T Publishers' note. HIS hymn book has grown out of an intimate acquaintance with the musical practice of the evangelical churches. It appears in answer to a general call from those churches for a book of convenient size and moderate cost that shall embrace the standard repertory of Christian praise. The more compendious books, as a rule, either seek to present and emphasize a special point of view or are edited with the social meeting chiefly in mind. This compilation is based on a careful study of good usage generally, and is framed to meet all the aspects of modern church life. We venture to assert that the hymns and tunes which compose this book will be found to constitute nine tenths of the repertory of any church, even where emphasis is laid upon the praise service. It will be found, also, that the union of hymn and tune is that which the best practice has sanctioned. The grounds of selection in each case were not individual preference, but the concurrent preference of the churches, ascertained by a painstaking tabulation of actual usage. THE CENTURY CO. NEW YORK, 1905. |