice well into her old age, continuing to sing in one of the local choirs until she was ninety!”

Helen Alexander is responsible for at least a couple of hymn texts. In particular, she seems to have edited and augmented the work of others, as she did with Carrie Breck’s little song, Make Him Known.

Tell of Christ Who saves from sin;
Make Him known—make Him known!
He has called you souls to win,
Make Him known!

Make the blessèd Saviour known,
Till all hearts shall be His throne;
Till He rules the world alone,
Make Him known.

For the world God gave His Son,
Make Him known–make Him known!
With the message quickly run,
Make Him known!

Perhaps a more widely used example is the third and fourth stanzas that Mrs. Alexander added to Jesse Pounds’s song, Anywhere with Jesus. Her contribution says:

Anywhere with Jesus, over land and sea,
Telling souls in darkness of salvation free;
Ready as He summons me to go or stay,
Anywhere with Jesus when He points the way.

Anywhere with Jesus I can go to sleep,
When the darkening shadows round about me creep,
Knowing I shall waken nevermore to roam;
Anywhere with Jesus will be home, sweet home.

Today in 1888 – Martin Hofford Died

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Martin Lowrie Hofford, a graduate of Princeton, was an American Presbyterian clergyman who was also involved in evangelistic work, and served as both a professor and the president of a college. He has left us only one hymn, but it is wonderful. Based on the meeting of the risen Christ with a couple on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24;13-32), Hofford’s hymn draws on two verses of Scripture in particular.

First come the words of the couple as they approach their home, inviting Christ to come in: “They constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent’” (vs. 29). And then we have their later assertion, after His departure: “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (vs. 32).

Abide with me, ’tis eventide!
The day is past and gone;
The shadows of the evening fall;
The night is coming on!
Within my heart a welcome Guest,
Within my home abide.

O Saviour, stay this night with me;
Behold, ’tis eventide!
O Saviour, stay this night with me;
Behold, ’tis eventide!

Abide with me, ’tis eventide!
Thy walk today with me
Has made my heart within me burn,
As I communed with Thee.
Thy earnest words have filled my soul
And kept me near Thy side.

(2) Today in 1921 Edgar Stites Died

Edgar Page Stites was a direct descendant of John Howland, who came to America on the Mayflower. He was a cousin of hymn writer Eliza Hewitt (who wrote More About Jesus and other gospel songs). Mr. Stites served during the Civil War, and afterward became a pilot on the Delaware River. He was also ordained as a Methodist preacher, and for a while served as a missionary in Dakota. Stites (often using the pen name Edgar Page) wrote a couple of songs that are still in use, Beulah Land, and Trusting Jesus.

Simply trusting every day,
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Trusting as the moments fly,
Trusting as the days go by;
Trusting Him whate’er befall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Today in 1792 – Lowell Mason Born

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Lowell Mason was interested in music from his earliest years. In fact, by the age of 16, he was a choir leader and a teacher of singing classes. However, for many years, he seemed to see music as something to do on the side, rather than as the basis for a career. Mason worked as a bank clerk and did not consider music a profession.

However, all of this changed with the publication of a book he assembled called Collection of Church Music. Over the next 30 years it ran through 17 editions and sold more than fifty thousand copies, establishing Lowell Mason’s reputation. He is now considered “the father of American church music.” Not only that, he was the first to teach music in an American public school, and the first to receive a Doctor of Music degree from an American Institution.

Mason composed over 1,600 pieces of sacred music, including dozens of hymn tunes. One of these is Boylston, used with Charles Wesley’s hymn, A Charge to Keep I Have.

A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify,
Who gave His Son my soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfil:
O may it all my powers engage
To do my Master’s will!

(2) Today in 1861 – Ada Habershon Born

Ada Ruth Habershon, a gifted Bible teacher, was born in England. There are few women, certainly in the nineteenth century, who had the level of orthodox biblical scholarship she demonstrated. She produced many books that are still worth studying today, writing with clarity, logic, and a profound knowledge of the Bible. Purchase a copy of her Study of the Types, and you will be blessed by her ability to tie Old Testament and New together. Habershon was a close friend of Dwight Moody and Charles Spurgeon.

Ada Habershon visited the United States at Moody’s invitation, to deliver lectures on the Old Testament. Later, gospel musician Charles Alexander asked her to write some gospel songs, Within a year, she presented him with 200! Among them are the songs He Will Hold Me Fast, and Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

It is certain that few people today actually know the latter song–though they may think they do. There is a toe-tapping bluegrass version of Will the Circle Be Unbroken? that has been recorded by many artists, such as this informal rendering by the Waymasters.

But this lyric by Alvin Carter has been denuded of the gospel echoes of the original, and simply pictures the sad parting death brings, with only a vague hope of something better up ahead. Ada Habershon’s original (1907) song carries more spiritual conviction. She speaks of believers who have died and who are now with the Lord. The question of the refrain then becomes more pointed, implying that if we do not know Christ as Saviour the family circle will indeed be broken.

There are loved ones in the glory,
Whose dear forms you often miss;
When you close your earthly story,
Will you join them in their bliss?

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, [Lord,] by and by?
In a better home awaiting
In the sky, [Lord,]in the sky?

In the joyous days of childhood,
Oft they told of wondrous love,
Pointed to the dying Saviour
Now they dwell with Him above.

(3) Today in 1888 – Mary Demarest Died

Mary Augusta Lee Demarest’s mother died when she was a baby. She was cared for by her Scottish grandfather and a Scottish nurse. From these Mary learned to love the songs of Scotland, and became familiar with the Scottish dialect.

Years before her time, a man named John Macduff left Scotland with his young bride, and came to America. But though he was successful in business, it soon became evident that Macduff’s wife was homesick for their homeland. “John,” she said, “I am wearying for may ain [my own] countrie.” His heart was filled with compassion for her as she pined away, and finally he took her back home to Scotland, were she revived and thrived.

At the age of 23, Mary Demarest heard of this incident, and wrote her immortal hymn, My Ain Countrie, making a spiritual application to the saint’s longing for heaven. Here is a bit of her wonderful hymn. (There are two more stanzas.) If there are words you can’t understand, perhaps you can find someone with a Scottish background to interpret it for you.

I am far frae my hame, an’ I’m weary aftenwhiles,
For the langed for hame bringin’, an’ my Father’s welcome smiles;
An’ I’ll ne’er be fu’ content, until mine een do see
The gowden gates o’ heav’n an’ my ain countrie.
The earth is fleck’d wi’ flowers, mony tinted, fresh an’ gay
The birdies warble blithely, for my Faither made them sae:
But these sights an’ these soun’s will as naething be to me,
When I hear the angels singin’ in my ain countrie.

I’ve His gude word o’ promise that some gladsome day, the King
To His ain royal palace his banished hame will bring;
Wi’een an’ wi’ hert rinnin’ owre, we shall see
The King in His beauty, in oor ain countrie.
My sins hae been mony, an’ my sorrows hae been sair,
But there they’ll never vex me, nor be remembered mair;
For His bluid made me white, and His hand shall dry my e’e,
When He brings me hame at last to my ain countrie.

William MacEwan was a famed Scottish street singer at the turn of the twentieth century, singing the gospel into seeking hearts on the streets of Glasgow. He made a recording of this song in 1911. For a unique experience, click on #20 here, and you will hear MacEwan sing Demarest’s song. (And #13 is the original version of Ada Habershon’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken?)

Today in 1829 – Frederick Whitfield Born

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English clergyman and hymn writer Frederick Whitfield was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and went on to hold various positions in the Church of England. He published about 30 volumes of prose and verse, and a couple of his songs can be found in some hymnals today. Most familiar to us is O How I Love Jesus.

There is a name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in my ear,
The sweetest name on earth.

O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!

This is rather unsubstantial fare, as far as any depth of teaching is concerned. Its focus on me and my weak love for the Lord so bothered a well-known hymn writer that he created a song with a different perspective to counter it. You can check it out at Today in 1838. But there is another of Whitfield’s hymns, I Saw the Cross of Jesus, that makes a much stronger gospel statement.

I saw the cross of Jesus, when burdened with my sin,
I sought the cross of Jesus, to give me peace within;
I brought my soul to Jesus, He cleansed it in His blood;
And in the cross of Jesus I found my peace with God.

I love the cross of Jesus, it tells me what I am–
A vile and guilty creature, saved only through the Lamb;
No righteousness, nor merit, no beauty I can plead;
Yet in the cross of glory, my title there I read.

Sweet is the cross of Jesus! There let my weary heart
Still rest in peace unshaken, till with Him, ne’er to part;
And then in strains of glory I’ll sing His wondrous power,
Where sin can never enter, and death is known no more.

(2) Today in 1868 – Austin Miles Born

Charles Austin Miles trained to be a pharmacist, but once he began writing gospel songs he abandoned that career to devote his time to sacred music. As well as writing many songs himself, he served as an editor at Hall-Mack Publishers for decades, even after its merger with the Rodeheaver Company.

Among Miles’s contributions to our hymn books are: A New Name in Glory, Dwelling in Beulah Land, If Jesus Goes with Me, and In the Garden, as well as the music for Still Sweeter Every Day, and words and music of the little chorus Wide, Wide as the Ocean.

In the Garden is extremely popular, but it really contains little in the way of biblical truth, being more of a sentimental ballad. Austin Miles wrote it after meditating on the meeting of Mary Magdalene with the risen Christ, as recorded in Jn. 20:11-18.

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

The book of Revelation pictures the Lord giving to each of the saints in heaven a white stone, with a new name written on it (Rev. 2:17). The stone seems to be what we might call a “new birth” certificate, and a reminder of the saint’s acceptance by God. Perhaps that new name is also the one recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev. 21:27) which lists all of the redeemed. That thought captivated Charles Austin Miles. He published A New Name in Glory in 1910.

I was once a sinner, but I came
Pardon to receive from my Lord:
This was freely given, and I found
That He always kept His word.

There’s a new name written down in glory,
And it’s mine, O yes, it’s mine!
And the white robed angels sing the story,
“A sinner has come home.”
For there’s a new name written down in glory,
And it’s mine, O yes, it’s mine!
With my sins forgiven I am bound for heaven,
Never more to roam.

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