“AMEN" IN HYMNS DEFENDED?

Evening Star, Issue 22004, 13 April 1935, Page 2

“AMEN " IN HYMNS DEFENDED?

BISHOP REPLIES TO DR TEMPLE A vigorous defence of the use of the word “ Amen ” at the end of hymns was made by the Bishop of St. Ednumdsbury and Ipswich (Dr AV. G. AVhittingham) in an article in his ‘ Diocesan Magazine.’, The singing of “Amen,” it will be remembered, was recently criticised by the Archbishop of York. Dr AVhittingham wrote: — “A word or two about the ‘Amen.’ It is fashionable in certain high quarters to deprecate its-use. I wonder why? “ AVho desires to say the Lord’s Prayer, whether with or without thfj Dosology, omitting the ‘ Amen ’ ? AVho would find it satisfying to end, the Gloria with ‘ for ever and ever ’ ’ ? “ It is our recognised word to close acts of praise and prayer upon as a rule, “Even if some.of our hymns are pieces of teaching or professions of our faith, rather than addressed to God, they are this rarely—does it matter even then ? “ Is the ‘ Amen ’ anything more than the ‘ deliverance ’ at the close of the execution of a deed ‘ signer!, sealed, and delivered ’ ? “ Its use is doubtless a matter of habit, but, as 1 think, quite a good habit. There seems to me no good reason for discontinuing a practice, which, no doubt, arose from the feeling that hymns are analogous to prayers, or to such acts of praise as the Gloria, and are fittingly closed in the same way. “ I agree that they are, and I should be sorry to lose them.”