Page:The Methodist Hymn-Book Illustrated.djvu/25

Rh aspects of Christian service and philanthropy in all their modern developments. The addition of the Canticles has greatly enriched Methodist services.

Sir Henry H. Fowler paid fitting tribute at one meeting to the pre-eminent service rendered by the Rev. W. T. Davison, D.D., as chairman of the Committee. 'His tact, his impartiality, his appreciation of strongly conflicting opinions, his vast and varied knowledge of hymnology, and his unflinching loyalty to Methodism, are only some of the qualifications which added distinction to a memorable Presidency'. The work of the Rev. Nehemiah Curnock as senior secretary of the Hymn-book Committee and secretary of the Tune-book Committee was invaluable, and earned the special thanks of the Conference. An enormous amount of labour was put into the preparation of indexes. The Index of Texts in the 1875 Hymn-book contained 2,000 references to its 5,000 verses; the present index has about 5,600, though the hymns have a hundred fewer verses. References to the Apocrypha have been added, and intimation given where the Prayer-book Version of the Psalms bears more directly on the hymns than the Authorized Version. Mr. H. Arthur Smith, M.A., on whom, with the Rev. G. A. Bennetts, B.A., and Mr. Tombleson, the burden of preparing this Index fell, says, 'To preachers who are careful in their choice of hymns bearing upon their subject and text, the benefit of such references will be obvious enough. In many cases, indeed, it will be found that the Bible texts referred to are quoted as having suggested the language rather than the thought of the hymn. If such cases are not a direct help to the preacher as such, they are certainly of interest to the student, especially to the student of the Wesley poetry, illustrating, as they do, the poet's method and mental processes. Extensive as this collection of texts now is, it might have been added to indefinitely, for there are many cases in which every line of a verse of Wesley glances at a distinct passage of Scripture'.

The Rev. H. Arnaud Scott had the main responsibility of preparing the Index of Subjects, and here also our Church will reap the benefit of much laborious work. The Biographical Index, the Alphabetical Index, and the Index to the Verses were prepared by the present writer as one of the Secretaries. Dr. Davison was responsible for the Preface and the arrangement of the hymns, and the headings of the various sections which so skilfully blend the new headings with the old, and preserve