Page:The English Hymnal (1906, lyrics only).djvu/9

 epithets have been changed. Sometimes alterations are justified for other reasons; and some translations are the work of several hands. But, apart from such exceptional cases, the efforts, so often made in the past to improve the work of competent authors, have had the inevitable result. The freshness and strength of the originals have been replaced by stock phrases and commonplace sentiments; and injury has been done to the quality of our public worship as well as to the memory of great hymn-writers.

A Hymn Book that is offered as a companion to the Book of Common Prayer must provide adequately not only for Sundays but also for all those other Holy-days which in the Prayer Book are ordered to be observed precisely in the same way as Sundays. The Office Hymns for the Saints' Days 'to be observed' are therefore given, as well as many suitable modern hymns: to these have been added the hymns for the Minor Saints' Days of the Anglican Calendar (since it is a common practice to sing a hymn as a memorial of such days), although we recognize the fact that as there is no Office for such days in the Prayer Book they can have no Office Hymn in the strict sense of the word.

The Hymns marked 'Office Hymn' are translations from those appointed in the ancient choir-services of the English Church. In suggesting these as specially suitable, by placing them out of the alphabetical order under a special heading, we have followed the example of the Reformers,