ANGLICAN HYMNS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 82, 16 October 1928, Page 11

ANGLICAN HYMNS

SEVERELY. CRITICISED NEW BOOK PROPOSED (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, This Day. A severe criticism of tho spiritual value and material worth or! "Hymns, Ancient and Modern," the symn book used by the Anglican Church since 1861, was made :by several speakers at the Auckland Diocesan Synod yesterday. Canon Percival James placed a proposal before the Synod that the book should be replaced by one more suitable for the present needs. He said that the collection of hymns was exceptionally poor. Some were stamped with most undesirable qualities. Tho greater part of the hymns displayed an amazing amount of so-called poetry which was both dull arid uninspiring. Some were filled with a very gushing type of sentimentality, being both unhealthy and morbid. On the whole the music was of equal merit. There were nearly 800 hymns in the book, and not 200 worth singing. His- proposal was that a new hymn book should be compiled, comprising from 250 to 300 hymns. "There are some hymns we must use, but I marvel that educated people can sing them at all," he added. They very often do not. There are those who sing because of the nice catchy tunes, and there are other dear people who sing just because they think they are helping things along." In other hymns, it was alleged, the poetry was mere doggerel. In additionthere was an absolute misrepresentation of Christian doctrine in certain hymns composed by amateur theologians. "The greater number of hymn tunes arc dull," he said, "and even when we get great tunes we 'mangle' them. We havo murdered psalm tunes by changing their variety of rhythm into mechanically exact timing. The men in the congregation caunot sing the melody of many of our hymn tunes, but surely the melody Bhould be within the compass of the. ordinary baritone voice. It is simply written for a soprano to reach with her beautiful top notes, which no ' reasonable preacher could ever reach." (Laughter.) Canon James advocated a solution along the lines of the expurgated edition of the English hymn book. There were several modern publications from which they could select a suitable collection to • meet' present-day needs. Seeondin,, tho motion, Mr. Julius Hogben said that the people should not be tied to the conclusions of hymns poor in sentiment and execrable in verse. "I cannot agree with the wholesale condemnation hurled against the hymn book," said the Chancellor, Mr. C. J. Tunics.- ' ■ The JRev. G. Gordon Bell deprecated the tone in which the proposal was advanced by Canon James. "Tho book is not one for use in the church," said tho Rev. W. E. Lush. "It is largely lyrical and lyrics are not what wo need to sing in church." "I.cannot coneoive of a book more unfitted to bring young people into touch with the Christian religion," said Canon H. K. Archdall, headmaster of King's College.- "On tho ethical side the hymns are extremely weak." Archbishop Averill had no objection to tho resolution being passed. He agreed that "Hymns, Ancient and Modern," was seriously deficient in certain respects, but he would not go as far as several of the speakers had done. Ho had been brought up on the book, and after sixty years had a great respect for it, although he saw its deficiencies. . It was decided to appoint a committee to report to the Primate on the question of providing a now book.