352
T H' E ? -K fis G ’"S
B U S I N K'S S
%une 1928
**ê>a 1
occasions as a reminder o f the authority o f the government to execute capital punishment. Paul plainly says ‘‘he bear- eth not the sword, without credentials” (fo r scf the last words.may be rendered). As Christians we cannot take part in violence and mur der, nor do evil for any man.- We-should uphold (he au thorities and the existing constitution, •remembering that extreme measures are necessary to control crime among unregenerate men and to restrain the murderous impulses which would bring terror to society. Our correspondent calls attention to a statement in our March issue (p. 169) relative to the death of Mozart and the last words of his’ daughter fo the great musician. We have been unable to locate the author o f this article, but it appears that Mpzart had no daughter.. -,c~. 1 Professor Trowbridge o f our music 'department in forms'us-that Mozart was married and bis'W ife whs the grand-dàughtëf o f the great 'C a rl Maria von Weber, Mozart married at the-age of twenty-five ahd died in 1791 at the age o f thirty-five years, ten months àtld eight days. He had two children, both sons, and you cari see that’ the oldest o f them was not tnore than eight "or nine years of age when their father died ; and he had no daughter to console him in his làsf'days. The writer o f the artièle might have got mixed up with thé fact that his sister-in-law did take very tènder cate o f him in his last illness o f several months, artd in his last days and weeks several o f h is ’favorite friends and pupils were with him to cohifort hint’, his wife being-ill at the time. Bibles For the Blind S OME blind folks have been trying fo r years to accumu late money enough to purchase the Bible in whole or in part, according to reports received by the American Bible Society, New. York City, which has just completed, its ninety-second year, o f service to the Blind, during which it has distributed nearly 75,000 embossed volumes of the Scriptures in 18 languages and blind reading-systems. “ My age is continually piling up,” writes one man, “ and I figure that. I will be. seventy-nine years old— seven years more—before I am in possession o f the complete Bible.” Because of the space taken by-the large raised letters felt by the blind fingers, a Bible when complete is from;40 to 60 times larger than the ink-print rbooks in general use. The separate volumes contain a single -Gospel, or at best but two or three Books of the Scriptures.; . While a Bible in ink-print can be bought for less than a dollar, the entire Bibie for the blind, in Braille, costs oyer eighty dollars, but is sold by the.Bible Society for twenty- one dollars, one dollar a volume. Where possible, em bossed volumes are sent, with no financial return, to those who are unable to buy! The number of volumes which it was felt could be sent; last year, to any one blind person was a maximum of six as a donation. Even under this limitation, the demand o f a half year used up almost all the book's which the Society?s appropriation for a whole year enabled'it to supply: - There are 100,000 blind in the United States, of which number ninety percent become blind when adults.. Mozart’s Last Hours To J. M.
$ 4
STORIES OF OUR N DURING HYMNS
NE of the most popular Gospel hymns o f the church has beèn J; P. Webster’s prodüction “ In The Sweet By and. By.-” :; The story o f it is most interesting.' Webster was a patient of Dr. S. F. Bennett, practicing in Elkhorn, W is consin. It was in 1867' when Webster one day, wearing a most melancholy look, entered the doctor’s office,,carrying his violin casé. Webster was given to haw ing fits of the blues. Dr. Bennett, who was something of a poet, was quite familiar with his patient’s tendency to despondency, ; He had discovered that one way to" assist him was' to bring Webster’s musical talents into use. 'Thé doctor would write poetry and give it to Webster to set to music. His patient would become greatly interested' iti this and would forget his troubles. 'On , this particular' daÿ the doctor,' seeing that'"his patient wasgféatly depressed,; inqdired, “ Well,'Webster, what is 'the matter;now : “ Oh, nothing,” he replied; “ it will be all right in the sweet 'b y and by.” ’ “ Why not make a song out o f that ?” askêd thé'doctor, and going to'hisdesk,"he.'penciled the following ’Vers'e'Si'SI1
"‘There’s a land that is"fairer- thari day r-And by. faith -we can.see.it a fa r;:. , . , For the Father, waits over.the way, ^ To prepare us a dwelling-place there. ,. :GHORqS.ji^ “In the sweet by and by, We shall meét ón that béàutifui shore ; I n ’thè SWeèfby and by, We shall meet'on that beautiful'shore,, “W e’'Shali sing on that beautiful .shore 1• The melodious .songs of the blest, . And our spirits sh.all sorrow no more, Not. a sigh for tbe, blessing'of rest.
- , ; “ To our bountiful Father, above, . ! ,,-n , W e will offer the tribute, pf praise 1 , For the glorious gift o f His love, ' ■And’-fhe blessings that hallow our days.’’'""’ Webster glanced them through, and pulling ,his violin from its case, played off the melody. It, seemed to fit the words. He scratched it off on paper and hastily filled in the harmony». Just then two friends happened in. The doctor suggested that they had a quartet and could try the music. Thus-, for the first time, this beautiful song Was heard, sung in a doctor’s office by an impromptu quartet. ' It was a long time before Webster c-ould get rid o f his song. Publishers to whom he submitted it did not seem to print it. Finally Lyon & Healy took it from his, hands, merely out of pity. It was stowed, away with some dead manuscripts, until some years later when one song was needed to fill out a hymn-book they were about to publish. So “ The Sweet By and By” 'started on its career around the world. Sankey took it up as one o f his work ing hymns in the D. L . Moody meetings. It has sung its way into thousands of hearts since, yet it was only by a chance that it Was published at all.
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker