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Author: Lanta Wilson Smith Appears in 4 hymnals Tune Title: [Hear the shout and song of the gath’ring throng] First Line: Hear the shout and song of the gath’ring throng Refrain First Line: Be brave, ye soldiers of the cross Lyrics: 1 Hear the shout and song of the gath’ring throng, As they march in majesty and might; In the strife with sin, they will surely win, For above them rules the God of Right. Refrain: Be brave, ye soldiers of the cross, Be strong to suffer pain or loss; The Great Commander trusts in you, Be valiant, faithful, firm and true; Your lives are pledged to high endeavor Till sin is swept away forever, And heav’n with earth unite In songs of victory. 2 If you waiting stand for the Lord’s command, Be as watchmen, vigilant and true; In the threat’ning harm, sound a quick alarm, For the conquest may depend on you. [Refrain] 3 In the march of life there is toil and strife, But no harm can reach the faithful heart; For the sword we wield, and the gospel shield, Turn aside the tempter’s cruel dart. [Refrain] 4 When the dawn of peace, with its sweet release, Brings the day our hearts have longed to see, To the vaulted skies, unto God shall rise, Songs of praise and shouts of victory. [Refrain] Topics: Warfare Used With Tune: [Hear the shout and song of the gath’ring throng]

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Tune authorities

[Hear the shout and song of the gath’ring throng]

Appears in 4 hymnals Composer and/or Arranger: Jno. R. Sweney Incipit: 34326 23215 11252 Used With Text: Soldiers of the Cross

Instances

Published text-tune combinations (hymns) from specific hymnals

Soldiers of the Cross

Author: Lanta Wilson Smith Hymnal: The Finest of the Wheat No. 3 #106 (1904) Tune Title: [Hear the shout and song of the gath’ring throng] First Line: Hear the shout and song of the gath’ring throng Refrain First Line: Be brave, ye soldiers of the cross Lyrics: 1 Hear the shout and song of the gath’ring throng, As they march in majesty and might; In the strife with sin, they will surely win, For above them rules the God of Right. Refrain: Be brave, ye soldiers of the cross, Be strong to suffer pain or loss; The Great Commander trusts in you, Be valiant, faithful, firm and true; Your lives are pledged to high endeavor Till sin is swept away forever, And heav’n with earth unite In songs of victory. 2 If you waiting stand for the Lord’s command, Be as watchmen, vigilant and true; In the threat’ning harm, sound a quick alarm, For the conquest may depend on you. [Refrain] 3 In the march of life there is toil and strife, But no harm can reach the faithful heart; For the sword we wield, and the gospel shield, Turn aside the tempter’s cruel dart. [Refrain] 4 When the dawn of peace, with its sweet release, Brings the day our hearts have longed to see, To the vaulted skies, unto God shall rise, Songs of praise and shouts of victory. [Refrain] Topics: Warfare

Soldiers of the Cross

Author: Lanta Wilson Smith Hymnal: Songs of the Century #122 (1900) Tune Title: [Hear the shout and song of the gath'ring throng] First Line: Hear the shout and song of the gath'ring throng Refrain First Line: Be brave, ye soldiers of the cross Languages: English

Soldiers of the Cross

Author: Lanta Wilson Smith Hymnal: The Redeemer's Praise #128 (1906) Tune Title: [Hear the shout and song of the gath'ring throng] First Line: Hear the shout and song of the gath'ring throng Refrain First Line: Be brave, ye soldiers of the cross Topics: Warfare

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People

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Lanta Wilson Smith

1856 - 1939 Tune Title: [Hear the shout and song of the gath’ring throng] Author of "Soldiers of the Cross" in The Finest of the Wheat No. 3 Lanta Wilson Smith was born July 19, 1856 at Castine, Maine, and died October 19, 1939 at Taunton, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of a Methodist minister, William J. Wilson, and his wife Sedelia Follett. Her father belonged to the Maine, and later the East Maine Conferences from 1846 until 1866, when he with his family traveled in a covered wagon to the west, where he served as minister in Nebraska and Dakota. Later he returned to New England and founded out his sixty-four years in the ministry at an appointment in Hingham, Massachusetts. From her early childhood Lanta sang and played the organ in church and Sunday school wherever her father was located. When seventeen she attended Bucksport Seminary, Maine, where she received some instruction in music, and where she began to write stories for the church papers. When David C. Cook introduced music and hymns into his publications, Lanta began to write hymns, some of which were used by him. She received assistance from such prominent composers as T. Martin Towne and E. O. Excell. "Scatter Sunshine" [see link below] was perhaps her most popular hymn. It was set to music by Mr. Excell and became such a favorite that he wrote her, "My, my, how I wish you would write another hymn like that. It has proved such a success that I believe I will send you a draft for twenty-five dollars to let you know how much I appreciate the hymn. Possibly this will inspire you to write another equally as good." Mrs. T. M. Towne attended the Christian Endeavor Convention in Washington in 1896, and after her return she wrote Mrs. Smith: "It's wonderful how the great chorus sang your hymn "Scatter Sunshine". A missionary in Japan asked, "May I not have, in your handwriting and over your signature, your beautiful hymn "Scatter Sunshine"? The possession and care of such a kindly souvenir of yourself will often cause me to remember you with gratiude and bring to kindly remembrance the brightness your message has brought to many a life." This request was complied with. The hymn has been adopted as the official hymn of the National Sunshine Society. Shortly after the convention just referred to Mr. Towne sent her a subject - Heaven - and insisted that the last line of the chorus should be "Is Jesus high over them all?" She writes, - "To build up a verse to match a last line beginning with "Is" was something new, and he wanted it in a hurry." When he wrote back he said "Hurrah, I knew you could do it." Asa Hull was another voluminous composer for whom she wrote hymns. In 1880 Miss Wilson married Rev. C. Hartley Smith, and for twelve years they preached and ministered in Dakota. Both were musicians, and wherever they made calls, they were ask to sing some of the beloved hymns of the church. On returning east Mr. Smith joined the New England Southern Conference, and completed thirty-seven years of preaching. Mrs. Smith wrote more than five hundred poems, articles and hymns, the greater part of this number being hymns. Her songs were written for many occasions, Children's Day, Christmas and Easter; there were also temperance hymns and three cantatas. Of one of her songs, "The saints shall have dominion in the morning", Professor Black thought she was giving the saints too much, but when she sent him a large sheet of paper filled with Bible references to the saints, he replied, "I give up. The saints are in for a pretty good time." She left her singing voice out on the prairie, but continued to write even to her eightieth year. --http://heirloomsreunited.blogspot.com/2010/11/, posting a scan of her biography originally published in The Choir Herald, vol.50, n.6 (March 1947): 150-151.

John R. Sweney

1837 - 1899 Person Name: Jno. R. Sweney Tune Title: [Hear the shout and song of the gath’ring throng] Composer of "[Hear the shout and song of the gath’ring throng]" in The Finest of the Wheat No. 3 John R. Sweney (1837-1899) was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and exhibited musical abilities at an early age. At nineteen he was studying with a German music teacher, leading a choir and glee club, and performing at children’s entertainments. By twenty-two he was teaching at a school in Dover, Delaware. Soon thereafter, he was put in charge of the band of the Third Delaware Regiment of the Union Army for the duration of the Civil War. After the war, he became Professor of Music at the Pennsylvania Military Academy, and director of Sweney’s Cornet Band. He eventually earned Bachelor and Doctor of Music degrees at the Academy. Sweney began composing church music in 1871 and became well-known as a leader of large congregations. His appreciators stated “Sweney knows how to make a congregation sing” and “He had great power in arousing multitudes.” He also became director of music for a large Sunday school at the Bethany Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia of which John Wanamaker was superintendent (Wanamaker was the founder of the first major department store in Philadelphia). In addition to his prolific output of hymn melodies and other compositions, Sweney edited or co-edited about sixty song collections, many in collaboration with William J. Kirkpatrick. Sweney died on April 10, 1899, and his memorial was widely attended and included a eulogy by Wanamaker. Joe Hickerson from "Joe's Jottings #9" used by permission