With the exception of the doxology, which was written and added to the hymn by Godfrey Thring in 1882, the author, Rev. Dr. Summers, tells us an interesting story of when and how he wrote this "Morning Hymn." He wrote the verses for his first child, a little girl, in January, 1845. He says that when she was about a year old he was going down the Tombigbee River in a small river steamer. "In the quiet morning, riding on the river and thinking of my little girl, I wrote a morning hymn for her on the back of an envelope. When I reached Mobile I transcribed it and sent it to her at Tuskaloosa." This was the origin of this morning hymn for the little ones. Several years later, as editor of the Southern Christian Advocate, Dr. Summers published it anonymously in the "Children's Page." It was widely copied and soon found its way into the Sunday school and church hymnals. Dr. Summers wrote a twin hymn to this called "The Daylight Fades." It is the children's evening hymn, and was written for his second daughter in 1847. Written for the children by a father who loved children, and who was a man who combined poetic talent with a personal experience of true Christian piety, his hymns, when the story of their origin is known, will appeal still more to the little folks, who should be taught not only the words, but the atmosphere and the purpose of the hymns which they sing. When they catch the spirit that is in them their singing will be as music to their own souls, developing the Christian harmony of a beautiful life for them through their use. He is to be pitied who does not love good hymns. It has been claimed by some that Luther did as much for the Reformation by his hymns as by his sermons. Certainly the good old hymns of the Reformation were a power. The great hymns which are so widely used and so popular today are like sweet flowers along the Christian's pathway, adding beauty and sweetness to the earthly way toward the heavenly city. They are more than that when we come to know their content and intent. Through the story of their origin and use they become a powerful factor in supporting and spreading the doctrines of the Church. They help materially in molding the individual Christian life. The choice and use of hymns is important in the conduct of worship. EVENING HYMNS HE evening vespers, whether they be held in the church, in some institutional chapel, in some family circle, or in the closet of the individual Christian, lend themselves most beautifully to the cultivation of the devotional life. It is a great pity, therefore, that the strenuousness of present-day living and the spirit of worldliness and pleasure-seeking have brought into disuse the daily evening family worship, which was so general a generation ago. We preface our consideration of a few favorite evening hymns with this thought, because a large number of those hymns had their origin in an effort to provide for the needs of vesper worshipers. Possibly calling attention to the fact may result in the setting up of a few more family altars in Christian homes. As the evening draws on and the light seems to melt into darkness, how appropriate are the words of the evening hymn of Bishop George W. Doane! BISHOP DOANE'S EVENING HYMN Softly now the light of day Fades upon my sight away; Free from care, from labor free, Lord, I would commune with Thee! Thou whose all-pervading eye Naught escapes without, within, Pardon each infirmity, Open fault, and secret sin. Soon for me the light of day Shall forever pass away; Then, from sin and sorrow free, Take me, Lord, to dwell with Thee! Thou who, sinless, yet hast known Then from Thine eternal throne, This hymn, which was published in 1824, is one of the few American hymns which has found a place in hymn books across the sea, being published in several English collections. The author was born at Trenton, N. J. He was ordained an Episcopal rector in 1821. After serving in several places, in 1832 he became bishop of New Jersey. This hymn heads the list of his hymns. While he ranked high as one of the great prelates of his church, he will go down in history as a poet of more than average merit, his poetic fame resting principally upon his hymns. We venture the assertion, without fear of being questioned, that the most widely known and the general favorite evening hymn is John Keble's "Sun of My Soul, Thou Saviour Dear." It has been aptly called "THE MASTERPIECE OF EVENSONG" Sun of my soul, Thou Saviour dear, When the soft dews of kindly sleep Abide with me from morn till eve, If some poor wandering child of Thine Watch by the sick; enrich the poor Come near and bless us when we wake, We lose ourselves in heaven above. It is impossible to join with Christian people in the singing of this hymn without feeling that we are being brought into close fellowship with Jesus. The song lifts us into an atmosphere of sweetest communion with our blessed Saviour. A thoughtful use of the hymn reveals something so exquisitely tender in the sacred lines-it brings Christ so near-that we naturally feel that the author of such a hymn must have been not only a scholar and a poet, but a man of deepest piety. In this expectation we are not disappointed. The author, the Rev. John Keble, was a man of highest scholarly attainments, a true poet, or he never could have produced that beautiful and popular book, "The Christian Year." These qualifications were ennobled and purified by the power of Christian faith to a rare degree. "Sweetness and light harmoniously blended in the character and life of |