Isaac Watts has been called the father of English hymn-writing. He is so in a qualified sense. John Donne and George Herbert wrote hymns, and there were occasional hymns writ ten by others before the first hymn-book, 'Hymns and Songs of the Church,' was is sued in 1623 by George Withers. Then fol lowed hymn-books by Robert Herrick, Henry Vaughan, Jeremy Taylor, Samuel Crossman, John Austin, John Mason, and Benjamin Keach, besides the many individual hymns of merit including the three unsurpassed hymns of Bishop Thomas Ken. Nevertheless, Watts (q.v.) occupied a large place as a hymn com poser. Philip Doddridge soon followed him. Then came the Wesley brothers, John, Charles and Samuel, all poets and sons of a poetical father. Samuel Wesley, Jr., left a volume of poems. Six of his hymns are in common use. John and Charles Wesley issued jointly or singly no less than 64 hymnbooks. The first one was issued at Charleston, S. C., in 1736, and the last at London in 1786. They were gathered by Rev. George Osborn, and published in 13 volumes as the Works of John and Charles Wesley.' John Wesley translated many hymns. Charles Wesley was the author of more than 6,000 hymns. More than 500 hymns of John and Charles are in common use to-day in various hymnals. The Wesleys influenced many followers. There were Thomas Olivers, John Cennick, William Hammond, Ed ward Perronett, Joseph Hart and Robert Rob inson among the Methodists; John Newton William Cowper, R. Madan, R. Conyers anci R. De Courcy of the Evangelical party of the Church of England. They even inspired their opponents, one of the chief of whom was Augustus Montague Toplady, author of (Rock of Ages.' The Congregationalists were like wise influenced by the movement. Rowland Hill, Ralph Wardlaw and John Dobell each issued hymnbooks.
James Montgomery, a Moravian, was the next great hymn-writer. Seventy-one of his hymns are still in common use. Mrs. Bar bauld (1772) and Anne Steele (1760) were among the first women to write hymns.
Twenty-one by Mrs. Barbauld are in common use, while 75 of Miss Steele's 144 hymns are still sung. Henry Kirk White should not be omitted from this period. He composed only 10 hymns, but they arc all in common use. Reginald Heber wrote some of the greatest and best beloved hymns of the Church.
The Oxford or Tractarian movementpro duced a notable group of hymn-writers : John Henry Newman, Edward Caswell, Frederick W. Faber and John Keble. Some of their hymns are among the greatest in the language.
Space forbids the mention of the great host of English hymn-writers. We can only men tion a few of the most outstanding ones who have appeared since the Tractarian movement. John Mason Neale (1818-66) has rendered a great service to the English-speaking world in his translation of hymns of the Eastern Church. John S. B. Monsell, Sir Henry Williams Baker, Henry Frances Lyte, Sir John Bowring, Francis T. Palgrave, Henry Alford, Mrs. C. P. Alexander, Charlotte Elliott, Frances Ridley Havergal and Sarah Flower Adams must not be omitted. George Matheson, the blind preacher of Endinburg, gave us love that will not let me go,' a great hymn destined to live.
The first book used in worship in America was The Bay Psalm Book,' or New England Version, first published by Stephen Day in 1640. It is supposed that *no less than 70 editions were printed.* It was superseded first by the version of Tate and Brady and next by that of Isaac Watts. Hymn writing did not begin until after the War of the Revolution. Some of the most important American hymn writers are Timothy Dwight, Bishop George W. Doane, Bishop H. U. Onerdonk, John Pier pont, William Cullen Bryant, Phoebe Cary, Samuel Occum, J. W. Alexander, Thomas Mac kellar, Samuel F. Smith, Fanny Crosby, the most prolific of all American hymn-writers, Anna Warner, Frank Mason North, Bishop Arthur Cleveland. Coxe, and all of our great American poets, besides a long list of minor writers.