Resisting what's unfamiliar

 

Here are some items from my gleanings of the [Christian Science] periodicals – 

ITEMS OF INTEREST

[As published in the Christian Science Sentinel, August 27, 1932]

 

In this issue of the Sentinel the Publishing Society is announcing the long-looked-for new Christian Science Hymnal. Undertaken by The Christian Science Board of Directors more than four years ago, with the aid of competent musicians, committee workers, and contributors all over the world, the revision and compilation of this Hymnal has received much loving devotion, prayer, and earnest labor. We can now avail ourselves of its many inspiring songs of praise.

 

In The Mother Church, according to a plan of its Board of Directors, those of the congregation who care to do so will be invited to remain after the Wednesday evening meetings for a time for perhaps twenty minutes of song practice of the hymns new to this Hymnal. The presiding Reader at the Wednesday evening meetings will announce that after a brief interval just following the meetings, twenty minutes will be devoted for the purpose. In this way it is hoped that the congregation will familiarize itself with the new hymns. [My emphasis,  J.V.] The singing of hymns in Christian Science church services has attracted attention and favorable comment from non-Christian Scientists, and has been declared to be noteworthy and highly inspirational.

 

The Concordance and General Index to the new Christian Science Hymnal is to be ready shortly. Inasmuch as many new hymns have been added to the Hymnal the Concordance will be found to be of great assistance in choosing hymns to fit certain subjects or to meet a specific need.

 

…….

 

In the August 9 issue of The Christian Science Monitor there appeared an article reprinted from the Kingsport Times, Kingsport, Tennessee, with reference to our Hymnal. This article gave interesting statistics regarding the material used in the make-up of the book, and we are repeating these for the benefit of those who may not have read the reprint in the Monitor.

 

The music plates for the 640 pages of the Hymnal were prepared in Boston and all of the type for the plates was set by hand. The Hymnal was printed in Tennessee at Kingsport, and the order for 410,000 books is the largest known single order of hymnals ever placed with a single firm. The printing commenced June 15 with the operation of five large perfecting presses running twenty hours a day, and was completed approximately two months later.

A total of 325 tons of paper, 40,240 yards of book cloth, 39,000 yards of headbands, 7 tons of end paper material, 50 tons of cover board, 210,000 yards of muslin reënforcement for the backs of the books, and 2,280,000 yards of thread were used. Probably the most outstanding part of the manufacturing process was the use of more than 500,000 sheets of the 22-carat gold for the stamping on the cloth-bound edition and for gilding the edges and stamping the de luxe edition.

 

565,000 copies printed  Annual meeting June 17, 1933

 

 

ITEM OF INTEREST

Christian Science Sentinel, Sept. 24, 1932

… Four hundred years ago Martin Luther said of such song, "Music is one of the fairest and most glorious gifts of God, to which Satan is a bitter enemy; for it removes from the heart the weight of sorrow, and the fascination of evil thoughts."

 

 

The Singing Church, Peter Allen, The Christian Science Journal, Jan. 2010

 

When the 1932 Hymnal was released, there was resistance to giving up the 1910 Hymnal, which it had replaced. In a Christian Science Sentinel article dated April 9, 1932, Margaret Morrison, the author of Hymns 179 and 371, wrote: "... let us work and watch and pray that our new messenger of song—this beautiful development of good—be protected from the erroneous beliefs of the carnal mind, the notes of discord which would seek to annul its mission and destroy our joy in taking this revealed step of progress. ...

"... we shall undertake the learning of the new hymns, not as a task, but as a great joy. May we see in this effort to sing our new songs a means of growing closer together in love, making melody in our hearts, praising our God, who is the God of salvation" ("Song and Salvation," p. 625).   

It was somewhat of a balm to me that the 1932 Christian Science Hymnal was resisted by congregations of Christian Scientists, for there was the same resistance to the 2017 printing (Christian Science Hymnal, Hymns 430-603). I was one of those resisters until being made aware that many of the new songs were suitable for the Sunday School.  As Superintendent I had noted that the 1932 book did not have many songs which were really suitable for the children. 

To help us all learn the new hymns, back in 2017 our branch church held “new hymnal” practices after our Wednesday meetings.  I was glad to read that it had also been done at The Mother Church back in 1932.

 

Joyce Voysey