grace of God he was what he was. But it seems to many of us that "take him for all in all, we ne'er shall look upon his like again." He has been given to us to show how beautiful the gifts of God may become when shining out through a Christian life, from a soul consecrated by the blood of Christ, and sanctified by the indwelling of the Spirit of God.

CHAPTER VI.

MR. BLISS AS A COMPOSER AND AUTHOR-HIS FIRST SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN "IF PAPA WERE ONLY READY"-HIS SYSTEMATIC HABITS AND MANNER OF WORKING-THE LAST HYMN HE WROTE THE MUSIC BURNED AT ASHTABULA-HIS FACILITY OF EXPRESSION.

HOUSANDS of people who never saw Mr. Bliss feel that they knew and loved him through his hymns. To them and to the generation to come, the principal interest in his life will center around these productions of his pen. It is proposed to collect in this and following chapters such facts in regard to the composition and use of the best known and most widely used of his songs as will be of interest to the world.

The first song Mr. Bliss wrote, that was used in Sunday schools or Gospel meetings, is the piece found in Gospel Songs, entitled "If Papa were only Ready." He caught the song from reading in a religious paper of a little boy dying and telling his father, just before death came to take him away, that he was afraid "he would not come to heaven because he couldn't leave the store." He wrote the words and music in May, 1867, at Rome, Pennsylvania, and sent it on to Mr. Root, who was much pleased with it and caused its immediate publication. The following are the words:

IF PAPA WERE ONLY READY.

I should like to die, said Willie, if my papa could die too,
But he says he isn't ready, 'cause he has so much to do;

And my little sister Nellie says that I must surely die,

And that she and mamma-then she stopp'd, because it made me cry.

But she told me, I remember, once while sitting on her knee,

That the angels never weary, watching over her and me;

And that if we're good (and mamma told me just the same before),
They will let us into heaven when they see us at the door.

There I know I shall be happy, and will always want to stay;
I shall love to hear the singing, I shall love the endless day;
I shall love to look at Jesus, I shall love Him more and more,
And I'll gather water-lilies for the angel at the door.

There will be none but the holy-I shall know no more of sin;
Though I'll see mamma and Nellie, for I know he'll let them in,
But I'll have to tell the angel, when I meet him at the door,
That he must excuse my papa, 'cause he couldn't leave the store.

Nellie says, that may be I shall very soon be called away;
If papa were only ready, I should like to go to-day;

But if I should go before him to that world of light and joy,
Then I guess he'd want to come to Heaven to see his little boy.

The books of songs by Mr. Bliss are as follows: "The Charm," 1871;"The Song Tree," a collection of parlor and concert music, 1872; "The Sunshine," for Sunday Schools, 1873; "The Joy," for conventions and for church choir music, 1873; "Gospel Songs," for Gospel meetings and Sunday Schools, 1874.

All of these books are copyrighted by John Church & Co., and it is by their permission that the selections of Mr. Bliss' poetry, given herewith, are taken, for the most part, from these books. In addition to these publications, in 1875 he compiled, and in connection with Mr. Sankey edited, "Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs," and in 1876, his last work was the preparation of the book known as Gospel Hymns No 2, Mr. Sankey being associated with him as editor. These last two books are published by John Church & Co. and Biglow & Main jointly-the work of Mr. Bliss in them, under the copyright of John Church & Co. Very many pieces of Mr. Bliss' appear in the books of Geo. F. Root and H. R. Palmer, and many were published in sheet music form. A large number of his popular pieces were published in "The Prize," a book of Sunday School songs, edited by Geo. F. Root, in 1870.

From the above it will be seen that he was an industrious worker. From 1870 to 1876, six years, his pen was very busy. The above seven books, forty or fifty songs in sheet form, many pieces in books of others in exchange for what they had furnished him, with much miscellaneous writing as contributor to a musical journal, and in other directions, and all this in connection with his convention, choir and Sunday school work up to 1874, and from that

time constantly in evangelistic work, make us marvel that he found time to do so much. It can only be explained by an admission of his wonderful gifts, that made his song writing not so much a matter of labor as a delight—an outflow of melody that must find expression, and a careful and laborious training of fit methods of expression of words and harmony for the melody with which his soul was filled. He was a very systematic and orderly man in all of his surroundings. Scrupulously neat in person and apparel, and with the sensitiveness of a woman in matters of taste, and a shrinking from all suggestion of vulgarity in anything in him or around him, his study or place of work, wherever he might be, partook of the nature of the man. His books and papers were in order, his desk or table usually clear, and his work prosecuted in a business-like manner. It pained him to have things in a "helter skelter" way about him. A misspelled word in a letter, or the wrong pronunciation of a word in an address, was to him like a note out of harmony in music. His penmanship was very neat, and his letters and manuscripts, as completed by him, are without blots or erasures. He never liked to write a letter with a pencil, and would always copy over a piece of music if possible, rather than to send it to his publishers with erasures. And yet none of his friends will remember him as being one known as a precise man, in a manner to make others feel preciseness in his company. His joyous nature, and happy and good humored way of noticing others' defects, and of carrying out his rules, kept away any uncomfortable feeling on the part of any one associated or brought in contact with him. His tenderness was such he would not have injured the feelings of a child for worlds.

Mr. Bliss' best songs were never studied themes connected with the Sunday school lessons of those years. They were studied pieces, and, he himself often said, were not a success. They did not have inspiration in them. He could not sit down at any time, and upon a given theme write a given song that would be a success. Sometimes a melody would come to him, and he would work it out and write it down and wait for words. Sometimes the lines for a chorus would be the first suggestion of a hymn. Sometimes the last verse of a hymn would form in his mind and would be written down, and hymn and tune be worked up from it. More often the whole hymn, in theme, structure of words, chorus and tune, would be born at

once, and all written out together. This, he has told me, was true of the hymns that have been most sung. "Hold the Fort," "Down Life's dark Vale we Wander," ""More to Follow," "Jesus Loves Me," "Windows open toward Jerusalem," were written in this manner. His own soul was full and was thrilled with the themes that took possession of him. My most vivid recollections of him will always be of his entire self abandonment of joy in the consciousness of being used of God in bringing out in song some precious Gospel truth, some exalting view of Christ. He has come to me often with the theme of a hymn, and with his face shining and eyes moist, explained his plan and purpose as in his mind, and asked me to thank God and pray with him that God might bless the song. He never felt that the songs originated with him. They seemed to him to come through him from God. As he grew in the knowledge of God's word, he would marvel at the truth he had expressed in his songs without knowing it. At the time of writing "Hold the Fort," he had no clear views as to the testimony of the Scriptures, that the attitude of the Christian should always be the daily expectation and desire of the personal return of Jesus Christ. When this truth came in power into his soul, he recognized the purpose of God in his writing the hymn, and that its use by the church all around the world was on account of its harmony with the word of God, upon a truth intended to arouse Christians.

After his consecration to Christ for His service in saving souls. Mr. Bliss' experience crystalized more and more into an apprehension of a personal Savior. Christ risen-Christ ever present with us Jesus, the real, living, personal Jesus of the Gospels, came closer and closer to him. His communion with Christ was uninterrupted. And his songs in these days abounded with Christ. The last year of his life, nearly all the songs he wrote contain the three themes of Gospel testimony, Christ died for our sins, He lives for our justification, He is coming again in a glory which we are to share. He did not plan these hymns with any purpose to teach these truths, and was surprised himself when his attention was called to the fact of the uniformity of their testimony in these directions. He simply wrote of what filled his own heart and had come to his own soul. "The Half was never Told," "No other Name is Given," "Hallelujah! what a Savior," "Are your Windows open toward Jerusalem ?" "Hallelujah! He is Risen," "At