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CAROLINE SPRAGUE SMITH

T is an interesting fact that no inconsiderable number of sacred verses which were never designed for public worship, and whose origin was not associated. with any unusual circumstances, have been moulded into useful hymns by the force of their melody and simplicity. A hymn of this class is "Tarry with me, O my Saviour," a poem of much impressiveness, which was written by Mrs. Smith. She is a native of Salem, Massachusetts, and her maiden name was Sprague. In 1852 she was married to the Rev. Charles Smith, pastor of the South Congregational Church at Andover. Mr. Smith died in 1887, and in the following year Mrs. Smith removed to New York City, the residence of her son, Professor Charles Sprague Smith, who at the present time has charge of the People's Institute at Cooper Union.

The original of "Tarry with Me" consisted of seven six-line stanzas, and its

first publication was anonymous. Some unknown hand made a recast of the stanzas for the "Plymouth Collection" in 1855, and since that time the hymn has passed into many hymnals. It is winning its way into public favor, and that it should be rendered into Syriac, and become a favorite with the converts in the East, afforded its author deep gratification, although in her innate modesty Mrs. Smith never quite felt that in its hymnic form the composition could be called her own. But recently, after reading the hymn in one of the later collections, she writes me that she finds more of the original in it than she had imagined. For the hymn in the following form I am indebted to the Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church:

Tarry with me, O my Saviour,
For the day is passing by;
See! the shades of evening gather,

And the night is drawing nigh.

Deeper, deeper grow the shadows;
Paler now the glowing west,
Swift the night of death advances;
Shall it be a night of rest?

Lonely seems the vale of shadows;
Sinks my heart with sudden fear;
Give me faith for clearer vision,

Speak Thou, Lord, in words of cheer.

Let me hear Thy voice behind me,
Calming all these wild alarms;
Let me underneath my weakness
Feel the everlasting arms.

Feeble, trembling, fainting, dying,
Lord, I cast myself on Thee;
Tarry with me through the darkness;
While I sleep, still watch by me.

Tarry with me, O my Saviour!
Lay my head upon Thy breast
Till the morning, then awake me,
Morning of eternal rest.

Mrs. Smith has written many hymns and poems for special occasions, nearly all of which are of a religious character. One of these, bearing the date 1880, was sung at an important missionary event. With her permission I give it to my readers.

Jesus, o'er the grave victorious,

Lord of life and death Thou art;

Jesus, Saviour, Son of Mary,

Thou hast still a human heart.

Bethany hath heard Thy groanings;
"Jesus wept." O hearts that grieve,
He hath said the Father's glory
Ye shall see, if ye believe.

When afar in heathen darkness,
Woman wails beside her dead,
Look, O Lord! in tender pity,
Bid her soul be comforted.

Jesus wept, our tears to banish;
Jesus died that we might live;
May we, Lord, Thy great salvation
Given freely, freely give.

Let us spread the precious message,
Jesus wept and Jesus died,
Till we see our Father's glory
And the earth is purified.

ELIZABETH CHARLES

HE "Princeton Review"

once said

That no modern writer for the religTHE

no

ious public had attained to a higher position than the author of "Chronicles of the Schönberg-Cotta Family,” and “ The Voice of Christian Life in Song." Mrs. Charles was the daughter of John Rundle, a London banker and member of Parliament. She was married to Andrew Paton Charles, a barrister-at-law. At a comparatively early age she became thoroughly versed in many branches of human knowledge. Up to 1888 she had published twenty-four distinct works which covered a wide field, including fiction, travels, history, biography, general religious literature, translations from the Latin, Greek, Swedish, and German languages, poetry, and hymnology. "The Voice of Christian Life in Song" is particularly interesting and valuable, as it contains numerous and admirable transla

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