Show LI tS rN ARAH ARAM FLOWER ADAMS Author A I tho r q if or NEARER s I f MY ODD TO THEE THEEs JJ L I NW II W J IJ IHY I popular the beautiful hymn Nearer My God to torice Thee rice has hall taken a II new hold upon the tho hearts heart of or the Ameri American can people To Its Immortality has hus been added II 11 II cd a IL halo of as association association that lint will fur Cor all time endear It with n a special and pathetic charm to the millions who loved and admired William n nAnd McKInley And with Its sudden and amid widespread revival has come an Interest and a curiosity with reference to tho the author authorship authorship authorship ship of the hymn and yet jet ot there are few tell can answer It for there are arc but few tew who know of ot the gifted author of or this Immortal tons few who know that It was written by 11 a 11 woman more moro than sixty years cars ago While her glorious words live II B on un she Is forgotten Her humble grave crave am e lies hidden In a village e churchyard churchard unmarked by any monument meat ment or token of ot the tho worlds recognition of ot her hr Genius Her name was Sarah Flower Adams She was waa an English woman born In tho the little village C of at Harlow in the year ear 1505 h thero there are not many at athis this his day who have ever eyer heard of oC her hershe hershe hershe she won no small email amount of ot tame fame nine as a al l oct and writer life lite and for many years earl cars after alter her memory was cherished cher cherished by tho the literary world of ot London She was Hobert Hubert Brownings s first love loe loveIt It was waa to her alone alono of oC all his lute friends that he showed Ills huts first volume of oC poems and amid It Was Vas through her efforts that his poems were published and given 11 en to the tho She Sho recognized the genius of the young poet Had she tailed failed to give five him encouragement who knows but that the tho name of oC Robert Drowning Browning might never neer have adorned the world of or literature She v was as a II Unitarian and a member of ot the congregation of ot William Johnson Fox Kox ox the th noted Unitarian preacher of ot London Because of or the fact that she belonged to this denomination there were a 11 number of ot churches especially the Methodist and Baptist that refused od for Cor many man years jears ears to Include Nearer My Iy God Goa to Thee Theo In their hymnals A was regarded as ns n II heretic If not an Infidel and it was pointed out that the te hymn contained no reference to Christ The objection to Its use however was finally overcome by Inter a stanza In III which Christ and the Trinity were specifically mentioned The hymn was written In the year 1840 1640 and set to music by Flower an nn elder slater of the author K lit 1 addition to his religious work the ther Mr r Fox Pox also edited a literary v lne lue to serah was a fro fre qu t r Mth John JohnStun JohnStun Stun Mill I u ft MJ v Charles Dickens Leigh Lelh J hunt aunt too t Browning Drowning I and others equally famous In the tho realm of ot letters She became much Interested In the writings of a contributor who signed himself Junius She Site Shedid Shedid did not know who he was but she sho ho took occasion to address a I note to him In tare care of ot the magazine expressing he het admiration of his work She slimed signed with her hel nom norn de do plume 8 s Y which represented her pot pct name of ot Sally Without revealing his the Identity Jun JunIus lus Ius replied acknowledging her courtesy and returning the oomph compliment ment with some commendatory criticism dam cism of oC the work of ot S 3 Y This led t to further correspondence nce on an topics of oC mu mutURI mutual tun tURI literary Interest until there wa was established estal between the thc two to unknown writers write a 11 cordial friendship and under understanding standing landing while Miss Dales Flowers admiration admira tion for her masked maskel charmer found foum justification In his hla delightful and nd scholarly letters This was wall In lu the year WJ 1533 1 33 Miss Musa 8 Flow Flower er Ir was then years ears old inn anti It was during that year ear lIr that tint she met Inet me Mr Adams her future husband He was a civil engineer and n a man mun of ot cm neat attainments as m a II scientist nn and scholar An Instant In attachment sprang up UI between him und and Miss Flower am and during durin the engagement which sp s speedily O followed she he was surprised and more oro than delighted to discover that the w choice of or her hor heart Was waa none other than titan They were wore mauled married within n IL year ear at af after atter atter ter their fn engagement ment and the Hi marriage proved to hl be In lu 18 Its Jo joys s and l Its corn cOIn all that their fund fond hearts had anticipated Fur years It had bud been beon Mrs Irs Adams Warne ambition to go upon the tho stage With the th en and approval of If her husband she now found the first opportunity of lit her lien meat great am urn ambition and ond she pupated fI herself for tor the tank Her lIer that Hint appearance was at lit a small entaIl theater In Richmond In the role of oC III V Macbeth It was waa n a decided success surce and was waa followed at lit once by a offer from a 11 theatrical mana manager manager ger 1 Bat Dat on n the tho very er threshold of what promised to be a 1 famous career her health compelled her to relinquish the cherished dreamt dream of ot her life lire It was a Do asue asod sue sod sud and cruel rul blow Yet she bore It with a n cheerfulness and Cl a fortitude that ever Cf l characterized her lovable disposition ion tion Her IIer nature was W S markedly religious and devotional An As a girl and young woman she accepted without question all 1111 that lint her parents had h d taught her herIn herIn herIn In their strict religious training But its all she r w older her heart was many times troubled with doubts and amid Inga hugs She felt that she was drifting from the th cherished traditions of child hoo hool hoc And yet jot ot with It all nil came the that she sho was wai drawing near nearer nearer er lr tc to God Cod She was but casting from front her the dogma traditions that were trammelling her bier soul sOli I In Its attitude to the Almighty And out nut of the heart heartaches heartaches heartaches aches and a id th the pangs of oC many years rears of ot spiritual suffering Buffering was born at last this most niost Inspiring and most comforting com Carting of the worlds greatest hymns Nearer My God od to Thee h C It U IS IB doubtful however whether the I hymn would ever have become known had Jad It not been for the composer who I set Its It I words to the present familiar It was wall In 1860 1800 that Dr Lowell I Mu Marron on of New York composed for the lute hymn the tune that Is III now so well vell known It remained for him hint to unfold untold the beauties beau tics and a 1111 the tho power of ot the hymn Through the spirit of ot his sym srn sympathetic sympathetic pathetic mUsic It quickened Into glorious life and within a n few yearn year had spread throughout the entire Chris Chrls Christian Christian tian world and brought within the reach roach of or er heart and every voice But Dut by the time UH its beautiful lines had become known to the world Its sweet author had long bong since pasted passed away She died whit no thought no 1 tion of Lime Her iler tombstone bears the ho simple inscription SARAH SAHAH FLOWER J ADAMS Born Jorn February 22 noS 1805 Died August 14 SU And that I is II all that marks the resting place lIlace of or her to whom the world owes so lal a 11 debt of ot gratitude New w York |