known as "The Methodist Hymn Book." To this book, more than to any other in existence, our Hymnal bears a close relation in the fact that both have been historically derived from the original collection of the Wesleys, and in the possibility that eventually both may be merged into one pan-Methodistic hymnal. The centripetal force, that is more and more uniting all denominations throughout Protestantism, has made itself felt throughout the several branches of Methodism. The Ecumenical Methodist Conference, first convened in London, September, 1881, has been the best expression of this Wesleyan unity. At the third Ecumenical Conference, held in London, September, 1901, a resolution was presented authorizing one common hymnal for international Methodism. This is a step in advance of the Church of England and the Protestant Episcopal Church, which use entirely different hymnals. The idea has strongly appealed to Methodists on both sides of the sea; and in view of the possibility in the future of an international hymnal we feel justified in quoting from the report on the proposed resolution, adopted on September 9, 1901: The Business Committee regards the suggestion of the resolution with sympathy and trusts that at some future day it will be realized; but, having regard to the fact, first, that several Churches in the Eastern section have recently published new hymn books, and thereby incurred great financial responsibilities; secondly, that arrangements for the publication of a new hymnal by the Methodist Episcopal Church are in an advanced stage; thirdly, that the Wesleyan Methodist Church has decided to publish a new hymn book, which it is hoped will also be adopted by the Irish New Connection, Wesleyan Reform Union, and Australian Methodist Churches, and having regard to the legal and financial difficulties in volved in the proposal, the committee is of the opinion that the proposal contained in the resolution is not at present practicable. Whether or not the time will ever come when we shall be constrained to join hands across the sea in making one hymnal for all English-speaking Methodists, it is of interest for us to know what manner of hymn book is used by British Methodism. "The Methodist Hymn Book with Tunes" is the official title of the book. The title-page bears the statement that the music has been edited by Sir Frederick Bridge, M.V.O., Mus.Doc., King Edward Professor, University of London, and for years organist of Westminster Abbey. His works are much studied in this country by students of harmony, and he is regarded as one of the foremost musical scholars in Great Britain. Twenty-nine hymn tunes in his book attest his ability as a composer in this simple form. The Preface contains the genealogy of the English Methodist Hymnal. The last Wesleyan Hymn Book with Supplement had been issued in 1875, and two years later a tune book was published to conform to this hymn book. This was "the first official tune book in the history of British Methodist psalmody, in which hymns and tunes were printed together on the same page," says the Preface to the present edition. The Wesleyan Conference of 1900 appointed a committee to cooperate with other British Methodist bodies in preparing a new hymn book, "to cover the whole ground of our Wesleyan Methodist worship, doctrine, and experience, and that the substance of Wesley's original hymn book, with certain modificacations, would find its fitting place in the central portion of the book, which deals with the offer of the gospel and the history of Christian experience." In 1901 a new committee, including laymen, was appointed, who carried the work through to a successful completion in 1904, and presented to the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Methodist New Connection, the Wesleyan Reform Union, and the Methodist Church of Australasia, a common Methodist Hymn Book, uniting them for the first time through the same songs of the religious life. This English Hymn Book contains 981 hymns, set to 893 different tunes, besides ten ancient hymns and canticles with several musical settings for each, and thirty-nine supplemental tunes in the Appendix, commonly known as "old Methodist tunes." Many of the tunes are not confined to one page. Sir Arthur Sullivan's magnificent anthem setting of Croft's "St. Anne" covers four pages, and his "Lux in Tenebris" two and a half pages, the music for each separate verse being printed in full. For the first tune of "Dies Irae" an ancient plain-song melody is used, covering six pages; to which is added a second tune of a page and a half. Thus upon perusing the book, one is impressed with its ample provisions, filling almost double the number of pages of our own Hymnal, exclusive of the Psalter. The Wesleyan Church makes use of a much larger body of the Wesley hymns than has the American Church. Of the three hundred hymns omitted from the old book in England about one hundred were Wesley's; and still one half of the new Hymn Book consists of hymns by Charles Wesley (437) and John Wesley (29), much over three times the number of Wesley hymns used in America. This has been true because John Wesley's own society in his own land is privileged to gaze more intimately into his devout face and In those clear, piteous, piercing eyes behold For generations his England has taken pride in preserving almost intact the book of the two Wesleys. Even when the omission of some of the Wesley hymns seemed necessary, the Wesleyan committee proceeded upon the principle that before a Wesley hymn be excluded they must have a good reason for its exclusion, rather than insisting upon a good reason for retaining it, thus placing the burden of proof upon the plaintiff. To the half hundred Wesley hymns thus retained, and about two hundred other hymns, also endeared to the Wesleyan Church, have been added a fine body of nearly three hundred hymns, only one of which had never been published before in any book. These hymns have been arranged in much the same order of subjects as fixed by Wesley. The center of the book contains the body of Wesley hymns, preceded by hymns of adoration, and followed by hymns for children, sacrament, and festivals national and philanthropic. Dr. Stephenson has commented upon 1 "John Wesley," by Richard Watson Gilder. this in his sketchy critique of the hymn book, and has pointed out that the lack of worship-hymns by Wesley is rooted in the fact that the Anglican Church had turned out the Methodists from the formal places of worship.1 There are many differences in the text of the same hymns, as used in England and America, due to alterations from the original made by both Churches, but more especially by the Americans. Our hymn, "Weep not for a brother deceased," they have retained in its original form, "Rejoice for a brother deceased," to which our Joint Hymnal Commission, after hours of debate, nearly changed our hymn. Some verses of the same hymn are often used by one Church, and not by the other. Our hymn, "There's a wideness in God's mercy," begins thus in the Wesleyan Hymn Book: "Was there ever kindest shepherd." Many such examples of these differences, caused by alteration and omission, could be cited, were it within our province. These hymns have been set to a splendid collection of tunes, one half of them being new to the Wesleyan Church, but only a few of them never having been published before. The Conference instructed the committee to select the tunes in the first instance, and then submit them to the editor "for criticism or alterative suggestion," retaining, however, the final authority within the committee. The committee professes to have observed the canon that the tunes must be such as the people can and will sing. The 1 See Dr. T. B. Stephenson's article in Christian Advocate, July 14, 1904. |