Monday, November 19, 2007

History of the Hymns

‘Come, Ye Thankful People, Come’ (1844) Page 694
Words: Dr. Henry Alford (1810 – 1871)
Music: Sir George J. Elvey (1816 - 1893)

This hymn (originally with 7 verses) addresses the common theme of harvest festivals, called in England the “Harvest Home,” which is celebrated in English churches usually during the month of September. A thanksgiving service would be held in the church, where the bounty of the harvest is collected, displayed with the fall trappings of pumpkins and autumn leaves, and then dispensed to the needy. And, of course, unlike the humanist that is essentially grateful only to himself, a true Harvest Home celebration acknowledges the provision of God, as did the Pilgrims in 1621, and the ancient Hebrews in their Feast of Firstfruits in the spring on the first day after Passover at the time of barley harvest.
While the first verse chiefly addresses the theme of thanksgiving, the last three verses deal with the theme of final harvest in the judgement of the world as paralleled in Christ’s parables of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13: 24-30), and the parable of the seed springing up without the sower knowing of it (Mark 4: 26-29.

Meanwhile…1844…163 years ago…in the United States…
President: John Tyler…V.P.: None
· The University of Notre Dame was chartered
· Charles Goodyear began “vulcanizing” rubber
· The 1st dental use of nitrous oxide in Hartford, Ct.
· The safety pin and adhesive postage stamps were invented
· America’s premier composer, Louis Gottschalk, was refused entrance to the Conservatory of Paris because as an American, “no American was good enough!”
· Thousands risked life & limb on “The Oregon Trail”
to settle the fertile lands of the Pacific Northwest
· Methodist minister, Elijah White, led 1st wagon train of over 100 persons to Oregon
· The Rochester-Tonawanda Railroad built a spur finally linking Buffalo and Albany
· A 14 foot seawall broke in Buffalo, NY drowning 78 people

Ref. HymnHistories Cyberhymnal WebEdelic DMarie TanBible Wikipedia BuffaloHistory.com

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