A FAVOURITE HYMN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20199, 8 March 1929, Page 14

A FAVOURITE HYMN.

"ABIDE WITH ME." HOW IT WAS WRITTEN. . At the funeral service of the late Mr. \Y. G. Coriley, and again at a meeting of Sydney Rotarians a day or two later, the hymn, ".Abide With .Me," said to have been .Mr. Conley's favourite, was sung. Mr. ,\. ( hanipucys, of Killnra, recently brought back with him from England a facsimile of Iho original script of tho hymn, the proceeds of the sale of which, it is noted, arc devoted to the beautifying of All Saints' Church, Brixham. where the Rev. Henry Francis I-y to, M.A., who wrote the hymn, had worked for 30 years. The church is regarded as his memorial. Air. Champneys wrote as follows to the Sydney Morning Herald: —"Perhaps some readers do not know the origin of the hymn '.\bide With Me.' There is a memorial tablet, to the memory of the Rev. H. F. Lyte in the parish church "of Lower Brixham, England, inscribed as follows: " 'Parish Church, Lower Brixham. first incumbent Rev. Henry Francis Lyte, laboured among fisher folk for a quarter of a century, found himself at the age of 54 doomed to die with consumption. It was related that in the hour of sorrow he prayed that he might write something which would live to the glory of God when he was dead. Then on the last evening lie ever spent in Brixham, after preaching his farewell sermon, he took pen as the sun was setting over the ships in the harbour of Brixham, and he wrote "Abide With Me." Next morning he started for the Riviera, and died at Nice a month later.' "