HYMNS-ANCIENT AND MODERN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2764, 6 May 1916, Page 10

HYMNS-ANCIENT AND MODERN

. NOTABLE POEMS IN NEW SUPPLEMENT . A. "second; sitpplejneiit'' to "Hymns Ancient and Modern" lias just been issued, which adds 140 hymiis and new tunes to the original book and gives also a series of about a hundred alternative tunes for some of the hymns contained in the old collection. The supplement is .intended to be used with the oldor book; and by publishing it as a separate roluino the compilers have avoided'the pitfalls of attempted emendation ~aad Cmger of criticism like that -which followed the publication. of tho new edition ten years ago. • _ Notable omissions in a volume of the size which bandinoss demands that this supplement should be have, of course,' been unavoidable, but the selection which has.actually been made contains lit.tle or nothing that is not of real valuo in our hymnology.Of ancient hymns,only a few have been included, hut among these are the "Salvo Festa dies," from the Sarum Breviary, and Mrs. Alexander's rendering, of the Lorica of St. .Patrick:

I bind unto myself to-day The strong name of the Trinity, which is let to ancient Irish melodies arranged by Sir Charles Stanford and based on his fuller setting in anthem form. Among these, too, is a hymn by Martin Tnpper, from the Anglo-Saxon, 'which is attributed to King Alfred, and of older poems are the fine verses— 'God be in my'head and in my understanding, from tho Sarum Primer, which was published in the Oxford Hymn Book, and a version of Buuyan's "True Valour," which is claimed by the compilers as being much nearer to the original than the version in the .English Hymnal. Two tunes, of which one, "Remember, 0 thou man,;' was probably familiar to Banyan himself, are given, with these verses, of which the first is: Who would true valour see .Let him eomo hither;. One here will constant be, 1 Come wind, come weather; There's no discouragement Shall mako Km once relent His first avow'd intont" To be a pilgrim. In the selection of more modern hymns there appears to have been .in the mind of the compilers an intention to avoid the dolefulness which has been lately urged against our hymnology,. and tho number or exhilarating and spirited hymns chosen is remarkable. "From the. proportionately large number of Wesley's hymns which are included, "Head of Thy Church Triumphant" and "Ye.Servants of God Your Master Proclaim," are good examples of this more militant Christian spirit, as are, too, Bishop Heher's "Brightest and best of tilt! sons of the morning," "There was joy in heaven," the noble hymns for Michaelmas:

Oh, captain o' Clod's host whose dreadful might Led forth t» war the armed seraphim. . . Frances Hav'ergal's "Who is on the Lord's Side?" and Hark! 'tis the watchman's cry, Wake, brethren, wake! which, is republished from the "Revival Magazine" of 1859. Among notable inclusions are Addison's hymn, "Tlie spacious firmament on high," Mntheson's "0 love that will not lot mo go," and Lowell's poem "On tlio present crisis," beginning: Once to every man aiul nation comes the moment to decide . In the strife of truth and falsehood for the good or evil side. Our own and the Russian 'national anthems also find a place, and of tbo lessor known and more modern hymns included this lino'verse by Mr.' 1-i. Twells may be quoted as a fair example : Awake, 0, Lord, as in the time of old, Our minds but blindly groping toward the light. Make us to be what we profess to be; Let prayer be prayer, and praise be heartfelt. praise: From unreality, '0, set us free, And let our words be echo'd by our ways.