THE CHILDREN'S PALM SUNDAY HYMN When His salvation bringing, To Zion Jesus came, The children all stood singing He let them still attend Him, And since the Lord retaineth Who sits upon the throne, For should we fail proclaiming The tribute of our words? No; while our hearts are tender, While the hymn is loved and extensively used, there seems to be great difficulty in determining the facts of its authorship. It is credited to a young curate of Wellington, Shropshire, whose name was Joshua King. Some would change the Joshua to John. It was first published in London in 1830 in a selection of hymns called "Gwyther's Psalmist." Even if we know little of the origin or the author, we sing it because of its fitness and beauty, and find in it special inspiration. A HYMN WITH WHICH TO BEGIN HOLY WEEK Dr. John Mason Neale, who was a prolific translator of hymns, has furnished us a short but very appropriate hymn, which is especially fitting to be sung on Palm Sunday evening. The circumstances of its composition are not given, but the lines themselves are so expressive that they have found and will retain a place in evangelical hymnody. We quote DR. NEALE'S HYMN FOR HOLY WEEK O Thou, who through this holy week The sick to cure, the lost to seek, We cannot understand the woe Thy feet the path of suffering trod; The one day of triumph for Jesus, the day of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, necessarily makes us think of that hymn which Dr. Duffield declares " has become the English Te Deum," sharing with Bishop Ken's doxology the spontaneous approval of all Christian hearts. We may well call it THE CORONATION HYMN OF CHRIST All hail the power of Jesus' name! And crown Him Lord of all. Ye chosen seed of Israel's race, Hail Him, ye heirs of David's line, Ye Gentile sinners, ne'er forget Let every kindred, every tribe, To Him all majesty ascribe, Oh, that with yonder sacred throng And crown Him Lord of all. The author of this hymn, the Rev. Edward Perronet, was descended from French refugees. He was what is known as a dissenting preacher, who, for a time, was an intimate associate of the Wesleys. Like Mrs. Adams, the author of "Nearer, My God, to Thee," he wrote many hymns; but, like Mrs. Adams, he wrote only one really great hymn. Of this hymn it has been said, "That one hymn was enough; the man did not live in vain who taught Christ's Church her grandest coronation hymn in honor of her King." This hymn was written in 1779 and published in The Gospel Magazine in 1780. In England it is usually sung to the tune of "Miles Lane," but in America it is nearly always sung to the tune of "Coronation." This tune was composed by a carpenter by the name of Oliver Holden. It is a soul-stirring tune, which, associated with Perronet's stirring words, will certainly preserve the carpenter's name to future generations. There is a striking incident from the mission fields in India which illustrates the power of this hymn in the presenting of Christ in His unique position as man's Redeemer. A missionary, the Rev. E. P. Scott, having learned of an inland tribe which had never heard the gospel and that it was exceedingly dangerous to go among them because of a murderous spirit and propensity, felt, nevertheless, that because he had learned of them God wanted him to take the gospel to them. He took his satchel and a violin, and, bidding farewell to his friends, who said it was simply madness, he set out. After journeying for some days suddenly he came upon a large company of these savage people. They surrounded him and had their spears pointed at his heart. Praying for aid, he drew forth his violin, played and sang, "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." He shut his eyes through fear, expecting at every note to have the spears hurled at him and the song be brought to a sudden and cruel end. As he sang, "Let every kindred, every tribe," he took courage to open his eyes and look. To his surprise, the spears were lowered and the savages were all attention, some of them even He did having tears in their eyes. He stayed there and established a mission. When he left for a needed furlough on account of his health they pleaded with him to come back. so, and entered into his eternal reward with those savages acknowledging Christ as their King. They first heard of Him through the words, "All hail the power of Jesus' name," sung to the tune of "Coronation." The triumphant thought of the closing line of every stanza is "And crown Him Lord of all.” In the beautiful Cologne Cathedral there is an image which illustrates this thought. The image, which is made of oak, represents a giant Offero, in search of a master. He served a great king until he learned that the prince of darkness was mightier than the king. He then began to serve Satan, but walking with Satan they came to a crucifix. Satan trembled and would not pass, for he admitted "that Christ, who rules in heaven and had suffered on the cross for men, had overcome him." Then Offero took Christ for his Master. He never had to change masters again, for he had found Him who in the words of Perronet is "Lord of all." Both the hymn and the day emphasize the kingly office of Christ, which fact calls to mind another hymn by the same writer, written about five years later, or in 1785. This hymn is a greeting to Christ as our King. The opening stanza declares, "Hail, holy, holy, holy Lord! Let powers immortal sing, |