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Joshua Leavitt

1794 - 1873 Person Name: Leavitt Hymnal Number: 1042 Author of "When for th' eternal world I steer" in The Voice of Praise Joshua Leavitt (September 8, 1794-Jan. 16,1873) was born in Heath, MA, earned a degree from Yale College, practiced law in Putney, VT, was graduated from Yale Seminary, was ordained and served as a Congregational minister at Stratford, CT for four years before he moved to New York City to serve as Secretary of the American Seamens’ Friend Society. He was for many years musical advisor to the most famous revivalist of the Second Great Awakening, Charles Grandison Finney. In 1831 he compiled and published The Christian Lyre, the first hymnal to print music (melody and bass) for every hymn. He was a spokesman for the Liberty Party and a campaigner for cheap postage. He was editor of many periodicals including The Emancipator, the New York Independent, the New York Evangelist, etc. He was first Secretary of the American Temperance Society and co-founder of the New York City Anti-Slavery Society. He aided a slave Basil Dorsey to escape from MD to MA and formed with Lewis Tappan and Simeon Jocelyn the Amistad Committee to raise funds for the defense of Amistad captives. On Wikipedia can be seen a letter of August 1862 to Lincoln signed by Leavitt, Henry Ward Beecher and other abolitionists requesting formation of black regiments in the Union Army. Mary Louise VanDyke Concerning publication dates of The Christian Lyre, Leavitt left a very useful description: "The Christian Lyre was commenced in November, 1830, as a monthly repository of music and hymns, for social worship. Vol. I., containing six No's, or 216 pages, was completed the first of April, and Vol. II. the first of October, 1831. At that time, there had been published no less than Nine Editions of Vol. I., each edition consisting of 2000 copies." (Preface to 1837 edition of the Supplement). Apparently each monthly "number" was 36 pages, which means the first 72 pages were published in 1830, the rest in early 1831. Both Volume 2 and the Supplement date from 1831; all three were separately paginated, for a total of 310 tunes with words.

James Allen

1734 - 1804 Hymnal Number: 215 Author of "Glory to God on high! Let heaven and earth reply" in The Voice of Praise Allen, James, born at Gayle, Wensleydale, Yorkshire, June 24, 1734, and educated with a view to taking Holy Orders, first with two clergymen at different times, and then for one year at St. John's Coll., Cambridge. Leaving the University in 1752 he became a follower of Benjamin Ingham, the founder of the sect of the Inghamites, but subsequently joined himself to the Sandemanians; and finally built a chapel on his estate at Gayle, and ministered therein to the time of his death; died 31st Oct., 1804. He published a small volume, Christian Songs, containing 17 hymns, and was the editor and a principal contributor to the Kendal Hymn Book, 1757, and Appendix to the 2nd edition, 1761. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Richard Chenevix Trench

1807 - 1886 Person Name: French Hymnal Number: 611 Author of "Make channels for the streams of love" in The Voice of Praise Trench, Richard Chenevix, D.D. was born in North Frederick Street, Dublin, on Sept. 9th, 1807, during a visit of his parents of some mouths to Ireland. His father was Richard Trench, 6th son of Frederick Trench, of Woodlands, Co. Galway; his mother Melesina, only grandchild and heiress of Richard Chenevix, Bishop of Waterford, and widow of Colonel St. George. On his mother's side he was almost purely French, the grandfather of Bishop Chenevix of Waterford, Philip Chenevix of d'Eply of Loraine having only taken refuge in England on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Huguenot refugee families married for a long time within themselves, and in Mrs. Richard Trench, four distinct foreign strains were blended. Her sons (the Archbishop and his brothers, besides his two sisters) were the only descendants of the Refugee Philip, either in the male or female line, all the other branches having come to an end. Trench's home in childhood was Elm Lodge, close to the village of Bursledon, not far from Southampton. In February, 1816 he proceeded to Twyford School, and in 1819 to Harrow, where he won great distinction. In October 1825 he was entered at Trinity College, Cambridge. His mother's correspondence is full of references to a little periodical called The Translator, begun in 1825, or immediately on his becoming an undergraduate. She was his ardent co-worker both as contributor and critic. In 1826 he had acquired Spanish, and in that year applied himself to preparing and publishing a volume of Miscellanies, of which the "profits were to be sent to the committee formed for the relief of the exiled Spaniards." On May 27th, 1827, his mother died at Malvern. The Letters and Memorials (1888) give vivid and exciting details of his continuous interest and daring personal service and sacrifices on behalf of Spain. It was during the winter days of 1829-30 that the consultations and schemes respecting Spain were discussed in John Sterling's apartment. Robert Boyd, Trench's cousin, threw himself and his entire fortune into the plot by purchasing a small ship in the Thames and storing it with arms, in which General Torrijos and fifty picked Spaniards were to sail for the new adventure of the Golden Fleece. The enterprise ended tragically. Boyd and others perished by the inevitable vengeance of the Spanish sovereign when captured. By the hand of God, Trench was safe in Gibraltar. Till far up in young manhood he was undecided as to his calling, Law rather than Divinity colouring his thoughts and plans. He left Cambridge on February 1st, 1829, and rejoined his widowed father at Elm Lodge, near Southampton. He married, at the Abbey Church, Bath, on May 31st, 1832, his own cousin, Frances Mary Trench, daughter of his uncle, Francis Trench (2nd son of Frederick Trench, of Woodlawn, co. Galway, Ireland, and next brother to the 1st Lord Ashtown). On October 7th, 1832, he received Deacon's Orders in Norwich Cathedral at the hands of the aged Bishop Bathurst of Norwich. His first curacy was at Hadleigh, Norfolk, with H. J. Rose. He was ordained priest early in July, 1835, by Bishop Sumner, of Winchester. He published in 1835 The Story of Justin Martyr, and other Poems (Moxon). This was (practically) his first book. In 1838 followed Sabbation, Honor Neale, and other Poems, with Notes. In 1840 appeared his first prose work, Notes on the Parables of our Lord, subsequently companioned with Notes on the Miracles of our Lord (1846). In 1841 "the loving discipline of pain" visited his heart and hearth by the death of his eldest born, a deep sorrow which gave its subtlest and finest inspiration to his Elegiac Poems. A third volume of poetry, Poems from Eastern Sources, the Steadfast Prince, and other Poems, was published early in 1842; and a fourth, Genoveva, later in the same year. Early in 1843 he delivered his Five Sermons before the University of Cambridge, published in 1844. In 1844 also was published Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, drawn from the Writings of St. Augustine, with Observations. In this same year he became Vicar of Itchen Stoke. In 1845 he delivered a lecture "On Language as an instrument of Knowledge," which expanded into his famous and suggestive Study of Words. In 1846 he was appointed Professor of Divinity at King's College, London, later changed into "Professor of the Exegesis of the New Testament,” which he held until 1858. The friendship between Trench and Maurice here was very beautiful. In 1846 also came the Hulsean Lectures, their subject being Christ "the Desire of all Nations." In 1849 appeared his Sacred Latin Poetry. This is an inestimable book. In 1852, Lessons on Proverbs and Study of Words, and in 1855 English Past and Present appeared. His Synonyms of the New Testament (1854) was a permanent contribution and inspiration to Philology and Theology. Life's Dream: the Great Theatre of the World, from the Spanish of Calderon, with an Essay on his Life and Genius, was published in 1856; 2nd ed. in 1880. The Crimean war drew from him his finest verse, Poems written during the Russian War (1854-55). In 1856 he was appointed Dean of Westminster. In 1861 was published his Commentary on the Epistles to the Seven Churches in Asia. On New Year's Day, 1864, he was consecrated Archbishop of Dublin in Christ Church Cathedral. He instantly took a foremost place in the regard of the entire community. His published Sermons, including his Studies on the Gospels (1867), are amongst the most thoughtful and quietly eloquent in our language; as are his Lectures on Plutarch (1873), and others. Timolem (1881) was his last poem. His final confirmation was in St. Bartholomew's Church on May 16th, 1884. On November 28th, 1884, he resigned his Archbishopric. He died in London, March 28, 1886. Few have left behind them a more stainless, a more loveable, a more enviable memory. He was sweetness and light embodied. [Rev. A. B. Grosart, D.D., LL.D] In the strict sense of the word Archbishop Trench, although a poet, was not a hymn-writer. Some of his poetical pieces are used as hymns, but their use is limited. These include:— 1. High thoughts at first, and visions high. Ordination. Appeared in his Story of Justin Martyr, &c, 1835, p. 53, in 1 stanza of 8 lines, and entitled "To a Friend entering the Ministry." Its use as a hymn is in an abbreviated form. 2. I say to thee, do thou repeat. Safety in Divine Guidance. Published in his Story of Justin Martyr, &c, 1835, in 10 stanzas of 3 lines, again in his Poems, 1865, p. 98, and ed. 1885, i. p. 140. It is headed, "The Kingdom of God." 3. Let all men know that all men move. Love of God. Published in his Story of Justin Martyr, &c, 1835, p. 111. 4. Lord, weary of a painful way. Evening. Appeared in his Sabbation, Honor Neale, &c, 1838, p. 117; and Poems, 1885, i. p. 207. 5. Not Thou from us, 0 Lord, hut we. Divine Love. Published in his Story of Justin Martyr, &c, 1835, p. 52, in 14 1., and in his Poems, 1885, i. p. 109. 6. Pour forth the oil, pour boldly forth. The Law of Love. Appeared in his Sabbation, Honor Neale, and Other Poems, 1838, p. 132, in 5 stanzas of 4 lines, and entitled "The Law of Love," also in his Poems, 1865, p. 150, and ed. 1885, i. p. 215. From this is taken the hymn, Make channels for the stream of love." 7. Some murmur when their sky is clear. Contentment. Published in the Sabbation, Honor Neale, and Other Poems, 1838, p. 116, in 2 st. of 8 1., in his Poems, 1865, p. 113, and ed. 1885, i. p. 142. 8. Thou inevitable day. Death. From his Sabbation, Honor Neale, &c, 1838, p. 99, in 14 stanzas of 3 lines, and headed, "The Day of Death." Also in Poems, 1885, i. p. 213. -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

George Heath

1745 - 1822 Person Name: Heath Hymnal Number: 647 Author of "My soul be on thy guard" in The Voice of Praise Rv George Heath DD United Kingdom 1745-1822. Born at Exeter, Devon, England, he was educated at the Dissenting Academy and King’s College, Cambridge. He married Mary Ann Kean, and they had 4 children: Louisa, John, Charles, and Benjamin (also a minister). He served as pastor of the Honiton, Devonshire, Presbyterian Church, but proved unworthy and was dismissed for cause. He later became a Unitarian minister. In 1781 he published “Hymns & poetic essays sacred to the worship of the Deity”. He also authored a “History of Bristol”. He became Headmaster of Eton College (1792-1802). He joined the Anglican Church and became Canon of Windsor (1800-1822), Rector of Monks Risborough, Vicar of Sturminster Marshall, Dorset, Vicar of Piddletown, Vicar of East Beachsworth (1805-1814), and Fellow of the Royal Society (1795-1822). He was appointed to the 4th stall in St. George’s Chapel in 1800, Windsor Castle, and died at his residence in the Cloisters, Windsor Castle. John Perry ======================= Heath, George, became pastor of a Presbyterian Church at Honiton, Devon, in 1770, and died in 1822. He published a History of Bristol, 1797. Also Hymns and Poetic Essays Sacred to the Public and Private Worship of the Deity, &c, Bristol, 1781, from which "My soul, be on thy guard" (Steadfastness), is taken. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Edna Randolph Worrell

Person Name: Anon. Hymnal Number: 193 Author of "When the Lord was crucified" in The Voice of Praise

Thomas Campbell

1777 - 1844 Person Name: Campbell Hymnal Number: 160 Author of "When Jordan hushed his waters still" in The Voice of Praise Campbell, Thomas, the Poet, has little in common with hymnody. A few of his pieces, including," When Jordan hushed its waters still," are found in a limited number of hymnals. His poetical works, The Pleasures of Hope, Gertrude of Wyoming, and others, have been reprinted several times. He was born at Glasgow, 1777; died at Boulogne, 1844, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

P. H. Brown

1783 - 1861 Person Name: Watts Hymnal Number: 741 Author of "Great God, we would to thee make known" in The Voice of Praise Brown, Phoebe, née Hinsdale. A member of the Congregational body, born at Canaan, Columbia County, New York, May 1, 1783, she was left an orphan when two years old. At nine she fell into the hands of a relative who kept a county gaol. These, says her son, "were years of intense and cruel suffering. The tale of her early life which she has left her children is a narrative of such deprivations, cruel treatment, and toil, as it breaks my heart to read." Escaping from this bondage at 18, she was sought by kind people, and sent for three months to a common school at Claverack, N.Y., where she learned to write, and made profession of faith in Christ. In 1805 she was married to Timothy H. Brown, a painter, and subsequently lived at East Windsor and Ellington, Connecticut, Monison, Mass., and at Marshall, Henry County, Illinois. She died at the last-named place, Oct 10, 1861. Most of her hymns were written at Monison, Mass. Through a life of poverty and trial she was "a most devoted mother, wife, and Christian." Her son, the Rev. S. R. Brown, D.D. became the first American Missionary to Japan, and two of her grandchildren are now in the same mission. In addition to her hymns, two or more volumes of prose by her have been published. Her Autobiography and Poems were being prepared for publication, when the editor died, and they are yet to appear. Despite all her disadvantages, Mrs. Brown's talents and work are superior to those of any other early female hymnist of America. It is hoped that her manuscript may some day be competently examined, and selected portions from them be published. Four of her hymns appeared in Nettleton's Village Hymns, 1824, with the signature "B." 1. As once the Saviour took His seat. Penitence. 2. Go, messenger of love, and bear. Missions. 3. I love to steal awhile away. Retirement. 4. Welcome, ye hopeful heirs of heaven. Young Converts. Of these No. 2 is a Missionary hymn, written in 1817, but first published in the Village Hymns, 1824; No. 3 was written in 1818, and few hymns have a more pathetic history. It is this:— Mrs. Brown was living at Ellington with "four little children, in a small unfinished house, a sick sister in the only finished room, and not a place above or below where I could retire for devotion." Not far off stood the finest house in the neighbourhood, with a large garden. To-wards this the poor woman used to bend her steps at dusk, loving, as she writes, “to smell the fragrance of fruits and flowers, though I could not see them," and commune with Nature and God. This she did, never dreaming that she was intruding, her habits watched, or her motives misconstrued, till one day the lady of the mansion turned rudely upon her with "Mrs. Brown, why do you come up at evening so near our house, and then go back without coming in? If you want anything, why don't you come in and ask for it?" Mrs. B. adds, "There was something in her manner more than her words, that grieved me. I went home, and that evening was left alone. After my children were all in bed, except my baby, I sat down in the kitchen with my child in my arms, when the grief of my heart burst forth in a flood of tears. I took pen and paper, and gave vent to my oppressed heart." The Poem then written is headed "An Apology for my Twilight Rambles, addressed to a Lady, Aug. 1818.” The original has nine stanzas, the second beginning “I love to steal awhile away.” Years after, when Nettleton was seeking original matter for his Village Hymns (1824), this piece was abridged and altered into the present familiar form, either by Mrs. Brown herself, her pastor (Mr. Hyde), or Nettleton. Its popularity was great from the first. In 1853 it was included in the Leeds Hymn Book, and thus became known to English collections. It is found in Lyra Sacra Americana, p. 29. In 1819 Mrs. Brown wrote two hymns which were strangely overlooked by Nettleton, and did not appear till 1831 in Hastings's Spiritual Songs. These are:— 5. How sweet the melting lay. Morning. 6. 0 Lord, Thy work revive. For a Revival. Both are found in Lyra Sacra Americana, pp. 28-30. No. 6 was altered by the author for Nason's Congregational Hymn Book, 1857. This, according to Nason, is her authorized text. It is widely used in America, and is also found in a few English collections, including Reed's Hymn Book and the New Congregational Hymn Book, and sometimes is attributed in error to Hastings. 7. Great God, we would to Thee make known. This appeared in the Mother's Hymn Book, 1834. 8. We come, 0 Lord, before Thy throne. For Sailors. 9. Grant the abundance of the sea. For Sailors. Two hymns for sailors, which appeared in Linsley and Davis's Select Hymns, 1836. 10. Assembled at [round] Thine altar, Lord. Holy Communion. This also appeared in the Select Hymns, 1836, and was altered for Nason's Congregational Hymn Book, 1857. It is a good hymn, and deserves wider adoption. 11. Jesus, this mid-day hour. Noon. "Written by special request for the Fulton Street [Noon] Prayer Meeting," about 1857. In addition to the foregoing there are four hymns by her in Parish Hymns (Phila.), 1843, to which they were contributed; and there may be many others in various collections which are uncredited. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Thomas Sternhold

1449 - 1549 Person Name: Sternhold Hymnal Number: 109 Author of "The Lord descended from above" in The Voice of Praise Thomas Sternhold was Groom of the Robes to Henry VIII and Edward VI. With Hopkins, he produced the first English version of the Psalms before alluded to. He completed fifty-one; Hopkins and others composed the remainder. He died in 1549. Thirty-seven of his psalms were edited and published after his death, by his friend Hopkins. The work is entitled "All such Psalms of David as Thomas Sternhold, late Groome of the King's Majestye's Robes, did in his Lyfetime drawe into Englyshe Metre." Of the version annexed to the Prayer Book, Montgomery says: "The merit of faithful adherence to the original has been claimed for this version, and need not to be denied, but it is the resemblance which the dead bear to the living." Wood, in his "Athenae Oxonlenses" (1691, vol. I, p. 62), has the following account of the origin of Sternhold's psalms: "Being a most zealous reformer, and a very strict liver, he became so scandalized at the amorous and obscene songs used in the Court, that he, forsooth, turned into English metre fifty-one of David's psalms, and caused musical notes to be set to them, thinking thereby that the courtiers would sing them instead of their sonnets; but they did not, some few excepted. However, the poetry and music being admirable, and the best that was made and composed in these times, they were thought fit to be sung in all parochial churches." Of Sternhold and Hopkins, old Fuller says: "They were men whose piety was better than their poetry, and they had drunk more of Jordan than of Helicon." Sternhold and Hopkins may be taken as the representatives of the strong tendency to versify Scripture that came with the Reformation into England--a work men eagerly entered on without the talent requisite for its successful accomplishment. The tendency went so far, that even the "Acts of the Apostles" was put into rhyme, and set to music by Dr. Christopher Tye. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872.

Emily Taylor

1795 - 1872 Person Name: E. Taylor Hymnal Number: 296 Author of "Come to the house of prayer! Oh, thou afflicted, come" in The Voice of Praise Taylor, Emily, born 1795, was the daughter of Samuel Taylor, of New Buckenham, Norfolk, niece of John Taylor, of Norwich, the hymnwriter, and great grand-daughter of Dr. John Taylor, the Hebraist. Miss Taylor was the writer of numerous tales for children, chiefly historical, and of various books of instruction, and of descriptive natural history. Amongst her publications are:— (1) Letters to a Child on Maritime Discovery, 1820; (2) Vision of Las Casas, and other Poems, 1825; (3) Poetical Illustrations of Passages of Scripture, 1826 ; (4) Tales of the Saxons, 1832; (5) Tales of the English, 1833; (6) Memoir of Sir T. More, 1834; (7) The Boy and the Birds, 1835. She also edited Sabbath Recreations, 1826; and Flowers and Fruit in Old English Gardens, 1836; and contributed to the Magnet Stories, 1860, &c.; and the Rainbow Stories, 1870, &c. Miss Taylor wrote several hymns, which appeared as follows:—To the Unitarian Collection of Psalms & Hymns, printed for the Renshaw Street Chapel, Liverpool, 1818, she contributed anonymously:— 1. Come to the house of prayer. Invitation to Public Worship. Sometimes given as "O come to the house of Prayer." 2. God of the changing year Whose arm of power. Lessons of the Changing Year. 3. O Father, though the anxious fear. Sunday. 4. O here, if ever, God of love. Holy Communion. These, and the following 6 hymns, were given anonymously in the 2nd ed. of the Norwich Unitarian Hymn Book, 1826:— 5. Here, Lord, when at Thy Table met. Holy Communion. 6. O not for these alone I pray. Holy Communion. Sometimes, "No, not for these alone I pray." 7. The Gospel is the light. Worth and Power of the Gospel. Sometimes “It is the one true light." 8. Thus shalt thou love the Almighty God [Lord] . Self-consecration to God. 9. Who shall behold the King of kings? Purity. 10. Who that o'er many a barren part. Missions. Sometimes it begins with st. ii., "Thy kingdom come! The heathen lands." Of the above No. 6 is part of a longer poem which was given in her Poetical Illustrations of Passages of Scripture, 1826. This work also contains:— 11. O Source of good! around me spread. Seek, and ye shall find. 12. Truly the light of morn is sweet. Early Piety. 13. When summer suns their radiance fling. Resignation with Praise. In the Rev. J. R. Beard's Collection of Hymns for Public and Private Worship, 1837, several of the above are repeated, and also:— 14. If love, the noblest, purest, best. Communion with Jesus. Of these 14 hymns 10 are in Dr. Martineau's Hymns, &c, 1840, and 9 in his Hymns, &c, 1873. Several are also found in other collections, as Horder's Congregational Hymns, 1881, and some American and other hymn-books. Although for the greater part of her life Miss Taylor was a Unitarian, latterly, under the influence of F. D. Maurice, she joined the Church of England She died in 1872. [Rev. Valentine D. Davis, B.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Alexander Clark

1835 - 1879 Hymnal Number: 411 Author of "Heavenly Father, bless me now" in The Voice of Praise Clark, Alexander, D.D., born March 10, 1835, died July 6, 1879. Dr. Clark was for many years a Minister of the American Methodist Episcopal Church, and the editor of the Methodist Recorder, published at Pittsburgh. Two of his hymns:— 1. Heavenly Father, bless me now. Lent. 2. Make room for Jesus. Lent. are given in I. D. Sankey's Sacred Songs & Solos. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ========================= Clark, Alexander, D.D. (March 10, 1835--July 6, 1879). Of Scottish descent, he was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, and received his education in the common schools, guided by a very competent father. After teaching in the public schools of Ohio for some years, he founded and edited Schoolday Visitor, a young people's journal which he published by himself in Knoxville, Ohio. It reached a circulation of more than 30,000 and eventually was merged with St. Nicholas, a well-known magazine for youth. Originally a Presbyterian, he joined the Methodist Protestant Church and received his preaching license in 1862. For four years, from 1866, he served the First Methodist Protestant Church, Pittsburgh, and then became editor of the Methodist Recorder and the Sunday School papers of his church, retaining that position until his death. Chairman of the Committee which compiled the Voice of Praise, 1872, he was largely responsible for including in it much new hymnic material. He was the author of five hymns which were included in the book. His "Heavenly Father, bless me now," originally in six four-line stanzas, continued in the series of Methodist Protestant hymnals through that of 1901. Stanzas 1, 2, 5, 6, are in 0/1935. [note: up to 1966 Methodist Hymnal.] He was the recipient of honorary degrees from Mt. Union College, Otterbein University, and Ohio Wesleyan University. While on a lecture tour in Georgia, he became ill at Atlanta and was taken to the Executive Mansion by the then Governor Colquitt, where he died after three weeks' severe suffering. The following glowing tribute to Dr. Clark by Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll, nationally known atheist writer and lecturer of the late nineteenth century was published in the Methodist Recorder, July 26, 1879: "Upon the grave of Rev. Alexander Clark I wish to place one flower. Utterly destitute of cold dogmatic pride that often passes for the love of God, without the arrogance of the 'elect'--simple, free, and kind--this earnest man made me his friend by being mine. I forgot that he was a Christian, and he seemed to forget that I was not, while each remembered that the other was a man. Frank, candid and sincere, he practiced what he preached, and looked with the holy eyes of charity upon the failings and mistakes of men. He believed in the power of kindness, and spurned with divine sympathy the hideous gulf that separates the fallen from the pure. Giving freely to others the rights that he claimed for himself, it never occurred to him that his God hated a brave and honest unbeliever. He remembered that even an infidel has rights that love respects; that hatred has no saving power, and that in order to be a Christian it is not necessary to become less of a man. He knew that no one can be maligned into kindness; that epithets cannot convince; that curses are not arguments, and the finger of scorn never points toward heaven. With the generosity of an honest man, he accorded to all the fullest liberty of thought, knowing, as he did, that in the realm of mind a chain is but a curse. He sympathies were not confined within the prison of a creed, but ran out and over the walls like vines, hiding the cruel rocks and rusted bars with leaf and flower. He could not echo with his heart the fiendish sentence of eternal fire. In spite of book and creed, he read 'between the lines' the words of tenderness and love, with promises for all the world. Above, beyond the dogmas of his church--humane even to the verge of heresy--causing none to doubt the love of God because he failed to hate his unbelieving fellow-men--he labored for the welfare of mankind, and to his work gave up his life with all his heart." An intimate friend of William Cullen Bryant and other well-known authors, he was considered an exceptionally fine lecturer and his work as editor and author was highly regarded. Among his published works are: The Old Log Schoolhouse, 1864 Working Christianity, or, the Gospel in the Trades, 1878. --Robert G. McCutchan, DNAH Archives

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