Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

18 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

BRECONIAN IN EGYPT.

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The f acred Call of the Bugle.

Lucky Brecon Man Wins a 2250…

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Hymns in War Time.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

Hymns in War Time. 1 When a Bishop recently remarked that a good comic song might be as helpful towards the cure of a wounded soldier as a hymn he spoke sound common-sense. At the same time the fact remains that hymns do in these times of war acquire a remarkable popularity and exert a compelling influence. It would seem that the appeal of hymns is especially great at all times of strain and distress for it is not only in periods of prolonged war that this is seen, but also in such isolated catastrophes of life as* disasters on the sea or beneath the earth in mines. The fact that the hymns which are most widely popular are those which appeal especially in times of trouble may, of course, be due to some characteristic of our people and not to a general human instinct. It is true that our most popular hymns, even of thanksgiving, possess a marked note of solemnity and almost of sadness, and one of our poets has told us that "our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought." Nor, so far as we know, have the hymns that appeal most powerfully in days of sorrow been written as a rule in times of exceptional distress for their authors, but as often as not amidst peaceful surroundings. It is curious that the three hymns sung at the recent great Intercession Service in St. Paul's Cathedral were all written by clergymen living in the quiet countryside of Devonshire. But the power of the appeal of hymns at the present time is extraordinarily strong, whether it be due to a common instinct or in part to a peculiar strain in our people. Feel- ings have been aroused which demand appropriate expression, ar.d they find it in these hymns which have sprung from and been made so widely familiar by the National Church. Indeed, the Church may well receive some credit for this work of supplying and familiarising the great popular hymns and thus meeting a very real need in such times as these. Few, if any, hymns have become sufficiently widely known except those which constant use in connection with the services of the National Church have rendered part, as it were, of the common knowledge of the people. Nor, we suspect, has the Church merely met a need. May it not be responsible for the feelings which demand expression through these hymns ? Observers have been struck by the way in which men, who have hitherto seemed utterly careless of all claims of religion, have on active service shown a spirit of true devotion. May not that spirit have been 1 implanted and kept alive, perhaps without the owners' knowledge, by the mere exist- i ence and quiet permeating influence of a Church with a recognised national character i and position ? Those who lightly contem- « plate the ending of the Establishment, or, in 1 other words, the historical national position, f of the Church would do well sometimes to ponder upon its unseen, impalable influence rather than always concentrate their gaze upon any practical anomalies or shortcomings 11 which may be found in the organisation of j the Church which fills that position. B c

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PEDIGREE RYELANDS.

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- WARSAW.

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VETERAN PUBLIC SERVANT.

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- --YSTRADGYNLAIS METHODS.|

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VETERAN PUBLIC SERVANT.