THE KING'S FAVOURITE HYMN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 646, 25 October 1909, Page 5

THE KING'S FAVOURITE HYMN.

.' .A.-correspondent; writes to tho '"Daily' News" . ' <" as -follows:-I notice that' the Kiwis reported "' " -to haw attended Disservice J uVrffid, " when; what, is described its his- Majesty's 'fav': ' '. : >Zl te feT N<;are V>W : ; God*.to Th<4"-was ' ./ ...ung.. Phis composition' perhaps shares'with •' Newmans ."Lead, kindly.light/ universal f"v° % "- •our. Nearer,,my God,,to Th«,» soothed tho':- r ' ; dying hours,- if r. remember rightly, of 'the'' ■'. ?' ; assassinated President M'Kinley. ; It w ns 'wriV v ' ' mS," r im c b S- U "''' S «-h Flower Asns?£■ .'r".. \il » ?•• '.'? aT , emcnt ' ministry' o v ' • ™'(- h i!. m •/ oli nson,;.Fos;-sometimeM £. for "'''.■' Uldnam, the famous anti-corn law orator, and 1 ' : r' ; f,™ ?T vr for nearly a genera- :'..' ! tion-.at South-place (where portraits of its ail-- 1 thor and of her...gifted .;musical sister,' Eliza' •i" Mower, now. adorn the chapel.-walls), before.' ,' ;; ' the hymn;was caught up and sung by Christian 1 ''.'"■ ■ congregations, throughout, the world. ■ Tho late- '■: - Dr. Mqncu.ro D., Conway, in his .Conk-nary His-':.' , tory of the South-place' 'Society, ■'.favs; "The'" . history and adventures of this hvmn would "•' ■• make an intcresting,.monofrrn;>h. Many ouri-' ' ous nicidente are connected with it in America.--' " : In the year of tho centenary of American-In. -•'■- dependence (187G) I was in America, and- 00-"" '-'. casionally visited evangelical gatherings, ob- : serving that thoir ohief inspiration was from'' ' this hymn. About, that time there was n-great •"■ meeting.of the Evangelical Alliancean .Wash- ■ ington-City, from whioh the' Unitarian ' ter, Dr. Shippen, was pointedly excluded. At -v its prayer meeting, which I attended,- thero ■■.■'.'• was no. fervour at all until a blind - ureaoher. ''■■■■■ Rev. Thano Miller, arose, and askcdiallto join ■ in Ringing 'Nearer, my God, to Thee—a ■ hymn"'■'■ : irritten by a muoh more unorlhodoi person" than Dr. Shippen, : That excited deep emotion.'! ■' , :'.''.■'