Hymn to the pioneers

Author: James Lewis Milligan

Milligan, James Lewis. (Liverpool, England, February 1, 1876--May 1, 1961, Scarborough Township, York County, Ontario). Son of Anglican parents, his early and only formal education was obtained at Anglican schools. Going to work in the building trades at the age of twelve, he applied himself so assiduously to self-study he soon began contributing to London papers. In 1910 a collection of his verse was published by a London hour resulting in his receiving the Hemans Prize for Lyrical Poetry. The next year, with his family, he emigrated to Canada and became a pastor on the Methodist circuit in Hastings County, Ontario. He was, variously, an editor, editorial writer, publicity director, and author. Among his published works are The Beckoning S… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Wild woodlands vast and vernal
Title: Hymn to the pioneers
Author: James Lewis Milligan
Meter: 7.6.7.6 D
Publication Date: 1955
Copyright: Copyright 1955 by the Hymn Society of America

Tune

LANCASHIRE (Smart)

Henry T. Smart (PHH 233) composed the tune in 1835 for use at a missions festival at Blackburn, Lancashire, England. For that festival, which celebrated the three-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation in England, the tune was set to Reginald Heber's (PHH 249) “From Greenland's Icy Mountains.”…

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Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 2 of 2)

Fourteen New Rural Hymns #11

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