PREFACE.

THIS

HIS hymn-book is designed for the use of young men in a University under an undenominational religious system. Ministers of different Christian communions should, therefore, find in it hymns which all can use with satisfaction, and young men should find in it masculine piety and honest aspiration. Hymns of a character foreign to the natural sentiments of young men have been excluded. The book, being intended for daily use, contains an unusually large proportion of hymns for morning and evening worship.

In 1886 each of the preachers to the University for that year, -
Rev. EDWARD EVERETT HALE, D. D.;

Rev. PHILLIPS BROOKS, D. D.;
Rev. ALEXANDER MCKENZIE, D. D.;

Rev. GEORGE A. GORDON, D. D.,

indicated the fifty hymns which in his judgment were most desirable for this purpose; and the collation of this material is the foundation of the book. Since that time the collection has been reviewed, and further suggestions have been made by,

-

Rev. LYMAN ABBOTT, D. D.;

Rev. BROOKE HERFORD, D. D., —

preachers to the University in 1891; but the final responsibility for the selection of hymns rests with the Plummer Professor, and for the selection of tunes with the Organist and Choir-master of the University.

Great pains have been taken to give each hymn in its original reading; so that the University may have no part in perpetuating the garbled forms which occur in many collections. In some instances stanzas have been omitted from necessity, and in others stanzas have been transposed for convenience; but in all instances the author's language has been scrupulously sought for and retained. A few hymns, which seem to be historically and inevitably composite, are so noted, and their sources are explained in the index of authors. In the musical settings similar pains have been taken to secure accurate and authorized readings, as appears in the index of composers.

The verification of authorities has been made by Rev. Charles F. Russell, with assistance at the British Museum and elsewhere in England. Mr. Russell has also prepared the biographical indexes.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY,

September, 1895.