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William Croft

1678 - 1727 Hymnal Number: 144 Composer of "ST. ANNE" in Seth Parker's Hymnal William Croft, Mus. Doc. was born in the year 1677 and received his musical education in the Chapel Royal, under Dr. Blow. In 1700 he was admitted a Gentleman Extraordinary of the Chapel Boyd; and in 1707, upon the decease of Jeremiah Clarke, he was appointed joint organist with his mentor, Dr. Blow. In 1709 he was elected organist of Westminster Abbey. This amiable man and excellent musician died in 1727, in the fiftieth year of his age. A very large number of Dr. Croft's compositions remain still in manuscript. Cathedral chants of the XVI, XVII & XVIII centuries, ed. by Edward F. Rimbault, London: D. Almaine & Co., 1844

S. J. Stone

1839 - 1900 Person Name: Samuel J. Stone Hymnal Number: 19 Author of "The Church's One Foundation" in Seth Parker's Hymnal Stone, Samuel John, a clergyman of the Church of England, the son of Rev. William Stone, was born at Whitmore, Staffordshire, April 25, 1839. He was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford, where he was graduated B.A. in 1862. Later he took orders and served various Churches. He succeeded his father at St. Paul's, Haggerstown, in 1874. He was the author of many original hymns and translations, which were collected and published in 1886. His hymns are hopeful in spirit and skillfully constructed. He published several poetic volumes. He died November 19, 1900 --Hymn Writers of the Church, 1915 (Charles Nutter) ============================ Stone, Samuel John, M.A., son of the Rev. William Stone, M.A., was born at Whitmore, Staffordshire, April 25, 1839, and educated at the Charterhouse; and at Pembroke College, Oxford, B.A. 1862; and M.A. 1872. On taking Holy Orders he became Curate of Windsor in 1862, and of St. Paul's, Haggerston, 1870. In 1874 he succeeded his father, at St. Paul's, Haggerston. Mr. Stone's poetical works are (1) Lyra Fidelium, 1866; (2) The Knight of Intercession and Other Poems, 1872, 6th edition, 1887; (3) Sonnets of the Christian Year, first printed in the Leisure Hour, and then published by the R. T. Society, 1875; (4) Hymns, a collection of his original pieces and translations, 1886. He has also published Order of The Consecutive Church Service for Children, with Original Hymns, 1883. Mr. Stone's hymns, most of which are in common use, and several of which have a wide popularity, include:— 1. A sower went to sow his seed. The Sower. In his Hymns, 1886, the author says this hymn was ”Written specially in allusion to the sixteen years' work of the first Vicar [his Father] of St. Paul's, Haggerston, to whom the Parish was given in 1858, without Church, or School, or "Vicarage, or Endowment." 2. Bear the troubles of thy life. Patience. A translation of Thomas a Kempis's “Ad versa mundi tolera" (p. 23, ii.) made for the Rev. S. Kettlewell's Thomas á Kempis, 1882. 3. By Paul at war in Gentile lands. St. Mark. Written at Windsor in 1870, and published in his Knight of Intercession, 1872. 4. By Shepherds first was heard. Carol. Written in 1885, and published in the Parochial Magazine, 1885. 5. By Thy love which shone for aye. Litany of the Love of God. Written at Haggerston in 1883, and printed in the Monthly Packet, 1884. 6. Christ the Wisdom and the Power. For Church Workers. Written for the Church Society of St. Paul's, Haggerston in 1812, and published in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. 7. Dark is the sky that overhangs my soul. Sorrow succeeded by Joy. Written at Windsor in 1869 for the Monthly Packet, and printed therein 1869. Published in The Knight of Intercession, 1872, under the title of "Light at Eventide." 8. Deeply dark and deeply still. The Transfiguration. Written in 1871 and published in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. 9. Eastward, ever eastward. Processional for Sunday Morning. Written at Haggerston in 1876, and published in the Monthly Packet, 1884. 10. Faith, who sees beyond the portal. Faith, Hope, and Charity. Written at Windsor in 1869, and published in the Monthly Packet, 1869, and The Knight of Intercession, 1872. 11. Far off our brethren's voices. Missions. Written for the First Day of Intercession for Foreign Missions, 1871, and published in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. "For Colonial Missions." 12. Give the word, Eternal King. Missions. Written for the First Day of Intercession for Foreign Missions, 1871. 13. Glory in heaven to God. Christmas Carol. Written in 1882 for G. H. Leslie's Cantata The First Christmas Morn, 1882. 14. God the Father, All, and One. For Unity. Written in 1883 for Canon G. Venables's Service for Unity, and appeared in the Monthly Packet, 1884. 15. God the Father's Only Son. Offices of Christ. Published in his Lyra Fidelium, 1866, on Article ii.of the Apostles' Creed, "And in Jesus Christ His Only Son our Lord." 16. God the Spirit, we adore Thee. The Holy Ghost. Published in his Lyra Fidelium, 1866, or) Article viii. of the Apostles' Creed, "I believe in the Holy Ghost." 17. Great Captain of God's armies. For Purity. Written in 1884 for the Church of England Purity Society, and printed in Church Bells, April 10, 1885. 18. Homeward we pass in peace. Close of Divine Service. Written in 1884 at Haggerston; and included in the author's Hymns, 1886, as a "Hymn after Benediction." 19. How can we praise Thee, Father? For the Fatherless. Written by request for "The Church of England Central Home for Waifs and Strays," 1882, and printed in the Monthly Packet, 1884. 20. Is there no hope for those who lie? Missions. Written in 1870 for the Monthly Packet; and also included in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. 21. Jesu, to my heart most precious. Jesus, All in All. A translation of Thomas á Kempis's "De dulcedine Jesu," made for the Rev. S. Kettlewell's Thomas á Kempis, 1882. 22. Lo! They were, and they are, and shall be. St. Michael and All Angels. Written in 1875 for The Scottish Guardian, in which it was given in 1875. 23. Lord Christ, my Master dear. For Church Workers. Written for the Sunday School Teachers of St. Paul's, Haggerston, 1885, and given in his Hymns, 1886. 24. Lord of the harvest, it is right and meet. Missions, Thanksgiving. Written for the Second Day of Intercession for Foreign Missions, 1871, and published in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. In the 1889 Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern it is somewhat altered. 25. Most true, most High; O Trinity. Holy Trinity. A translation of Thomas á Kempis's "O vera summa Trinitas" made for the Rev. S. Kettlewell's Thomas á Kempis, 1882. 26. My Saviour! I behold Thy life. Passiontide. Published in his Lyra Fidelium, 1866, on Article iv. of the Apostles' Creed, "Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was Crucified, Dead, and Buried." 27. Need hath the golden city none. Evening. Written at Windsor in 1869, and was published in the Monthly Packet in 1870. Also in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. 28. None else but Thee for evermore. God the Father. The opening hymn of his Lyra Fidelium, 1866, on Article i. of the Apostles' Creed, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth." 29. 0 joy, the purest, noblest. Evening. A translation in two parts of Thomas á Kempis's "O qualis quantaque laetitia" made for the Rev. S. Kettlewell's Thomas á Kempis, 1882. Pt. ii. begins "State of divinest splendour!" 30. 0 Thou by Whom the saints abide. Litany of the Holy Spirit. Written for a Confirmation at Haggerston, 1875, and included in the 3rd edition of The Knight of Intercession, 1875. 31. 0 Thou Whose love paternal. Holy Matrimony. Written at Windsor in 1863. 32. On Olivet a little band. Ascension. Published in his Lyra Fidelium, 1866, on Article vi. of the Apostles’ Creed, “He ascended into Heaven," &c. 33. Peace: legacy of mystic power. Peace . Written in 1882 for The Society of St. Katharine for Invalids, and published in the Monthly Packet, 1884. 34. Remember Me, show forth My death. Holy Communion. Written at Windsor for the Monthly Packet, in 1870; and included in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. 35. The Son forsook the Father's home. Christmas. Published in his Lyra Fidelium, 1866, on Art. iii. of the Apostles' Creed, “Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary." 36. The old year's long campaign is o'er. The New Year. Written at Windsor in 1868, and published in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. 37. The whole creation groans and cries. Travail of the Creation. Written at Windsor for the Monthly Packet, 1869, and included in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. 38. The world is sad with hopes that die. Everlasting Life. Published in his Lyra Fidelium, 1866, on Art. xii. of the Apostles' Creed, "The Life Everlasting." 39. Their names are names of Kings. Saints Days. Written at Windsor for the Monthly Packet in 1869, and included in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. 40. There is an ancient river. The Spiritual River. Written at Windsor for the Monthly Packet, in 1870; and given in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. 41. Thou Who hast charged Thine elder sons. For School Teachers. Written in 1881 for St. Katharine's Training College for Mistresses; and subsequently adapted for use by teachers of both sexes. 42. Thou Who didst love us when our woes began. Temperance. Written for the Church of England Temperance Society Magazine, 1866. 43. Through midnight gloom from Macedon. Missions. Written for the First Day of Intercession for Foreign Missions, 1871. 44. Unchanging God, hear from eternal heaven. On behalf of the Jews. Written for the East London Mission to the Jews, 1885. It is included in an abridged form in the 1889 Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern. 45. While the Shepherds kept their vigil. Christmas Carol. Written at Windsor in 1868. 46. Winter in his heart of gloom. The Resurrection of the Body. Published in his Lyra Fidelium, 1866, on Article xi. of the Apostles' Creed, "The Resurrection of the Body." 47. Wistful are our waiting eyes. The Judgment. Published in his Lyra Fidelium, 1866, on Art. vii. of the Apostles' Creed, "From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead." 48. Ye faithful few of Israel's captive days. Holy Scriptures. Written at Windsor for the Monthly Packet, in 1869. Some of Mr. Stone's finer hymns, including "Round the Sacred City gather;" "The Church's One Foundation;" "Weary of earth and laden with my sin," and others, are annotated under their respective first lines. These, together with the 48 above, are given in his Hymns, 1886, some of the translations being recast. Additional translations from Thomas á Kempis are also noted under his name. Another hymn, inseparably associated with Mr. Stone's name is:— 49. Lord of our Soul's salvation. National Thanksgiving. This was ordered by command of Her Majesty the Queen to be sung at the Thanksgiving for the recovery of H. R. H. The Prince of Wales, on Feb. 27, 1872. In its original form it was in 7 stanzas of 8 lines, and was thus sung throughout the country. Owing however to the necessary restrictions as to time in the Cathedral service, a selection of four verses only--the First, a combination of the 2nd and 4th, the 6th, and the 7th--was adapted by the author for use in St. Paul's." The full text was included in The Knight of Intercession, 1872. Mr. Stone's hymns vary considerably in metre and subject, and thus present a pleasing variety not always found in the compositions of popular hymnwriters. His best hymns are well designed and clearly expressed. The tone is essentially dogmatic and hopeful. The absence of rich poetic thought and graceful fancy is more than atoned for by a masterly condensation of Scripture facts and of Church teaching given tersely and with great vigour. His changes and antitheses are frequently abrupt, in many instances too much so for congregational purposes, and his vocabulary is somewhat limited. His rhythm, except where broken either by long or by compound words, is rarely at fault, and his rhyme is usually perfect. A few of his hymns are plaintive and pathetic, as the tender "Weary of earth and laden with my sin;" others are richly musical, as "Lord of the harvest! it is right and meet:" but the greater part are strongly outspoken utterances of a manly faith, where dogma, prayer, and praise are interwoven with much skill. Usually the keynote of his song is Hope. He died Nov. 19, 1900. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ===================== Stone, S. J. , p. 1095, i. Of his hymns noted there the following appeared in Mission Life, 1872, vol. iii., pt. ii., pp. 685-88. No. 11, "Far off our brethren's voices," for Church Missionary Hymn Book, Colonial Missions, and No. 12, "Give the word, Eternal King," and No. 43, "Through midnight gloom from Macedon," for "Foreign Missions." In addition the following are also in common use:— 1. Awake, 0 Lord, the zeal of those who stand. Intercession for the Clergy. In the Church Missionary Hymn Book, 1899. 2. England, by thine own Saint Alban. St. Alban. In C. W. A. Brooke's Additional Hymns, 1903. 3. Our God of love Who reigns above. For Children. Appeared in the Church Monthly, July 1899, and Hymns Ancient & Modern, 1904. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Will L. Thompson

1847 - 1909 Person Name: W. L. T. Hymnal Number: 77 Author of "Softly and Tenderly" in Seth Parker's Hymnal Will Lamartine Thompson (1847-1909) Born: November 7, 1847, East Liverpool, Ohio. Died: September 20, 1909, New York, New York. Buried: Riverview Cemetery, East Liverpool, Ohio. Rebuffed in an early attempt to sell his songs to a commercial publisher, Thompson started his own publishing company. He later expanded, opening a store to sell pianos, organs and sheet music. Both a lyricist and composer, he ensured he would always remember words or melodies that came to him at odd times: "No matter where I am, at home or hotel, at the store or traveling, if an idea or theme comes to me that I deem worthy of a song, I jot it down in verse. In this way I never lose it." Thompson took ill during a tour of Europe, and his family cut short their travels to return home. He died a few weeks later. Music-- 1.Jesus Is All the World to Me 2.Lead Me Gently Home, Father 3.Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling 4.There’s a Great Day Coming --hymntime.com/tch ================================== Various biographical sketches and newspaper articles about Thompson are available in the DNAH Archives.

Knowles Shaw

1834 - 1878 Hymnal Number: 15 Author of "Bringing in the Sheaves" in Seth Parker's Hymnal Knowles Shaw (1834-1878), a name familiar in many western households--was born near New London, in Morgan Township, Ohio, on the 13th of October, 1834. His mother's maiden name was Huldah Griffin, and by both of his parents he was of Scottish extraction. His early life was spent in Rush County, Indiana, where he first began to play the violin, furnishing the music for many a dance. While the ball was going on he was converted, ceasing to play in the middle of the piece he was performing. Very soon thereafter he entered the ministry of the Christian Church. On the 11th of January, 1855, he married Miss Martha Finley. Most of his time after entering the ministry was spent in the West and South, and on account of his wonderful vocal powers he was called the "singing evangelist." As a singer he was considered, in some respects, equal to Sankey and Bliss. reporters of the press al spoke of his singing as something wonderful. Soon after beginning to preach, he began to compose and to write music. His first song was "The Shining Ones," still popular. He published at different times five singing-books: "Shining Pearls," "Golden Gate," "Sparkling Jewels," "The Gospel Trumpet," and the "Morning Star." "Bringing in the Sheaves" was one of the last songs from his hand. His last meeting was held in Dallas, Texas, in May 1878. He was killed by a railroad accident, going from Dallas to McKinney, on the 7th of June, 1878. During his ministry he baptized over eleven thousand persons. --A History and Biographical Cyclopedia of Butler County, Ohio. Cincinnati, 1882. DNAH Archives

John Keble

1792 - 1866 Hymnal Number: 97 Author of "Sun of My Soul" in Seth Parker's Hymnal Keble, John, M.A., was born at Fairford, in Gloucestershire, on St. Mark's Day, 1792. His father was Vicar of Coln St. Aldwin's, about three miles distant, but lived at Fairford in a house of his own, where he educated entirely his two sons, John and Thomas, up to the time of their entrance at Oxford. In 1806 John Keble won a Scholarship at Corpus Christi College, and in 1810 a Double First Class, a distinction which up to that time had been gained by no one except Sir Robert Peel. In 1811 he was elected a Fellow of Oriel, a very great honour, especially for a boy under 19 years of age; and in 1811 he won the University Prizes both for the English and Latin Essays. It is somewhat remarkable that amid this brilliantly successful career, one competition in which the future poet was unsuccessful was that for English verse, in which he was defeated by Mr. Rolleston. After his election at Oriel, he resided in College, and engaged in private tuition. At the close of 1813 he was appointed Examining Master in the Schools, and was an exceedingly popular and efficient examiner. On Trinity Sunday, 1815, he was ordained Deacon, and in 1816 Priest, by the Bishop of Oxford, and became Curate of East Leach and Burthorpe, though he still continued to reside at Oxford. In 1818 he was appointed College Tutor at Oriel, which office he retained until 1823. On the death of his mother in the same year, he left Oxford, and returned to live with his father and two surviving sisters at Fairford. In addition to East Leach and Burthorpe, he also accepted the Curacy of Southrop, and the two brothers, John and Thomas, undertook the duties between them, at the same time helping their father at Coln. It should be added, as an apology for Keble thus becoming a sort of pluralist among "the inferior clergy," that the population of all his little cures did not exceed 1000, nor the income £100 a year. In 1824 came the only offer of a dignity in the Church, and that a very humble one, which he ever received. The newly-appointed Bishop of Barbadoes (Coleridge) wished Keble to go out with him as Archdeacon, and but for his father's delicate state of health, he would probably have accepted the offer. In 1825 he became Curate of Hursley, on the recommendation of his old pupil, Sir William Heathcote; but in 1826, on the death of his sister, Mary Ann, he returned to Fairford, feeling that he ought not to separate himself from his father and only surviving sister. He supplied his father's place at Coln entirely. 1827 was memorable for the publication of The Christian Year, and 1828 for the election to the Provostship of Oriel, which his friends, rather than himself, seem to have been anxious to secure for him. In 1829 the living of Hursley was offered to him by Sir William Heathcote, but declined on the ground that he could not leave his father. In 1830 he published his admirable edition of Hooker's Works. In 1831 the Bishop of Exeter (Dr. Philpotts) offered him the valuable living of Paignton, but it was declined for the same reason that Hursley had been declined. In the same year he was also elected to the Poetry Professorship at Oxford. His Praelectiones in that capacity were much admired. In 1833 he preached his famous Assize Sermon at Oxford, which is said by Dr. Newman to have given the first start to the Oxford Movement. Very soon after the publication of this sermon the Tracts for the Times began to be issued. Of these Tracts Keble wrote Nos. 4, 13, 40, and 89. In 1835 his father died, and Keble and his sister retired from Fairford to Coln. In the same year he married Miss Clarke and the Vicarage of Hursley, again becoming vacant, was again offered to him by Sir W. Heathcote, and as the reason for his previous refusal of it no longer existed, he accepted the offer, and in 1836 settled at Hursley for the remainder of his life. That life was simply the life of a devoted and indefatigable parish priest, varied by intellectual pursuits. In 1864 his health began to give way, and on March 29, 1866, he passed away, his dearly loved wife only surviving him six weeks. Both are buried, side by side, in Hursley churchyard. In his country vicarage he was not idle with his pen. In 1839 he published his Metrical Version of the Psalms. The year before, he began to edit, in conjunction with Drs. Pusey and Newman, the Library of the Fathers. In 1846 he published the Lyra Innocentium, and in 1847 a volume of Academical and Occasional Sermons. His pen then seems to have rested for nearly ten years, when the agitation about the Divorce Bill called forth from him in 1851 an essay entitled, An Argument for not proceeding immediately to repeal the Laws which treat the Nuptial Bond as Indissoluble; and in the same year the decision of Archbishop Sumner in the Denison case elicited another essay, the full title of which is The Worship of Our Lord and Saviour in the Sacrament of the Holy Communion, but which is shortly entitled, Eucharistical Adoration. In 1863 he published his last work, The Life of Bishop Wilson (of Sodor and Man). This cost him more pains than anything he wrote, but it was essentially a labour of love. In the popular sense of the word "hymn," Keble can scarcely be called a hymnwriter at all. Very many of his verses have found their way into popular collections of Hymns for Public Worship, but these are mostly centos. Often they are violently detached from their context in a way which seriously damages their significance. Two glaring instances of this occur in the Morning and Evening hymns. In the former the verse "Only, O Lord, in Thy dear love, Fit us for perfect rest above," loses half its meaning when the preceding verse, ending "The secret this of rest below," is excised, as it generally is in collections for public worship, and the same may be said of that most familiar of all Keble's lines, "Sun of my soul, thou Saviour dear," which has of course especial reference to the preceding verse, "'Tis gone, that bright and orbed blaze," &c. The Lyra Innocentium has furnished but few verses which have been adopted into hymn collections; the Psalter has been more fortunate, but the translations from the Latin are almost unknown. Taking, however, the word "hymn" in the wider sense in which Dr. Johnson defines it, as "a song of adoration to some superior being," Keble stands in the very first rank of hymnwriters. His uneventful life was the very ideal life for such a poet as Keble was, but not the sort of life which would be best adapted to train a popular hymnwriter. The Christian Year and the Lyra Innocentium reflect in a remarkable degree the surroundings of the writer. They are essentially the works of a refined and cultured mind, and require a refined and cultured mind to enter into their spirit. Keble, all his life long, and never more than in the earlier portion of it, before he wrote, and when he was writing The Christian Year, breathed an atmosphere of culture and refinement. He had imbibed neither the good nor the evil which the training of a public or even of a private, school brings. It was not even the ordinary home education which he had received. He had been trained, up to the very time of his going to college, by his father, who was clearly a man of culture and refinement, and had been himself successively Scholar and Fellow of Corpus. When he went to Oxford, he can scarcely be said to have entered into the whirl of university life. The Corpus of those days has been admirably described by Keble's own biographer, Sir John Coleridge, and by Dean Stanley in his Life of Dr. Arnold; and the impression which the two vivid pictures leave upon the mind is that of a home circle, on rather a large scale, composed of about twenty youths, all more or less scholarly and refined, and some of them clearly destined to become men of mark. When he removed across the road to Oriel, he found himself in the midst of a still more distinguished band. Whether at home or at college he had never come into contact with anything rude or coarse. And his poetry is just what one would expect from such a career. Exquisitely delicate and refined thoughts, expressed in the most delicate and refined language, are characteristic of it all. Even the occasional roughnesses of versification may not be altogether unconnected with the absence of a public school education, when public schools laid excessive stress upon the form of composition, especially in verse. The Christian Year again bears traces of the life which the writer led, in a clerical atmosphere, just at the eve of a great Church Revival, "cujus pars magna fuit." “You know," he writes to a friend, “the C. Y. (as far as I remember it) everywhere supposes the Church to be in a state of decay." Still more obviously is this the case in regard to the Lyra Innocentium. It was being composed during the time when the writer was stricken by what he always seems to have regarded as the great sorrow of his life. Not the death of his nearest relations—-and he had several trials of this kind—-not the greatest of his own personal troubles dealt to him so severe a blow as the secession of J. H. Newman to the Church of Rome. The whole circumstances of the fierce controversy connected with the Tract movement troubled and unsettled him; and one can well understand with what a sense of relief he turned to write, not for, but about, little children, a most important distinction, which has too often been unnoticed. If the Lyra had been written for children it would have been an almost ludicrous failure, for the obscurity which has been frequently complained of in The Christian Year, is still more conspicuous in the latter work. The title is somewhat misleading, and has caused it to be regarded as a suitable gift-book for the young, who are quite incapable of appreciating it. For the Lyra is written in a deeper tone, and expresses the more matured convictions of the author; and though it is a far less successful achievement as a whole, it rises in places to a higher strain of poetry than The Christian Year does. Another marked feature of Keble's poetry is to a great extent traceable to his early life, viz. the wonderful accuracy and vividness of his descriptions of natural scenery. The ordinary schoolboy or undergraduate cares little for natural scenery. The country is to him a mere playing field. But Keble's training led him to love the country for its own sake. Hence, as Dean Stanley remarks, “Oxford, Bagley Wood, and the neighbourhood of Hursley might be traced through hundreds of lines, both in The Christian Year and the Lyra Innocentium.” The same writer testifies, with an authority which no other Englishman could claim, to "the exactness of the descriptions of Palestine, which he [Keble] had never visited.” And may not this remarkable fact be also traced to some extent to his early training? Brought up under the immediate supervision of a pious father, whom he venerated and loved dearly, he had been encouraged to study intelligently his Bible in a way in which a boy differently educated was not likely to do. Hence, as Sir John Coleridge remarks, "The Christian Year is so wonderfully scriptural. Keble's mind was, by long, patient and affectionate study of Scripture, so imbued with it that its language, its train of thought, its mode of reasoning, seems to flow out into his poetry, almost, one should think, unconsciously to himself." To this may we not add that the same intimate knowledge of the Bible had rendered the memory of the Holy Land so familiar to him that he was able to describe it as accurately as if he had seen it? One other early influence of Keble's life upon his poetry must be noticed. Circumstances brought him into contact with the "Lake poets." The near relation of one of the greatest of them had been his college friend, and John Coleridge introduced him to the writings not only of his uncle, S. T. Coleridge, but also of Wordsworth, to whom he dedicated his Praelectiones, and whose poetry and personal character he admired enthusiastically. To the same college friend he was indebted for an introduction to Southey, whom he found to be "a noble and delightful character," and there is no doubt that the writings of these three great men, but especially Wordsworth, had very much to do with the formation of Keble's own mind as a poet. It has been remarked that in Keble's later life his poetical genius seemed to have, to a great extent, forsaken him; and that the Miscellaneous Poems do not show many traces of the spirit which animated The Christian Year and the Lyra Innocentium. Perhaps one reason for this change may be found in the increased interest "which Keble took in public questions which were not conducive to the calm, introspective state of mind so necessary to the production of good poetry. The poet should live in a world of his own, not in a world perpetually wrangling about University Reform, about Courts of Final Appeal, about Marriage with Deceased Wife's Sister, and other like matters into which Keble, in his later years, threw himself—heart and soul. It is not needful to say much about Keble's other poetical works, The Psalter was not a success, and Keble did not expect it to be. It was undertaken," he tells us, "in the first instance with a serious apprehension, which has since grown into a full conviction, that the thing attempted is, strictly speaking, impossible." At the same time, if Keble did not achieve what he owned to be impossible, he produced a version which has the rare merit of never offending against good taste; one which in every line reflects the mind of the cultured and elegant scholar, who had been used to the work of translating from other languages into English. Hymnal compilers have hitherto strangely neglected this volume; but it is a volume worth the attention of the hymn compiler of the future. There is scarcely a verse in it which would do discredit to any hymnbook; while there are parts which would be an acquisition to any collection. His translations from the Latin have not commended themselves to hymnal compilers. Some of his detached hymns have been more popular. But it is after all as writer of The Christian Year that Keble has established his claim to be reckoned among the immortals. It would be hardly too much to say that what the Prayer Book is in prose, The Christian Year is in poetry. They never pall upon one; they realise Keble's own exquisite simile:— "As for some dear familiar strain Untired we ask, and ask again; Ever in its melodious store Finding a spell unheard before." And it would hardly be too bold to prophesy that The Christian Year will live as long as the Prayer Book, whose spirit Keble had so thoroughly imbibed, and whose "soothing influence" it was his especial object to illustrate and commend. [Rev. John H. 0verton, D.D.] Keble's hymns, poetical pieces, and translations appeared in the following works :— (1.) The Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holy days Throughout the Year. Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1827. Preface dated "May 30th, 1827." The last poem, that on the “Commination," is dated March 9, 1827. The poems on the "Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea," "Gunpowder Treason," "King Charles the Martyr," "The Restoration of the Royal Family," "The Accession," and "Ordination," were added to the 4th edition, 1828. The Messrs. Parker have pub. a large number of editions to date, including a facsimile reprint of the first edition, and an edition with the addition of the dates of composition of each poem. A facsimile of Keble's manuscript as it existed in 1822 was also lithographed in 1882, by Eliot Stock, but its publication was suppressed by a legal injunction, and only a few copies came into the hands of the public. Since the expiration of the first copyright other publishers have issued the work in various forms. (2.) Contributions to the British Magazine, which were included in Lyra Apostolica, 1836, with the signature of "γ." (3.) The Psalter or Psalms of David; In English Verse; By a Member of the University of Oxford. Adapted for the most part, to Tunes in Common Use; and dedicated by permission to the Lord Bishop of Oxford. . . . Oxford, John Henry Parker: J. G. & F. Rivington, London, MDCCCXXXIX. Preface dated “Oxford, May 29, 1839." (4.) The Child's Christian Year: Hymns for every Sunday and Holy-Day. Compiled for the use of Parochial Schools. Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1841. This was compiled by Mrs. Yonge. Keble wrote the Preface, dated “Hursley, Nov. 6, 1841," and signed it “J. K." To it he contributed the four poems noted below. (5.) Lyra Innocentium: Thoughts in Verse on Christian Children, their Ways and their Privileges . . . Oxford: John Henry Parker : F. & J. Rivington, London, 1846. The Metrical Address (in place of Preface) “To all Friendly Readers," is dated "Feb. 8, 1846." (6.) Lays of the Sanctuary, and otter Poems. Compiled and Edited by G. Stevenson de M. Rutherford... London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1859. This was a volume of poems published on behalf of Mrs. Elizabeth Good. To it Keble contributed the three pieces noted below. (7.) The Salisbury Hymn-Book 1857. Edited by Earl Nelson. To this be contributed a few hymns, some translations from the Latin, and some rewritten forms of well-known hymns, as "Guide me, 0 Thou great Jehovah," &c. (8.) Miscellaneous Poems by the. Rev. J. Keble, M.A., Vicar of Hursley. Oxford and London: Parker & Co., 1869. The excellent Preface to this posthumous work is dated "Chester, Feb. 22, 1869," and is signed "G.M," i.e. by George Moberly, late Bishop of Salisbury. This volume contains Keble's Ode written for the Installation of the Duke of Wellington as Chancellor of the University of Oxford, in 1834, his poems from the Lyra Apostolica, his hymns named above, his translations from the Latin, and other pieces not published in his works. The most important centos from The Christian Year, which are in common use as hymns, and also the hymns contributed to the Salisbury Hymn Book, 1857, are annotated in full under the first lines of the original poems. The translations from the Latin and Greek are given under the first lines of the originals. There are also several of his more important pieces noted in the body of this work. Those that …have no special history, are the following (the dates given being those of the composition of each piece):— i. From The Christian Year, 1827 and 1828. 1. Creator, Saviour, strengthening Guide. Trinity Sunday. (March 3, 1826.) 2. Father, what treasures of sweet thought. Churching of Women. (March 13, 1827.) 3. God is not in the earthquake: but behold. 9th Sunday after Trinity. The still mall voice. (Aug. 13,1822.) 4. In troublous days of anguish and rebuke. 9th S. after Trinity. The still small voice. (Aug. 13, 1822.) 5. Lessons sweet of spring returning. 1st Sunday after Epiphany. Spring. (May 17,1824.) 6. My Saviour, can it ever be? 4th Sunday after Easter. The promised Comforter. 7. 0 Father of long suffering grace. 18th Sunday after Trinity. God's longsuffering. (Oct. 6, 1823.) 8. 0 God of mercy, God of might, How should, &c. Holy Communion. (Jan. 31, 1827.) 9. 0 Lord my God, do Thou Thy holy will. Wednesday before Easter. Resignation. (Aug. 13, 1821.) 10. 0 say not, dream [think] not, heavenly notes. Catechism. (Feb. 16, 1827.) 11. 0 shame upon thee, listless heart. SS. Philip & James. (Aug. 3, 1825.) 12. 0 who shall dare in this frail scene? St. Mark's Day. (1820.) 13. Red o'er the forest peers the setting sun. 23rd Sunday after Trinity. The Resurrection of the body. (Nov. 12, 1825.) 14. Spirit of Christ, Thine earnest give. Ordination. (March 28, 1828.) 15. Spirit of light and truth, to Thee. Ordination. (March 28, 1828.) 16. Spirit of might and sweetness too. Confirmation. (Feb. 21, 1827.) 17. Sweet nurslings of the vernal skies. 15th S. after Trinity. Consider the lilies. Live for today. (Feb. 3, 1826) 18. The days of hope and prayer are past. 4th Sunday after Easter. The promised Comforter. 19. The live-long night we've toiled in vain. 5th Sunday after Trinity. Miracle of the Fishes. (1821.) 20. The midday sun with fiercest glare. Conversion of St. Paul. (Mar. 2,1822.) 21. The shadow of the Almighty's cloud. Confirmation. (Feb. 22, 1827.) 22. The silent joy that sinks so deep. 2nd Sunday after Epiphany. Turning Water into Wine. 23. Then, fainting soul, arise and sing. 4th Sunday after Easter. The promised Comforter. 24. When brothers part for manhood's race. St. Andrew's Day. (Jan. 27, 1822.) 25. Who is God’s chosen priest ? St. Matthias's Day. 26. Why doth my Saviour weep? 10th Sunday after Trinity. Christ weeping over Jerusalem. (1819.) 27. Why should we faint and fear to live alone? 24th Sunday after Trinity. God's goodness in veiling the future. (June 7, 1825.) 28. Wish not, dear friends, my pain away. 16th Sunday after Trinity. Resignation. (1824.) ii. From The Psalter, 1839. 29. From deeps so wild and drear. Ps. cxxx. 30. God our Hope and Strength abiding. Ps. xlvi. 31. How pleasant, Lord of hosts, how dear. Ps. lxxxiv. 32. Lord, be my Judge, for I have trod. Ps. xxvi. 33. Lord, Thy heart in love hath yearned. Ps. lxxxv. 34. Lord, Thou hast search'd me out and known. Ps. cxxxix 35. My God, my God, why hast Thou me? Ps. xxii. 36. My Shepherd is the living God. Ps. xxiii. 37. My Shepherd is the Lord; J know. Ps. xxiii. 38. Praise the Lord, for He is love. Ps. cxxxvi. 39. Praise ye the Lord from heaven. Ps.cxlviii. 40. Sing the song unheard before. Ps. xcvi. 41. Sound high Jehovah's Name. Ps. cxxxv. 42. The earth is all the Lord's, with all. Ps. xxiv. 43. The mercies of the Lord my God. Ps. lxxxix. 44. The seed of Jacob, one and all. Ps. xxii. iii. From The Child's Christian Year, 1841, and later editions. 45. Bethlehem, above all cities blest. Innocents’ Day. 46. Lo, from the Eastern hills the Lord. l0th Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel. (Late editions.) 47. Our God in glory sits on high. 1st Sunday after Easter. The Epistle. 48. When Christ to village comes or town. 16th Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel. (Late editions.) iv. From Lyra Innocentium, 1846. 49. Christ before thy door is waiting. Presence of Christ in His poor; or, Offertory. 50. How [When] the new-born saints, assembling. Offertory. 51. Once in His Name Who made thee. Holy Baptism. 52. Who for the like of me will care? Naamans' Servant-maid v. From Lays of the Sanctuary, 1859. 53. Lord, lift my heart to Thee at morn. Emigrant's Midnight Hymn. 54. O Love unseen, we know Thee nigh. Cento from No. 53. 55. Slowly the gleaming stars retire. Morning Hymn for Emigrants at Sea. 56. The twilight hour is sweet at home. Evening hymn for Emigrants at Sea. The editor of Keble's Miscellaneous Poems says concerning Nos. 53, 55, and 56:— "The three hymns for Emigrants, for use at Midnight, Morning, and Evening, were written at the request of his friend Sir Frederic Rogers, at that time Emigration Commissioner. They were printed in the first edition of the ‘Prayers for Emigrants, which he had compiled, but were subsequently omitted, perhaps as being thought not sufficiently simple for the class of people for whose use the Book of Prayers was chiefly intended." Preface, p. vi. It is found that nearly 100 hymns (counting centos as such) by Keble are in common use at the present time, and of these some rank with the finest and most popular in the English language. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

William W. Walford

1772 - 1850 Person Name: W. W. Walford Hymnal Number: 99 Author of "Sweet Hour of Prayer" in Seth Parker's Hymnal William W. Walford, a blind preacher of England, is the author of the hymn beginning "Sweet hour of prayer." This hymn first appeared in print in the New York Observer September 13, 1845. The contributor who furnished the hymn says: "During my residence at Coleshill, Warwickshire, England, I became acquainted with W. W. Walford, the blind preacher, a man of obscure birth and connections and no education, but of strong mind and most retentive memory. In the pulpit he never failed to select a lesson well adapted to his subject, giving chapter and verse with unerring precision, and scarcely ever misplacing a word in his repetition of the Psalms, every part of the New Testament, the prophecies, and some of the histories, so as to have the reputation of knowing the whole Bible by heart." Rev. Thomas Salmon, who was settled as the pastor of the Congregational Church at Coleshill in 1838, remained until 1842, and then removed to the United States, is believed to have been the contributor who says of the hymn: "I rapidly copied the lines with my pencil as he uttered them, and send them for insertion in the Observer if you think them worthy of preservation." From: Nutter, C. S., & Tillett, W. F. (1911). The hymns and hymn writers of the church, an annotated edition of The Methodist hymnal. New York: Methodist Book Concern.

William D. Longstaff

1822 - 1894 Person Name: W. D. Longstaff Hymnal Number: 137 Author of "Take Time to Be Holy" in Seth Parker's Hymnal William Dunn Longstaff United Kingdom 1822-1894. Born at Sunderland, Durham, England, the son of a wealthy ship owner, he was a person of independent financial means. Although Longstaff had everything he desired, he still had an empty feeling in his life, and attended church one day and was inspired by words of a China missionary, Griffith John, on furlough to England, preaching at a service in Keswick, England, citing I Peter 1:16, “Be ye holy, for I am holy”. That resulted in him giving his heart to the Lord and beginning a Christian life, dedicated to God. He became a generous philanthropist and was influential in evangelical circles. Following his friend, Rev Arthur A Rees, a persuasive Welsh preacher, who left the Anglican priesthood after disagreements with his rector and bishop, Dunn served as church treasurer for Ree’s Bethesda Free Chapel in Sunderland. He married Joice Burlinson in 1853 and they had eight children: William, Hannah, Rhoda, Amelia, Ernest, Nora, Marnia, and Minnie. Longstaff befriended well-known evangelists, including William Booth of the Salvation Army, to whose work he generously contributed. Some of Langstaff’s hymns were published in the Salvation Army magazine, “The War Cry” during the 1880s. He also financed Dwight Moody’s evangelical crusades in England and Scotland when Moody’s funding dried up after their financier died. During the crusade they preached to 20,000 people. Longstaff did not forget that first sermon he heard, and it prompted the writing of his hymn lyrics, which he later showed to Ira Sankey during their crusade. Sankey showed it to George Stebbins, who set it to music in 1882 during a revival in India. In 1881 Longstaff’s wife died. He died at Sunderland, England. John Perry

Sanford Fillmore Bennett

1836 - 1898 Person Name: S. F. Bennett Hymnal Number: 10 Author of "Sweet By and By" in Seth Parker's Hymnal Sanford Fillmore Bennett was born in Eden, New York, 21 June 1836. He and his parents moved to Plainfield, Illinois when he was two years old. He worked on the farm and attended district school during the winter. He was a voracious reader. At sixteen he entered Waukegon Academy. Two years later he began teaching at Wauconda. In 1858 he entered the University of Michigan, Afterward he had charge of the schools in Richmond, Illinois. Two years later he resigned and became Associate Editor of the Independent at Elkhorn, Wisconsin. In 1864 he enlisted in the Wisconsin Volunteers and served as Second Lieutenant. After the war he returned to Elkhorn and opened a drug store and began the study of medicine. He graduated from Rush Medical College in 1874. Dianne Shapiro, from "The Singers and Their Songs: sketches of living gospel hymn writers" by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (Chicago: The Rodeheaver Company, 1916)

William C. Martin

1864 - 1914 Person Name: W. C. Martin Hymnal Number: 90 Author of "My Anchor Holds" in Seth Parker's Hymnal Rv William Clark Martin USA 1864-1914. Born at Hightstown, NJ, he graduated from the Peddie Institute in Hightstown in 1884, and in 1891 from the Crozer Theological Seminary, Upland, PA. He became minister of the Grace Baptist Church, Camden, NJ,(1891-1894); Noank Baptist Church, Noank, CT (1894-1900); Tabernacle Baptist Church, New Albany, IN (1902-1904); First Baptist Church, Seymour, IN (1902-1904); First Baptist Church, Bluffton, IN (1904-1909); Grace Baptist Church, Somerville, MA (1909-1912); and First Baptist Church, Fort Myers, FL (1912-1914). In 1891 he married Euretta (Etta) May Wilcox, and they had at least three children (no names found). He penned many hymn lyrics. He died of heart failure at his farm in Rialto, FL. John Perry

W. P. Mackay

1839 - 1885 Person Name: Wm. P. Mackay Hymnal Number: 74 Author of "Revive Us Again" in Seth Parker's Hymnal Mackay, William Paton, M.D., was born at Montrose, May 13, 1839, and educated at the University of Edinburgh. After following his medical profession for a time, he became minister of Prospect Street Presbyterian Church, Hull, in 1868, and died from an accident, at Portree, Aug. 22, 1885. Seventeen of his hymns are in W. Reid's Praise Book, 1872. Of these the best known is "We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love" (Praise to God), written 1863, recast 1867. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix II (1907) ====================== Born: May 13, 1839, Montrose, Scotland. Died: August 22, 1885, Portree, Scotland, of an accident. Mackay graduated from the University of Edinburgh and initially worked as a doctor. However, he was ordained, and in 1868 became pastor of the Prospect Street Presbyterian Church in Hull. He married Mary Loughton Livingstone 1868 in Kingston Upon Hull, Yorkshire; they were living in Sculcoates, Yorkshire, as of 1881. Seventeen of his hymns appeared in W. Reid’s Praise Book in 1872. Sources: Hustad, p. 278 Julian, p. 1667 Reynolds, p. 365 http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/m/a/c/mackay_wp.htm