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invalid, and one of her principal books published was “The Invalid’s Hymn Book.” Her heart seemed to go out to those who were afflicted as she herself was. The story of her conversion ¡S' very interesting as it came through a personal interview with Dr. Caesar Malan of Geneva. While visiting at her home he asked her some searching questions regarding her spiritual life. She was offended at this and said she did not care to discuss religion. Several days after this she apologized for her abrupt reply, and told Dr. Malan she did not know how to find Christ, to which he replied, “Come to Him just as you are.” This led to her conversion and the consecration of her life to active service for H im ; and one of the great things in that service was the writing of “Just as I Am,” which has been used of God to lead countless thousands into the light. Sarah Flower Adams (1805-1848), the author of “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” was the daughter of the editor of the Cambridge Intelligencer. She was a beauti ful and gifted woman and was a member of the Unitarian congregation of Rev. W. J. Fox of London. She was a friend of Robert Browning, who referred to her as a “very remarkable person,” and Leigh Hunt called her “rare mistress of thought and tears.” This hymn takes high rank among the best hymns in the English language. It is the most widely used of any hymn written by any woman hymnist, yet it has been widely criticized because of its supposed Unitarian sentiment. Much has been “read into” it that is not there, and much truth that is there has been overlooked. The English Baptists added a verse using the word “Christ,” and Bishop How of .London rewrote it in 1864, substituting the “cross” for the figure of Jacob’s ladder as the original has it. Mrs. Elizabeth Pay- son Prentiss, author of “Stepping Heavenward,” has written that splendid and much-used hymn, “More Love to Thee, O Christ,” in the same meter, and whether writ ten as an imitation of “Nearer, my God, to Thee,” or not, the parallel is quite marked. Dr. Breed has written regard ing Mrs. Adams’ hymn: “If it were not so great a hymn it would not have met with so many attempts to alter or displace it.” But in spite of the criticism the hymn retains its hold on the worshiper, with its heart message. T ran slators o f H y m n s H old a n I m po r t a n t P lace Next to writing a hymn, the most important thing in hymnology may be said to be the translation of some gem from another language. Many of our best commonly used hymns would be unknown were it not for the scholarly and devout translations by lyrical writers who might never have been known for their original work. To this class belong Miss Jane Borthwick and her sister, Mrs. Sarah Findlater (early nineteenth century), who col laborated in translating from the German a group of hymns which they edited under the title of “Hymns from the Land of Luther.” Jane Borthwick’s “My Jesus, as Thou Wilt,” found in every English hymn book, is a translation from the poem “Mein Jesu, wie Du Willst,” by Benjamin Schmolck, a Lutheran pastor of Silesia, who wrote nine hundred hymns and was the most popular of the German hymn writers of his time and was called the “Second Gerhardt.” This was written in the first decade of the eighteenth century and gives us a fine illustration of a gem brought out in English after being used only in German for over one hundred years. In the same class with these two sisters is Catherine Winkworth (1829-1878). She has given us a fine English setting of “Nun Danket Alle Gott” (Now thank We All
Father, whate’er of earthly bliss Thy sovereign will denies, Accepted at Thy throne of grace, Let this petition rise. Another of her hymns in common use i s : Dear Refuge of my weary soul, On Thee when sorrows rise, On Thee when waves of trouble roll, My fainting hope relies.
One hundred years after Miss Steele’s day lived Fran ces Ridley Havergal. The two have some things in com mon as to style and experience, and this has led some to call Miss Havergal “the Theodosia of the nineteenth cen tury.” She also was the daughter of a minister, W. H. Havergal, and inherited his literary and musical gifts. At a very early age she showed the instincts of a writer. She has given us many hymns, and “she lives and speaks in every line of her poetry . . . . Her poems are permeated with the fragrance of her passionate love of Jesus.” Her greatest hymns are “Take My Life and Let it Be,” “True Hearted, Whole Hearted,” “Who is on the Lord’s Side?” and “I Gave My Life for Thee.” The last was written in Germany, inspired by a picture of Christ (supposed to have been the famous “Ecce Homo” which she saw in Düsseldorf. In the comparison with Miss Steele we note the same evangelistic fervor and intense devotion to their Lord—Miss Steele thinking more of the “bleeding, dying Lord,” and Miss Havergal more of His living help and sympathy. Miss Steele probably covered a wider range of subjects, but Miss Havergal has given more direct help for personal Christian service. We owe much to the two Theodosias. S om e W e l l - K n o w n W om e n H y m n W r iter s Another eighteenth-century writer is Harriet Auber (1773-1825), who was a member of the Church of Eng land. One of her best-known hymns is the paraphrase of Psalm 72, “Hasten, Lord, the Glorious Time,” found in nearly all hymn books. This is taken from her book of poems, “The Spirit of the Psalms.” Another beautiful hymn is: Our blest Redeemer, e’er He breathed His tender, last farewell, A Guide, a Comforter bequeathed With us to dwell. One of the unsolved problems of hymnology is that concerning a writer known in the hymn books as “Mrs. Vokes,” born in the latter part of the eighteenth century. All “her” hymns are found in “Selections of Missionary Hymns,” published by Rev. John Griffin in 1797. About thirty in this book are signed “Mrs. Vokes,” but the real Identity of the writer has never been known. Dr. Robinson attributes some of her songs to Rev. B. H. Draper of Southampton, but it is all uncertain. Nevertheless, out of this uncertainty we have these beautiful hymns—“Ye Christian Heralds, go Proclaim Salvation in Immanuel’s Name,” “Soon may the Last Glad Song Arise,” and “ Sovereign of Wonders, Display Thy Power.” So, while the enigma of the hymnist as to “Who was Mrs. Vokes?” may never be solved, yet the songs remain to bless the world. Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871) ranks high as a hymn writer because she has left us the greatest evangelistic hymn ever written, “Just as I Am! Without One Plea.” Like many of these women writers, she, too, was an
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