got its tune-and he must have had a subconsciousness of the tune he wanted when he made the lines for his Sunday-school. He died Oct. 19, 1902. THE TUNE. The composer of the music for the "Jewel Hymn "* was George F. Root, then living in Reading, Mass. A minister returning from Europe on an English steamer visited the steerage, and after some friendly talk proposed a singing service—if something could be started that "everybody" knewfor there were hundreds of emigrants there from nearly every part of Europe. "It will have to be an American tune, then," said the steerage-master; "try 'His jewels."" The minister struck out at once with the melody and words, When He cometh, when He cometh, --and scores of the poor half-fare multitude joined voices with him. Many probably recognized the music of the old glee, and some had heard the sweet air played in the church-steeples at home. Other voices chimed in, male and female, catching the air, and sometimes the words-they were so easy and so many times repeated-and the volume of *Comparison of the "Jewel Hymn" tune with the old glee of "Johnny Schmoker" gives color to the assertion that Mr. Root caught up and adapted a popular ditty for his Christian melody-as was so often done in Wales, and in the Lutheran and Wesleyan reformations. He baptized the comic fugue and promoted it from the vaudeville stage to the Sunday School. song increased, till the singing minister stood in the midst of an international concert, the most novel that he ever led. He tried other songs in similar visits during the rest of the voyage with some success, but the "Jewel Hymn" was the favorite; and by the time port was in sight the whole crowd of emigrants had it by heart. The steamer landed at Quebec, and when the trains, filled with the new arrivals, rolled away, the song was swelling from nearly every car,— When He cometh, when He cometh, To make up His jewels. The composer of the tune-with all the patriotic and sacred master-pieces standing to his credit-never reaped a richer triumph than he shared with his poet-partner that day, when "Precious Jewels" came back to them from over the sea. More than this, there was missionary joy for them both that their tuneful work had done something to hallow the homes of alien settlers with an American Christian psalm. George Frederick Root, Doctor of Music, was born in Sheffield, Mass., 1820, eldest of a family of eight children, and spent his youth on a farm. His genius for music drew him to Boston, where he became a pupil of Lowell Mason, and soon advanced so far as to teach music himself and lead the choir in Park St. church. Afterwards he went to New York as director of music in Dr. Deems's Church of the Strangers. In 1852, after a year's absence and study in Europe, he returned to New York, and founded the Normal Musical Institute. In 1860, he removed to Chicago where he spent the remainder of his life writing and publishing music. He died Aug. 6, 1895, in Maine. In the truly popular sense Dr. Root was the bestknown American composer; not excepting Stephen C. Foster. Root's "Hazel Dell," "There's Music in the Air," and "Rosalie the Prairie Flower" were universal tunes-(words by Fanny Crosby,)-as also his music to Henry Washburn's "Vacant Chair." The songs in his cantata, "The Haymakers," were sung in the shops and factories everywhere, and his war-time music, in such melodies as "Shouting the Battle-cry of Freedom" and “Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys are Marching" took the country by storm. "SCATTER SEEDS OF KINDNESS.” This amiable and tuneful poem, suggested by Rom. 12:10, is from the pen of Mary Louise Riley (Mrs. Albert Smith) of New York City. She was born in Brighton, Monroe Co., N. Y. May 27, 1843. Let us gather up the sunbeams CHORUS. Then scatter seeds of kindness For our reaping by and by. (ter) Silas Jones Vail, the tune-writer, for this hymn, was born Oct. 1818, and died May 20, 1883. For years he worked at the hatter's trade, with Beebe on Broadway, N.Y. and afterwards in an establishment of his own. His taste and talent led him into musical connections, and from time to time, after relinquishing his trade, he was with Horace Waters, Philip Phillips, W. B. Bradbury, and F. J. Smith, the piano dealer. He was a choir leader and a good composer. "BY COOL SILOAM'S SHADY RILL." This hymn of Bp. Heber inculcates the same lesson as that in the stanzas of Michael Bruce before noted, with added emphasis for the young on the briefness of time and opportunity even for them. How fair the lily grows, -is answered by The lily must decay, -but, owing to the sweetness of the favorite melody, it was never a saddening hymn for children. THE TUNE. Though George Kingsley's "Heber" has in some books done service for the Bishop's lines, "Siloam, easy-flowing and finely harmonized, is knit to the words as no other tune can be. It was composed by Isaac Baker Woodbury on shipboard during a storm at sea. A stronger illustration of tranquil thought in terrible tumult was never drawn. 66 "O Galilee, Sweet Galilee," whose history has been given at the end of chapter six, was not only often sung in Sunday-schools, but chimed (in the cities) on steeple-bells—nor is it by any means forgotten today on the Sabbath and in social singing assemblies. Like "Precious Jewels," it has been, in many places, taken up by street boys with a relish, and often displaced the play-house ditties in the lips of little newsboys and bootblacks during a leisure hour or a happy mood. "I AM SO GLAD." This lively little melody is still a welcome choice to many a lady teacher of fluttering five-year-olds, when both vocal indulgence and good gospel are needed for the prattlers in her class. It has been as widely sung in Scotland as in America. Mr. Philip P. Bliss, hearing one day the words of the familiar chorus O, how I love Jesus, -suddenly thought to himself,— "I have sung long enough of my poor love to Christ, and now I will sing of His love for me." Under the inspiration of this thought, he wrote |
