Hymnists Who Died Outside Their Native Country Quiz

Answer: India

India is the correct answer. Howard Arnold Walter was born Au­gust 19, 1883, in New Britain, Con­nec­ti­cut, and died November 1, 1918, in Lahore.

Walter grad­u­a­ted with hon­ors from Prince­ton Un­i­ver­si­ty in 1905 and at the age of twenty-three, he spent a year teaching English at Wa­se­da Un­i­ver­si­ty in Tokyo, Japan. Later Walter became as­sist­ant pas­tor of Asy­lum Hill Con­gre­ga­tion­al Church in Hart­ford, Con­nec­ti­cut. Although Walter had a "weak heart" condition, he volunteered to serve as missionary to Sri Lanka (called Ceylon at that time) and India.

Doctors advised Walter against going to Southeast Asia to work as a missionary, but he in­sist­ed he "must be true". Walter died while work­ing at the Fore­man Christ­ian Coll­ege in La­hore. (At the time, Lahore was part of India as Pakistan did not gain independence until 1947.)

Here are the words to 'I Would be True':

"I would be true, for there are those who trust me;
I would be pure, for there are those who care;
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;
I would be brave, for there is much to dare;
I would be brave, for there is much to dare.

I would be friend of all-the foe, the friendless;
I would be giving, and forget the gift;
I would be humble, for I know my weakness;
I would look up, and laugh, and love and lift.
I would look up, and laugh, and love and lift.

I would be faithful through each passing moment;
I would be constantly in touch with God;
I would be strong to follow where He leads me;
I would have faith to keep the path Christ trod;
I would have faith to keep the path Christ trod.

Who is so low that I am not his brother?
Who is so high that I've no path to him?
Who is so poor, that I may not feel his hunger?
Who is so rich I may not pity him?
Who is so rich I may not pity him?

Who is so hurt I may not know his heartache?
Who sings for joy my heart may never share?
Who in God's heaven has passed beyond my vision?
Who to Hell's depths where I may never fare?
Who to Hell's depths where I may never fare?

May none, then, call on me for understanding,
May none, then, turn to me for help in pain,
And drain alone his bitter cup of sorrow,
Or find he knocks upon my heart in vain.
Or find he knocks upon my heart in vain."

Answer: Italy

Maltbie Davenport Babcock died May 18, 1901, in Na­ples, It­a­ly, after contacting brucellosis during a trip to what is now the state of Israel. Babcock was born Au­gust 3, 1858, in Syr­a­cuse, New York, and was a talented athlete and musician.

"Tall, broad shoul­dered, and mus­cu­lar, he was pre­s­ident of the base­ball team, an ex­pert pitch­er, and a good swim­mer," Nethymnal.org states. "He played sev­er­al mu­si­cal in­stru­ments, di­rect­ed the school or­ches­tra, and played the or­gan and com­posed for it. He might have become a pro­fes­sion­al mu­si­cian had he not chos­en the min­is­try."

Babcock's first pas­to­rate was at First Pres­by­te­r­ian Church in Lock­port, New York and in 1886 he moved on to Brown Me­mor­i­al Church in Bal­ti­more, Mar­y­land.

"As his fame spread, he was asked to preach at col­leg­es all over Amer­i­ca," Nethymnal.org states. "Bab­cock was not a great the­o­lo­gian or deep think­er, but had a tal­ent for pre­sent­ing spir­it­ua­l and eth­ic­al truths with fresh­ness and ef­fect. In do­ing this, he was aid­ed by his agile mind, wide range of knowledge, dra­ma­tic abil­i­ty, speech flu­en­cy, and mag­ne­tic per­son­al­i­ty."

Later, he was called to the "pres­ti­gious pas­tor­ate" of Brick Pres­by­ter­i­an Church in New York Ci­ty to fill the va­can­cy left by the re­tire­ment of Hen­ry Van Dyke, the Website states.

Babcock was at Brick Presbyterian for only eighteen months when he made a trip to the Ho­ly Land where he contacted bru­cel­losis and died in Naples, Italy. Naples is in southern Italy on the Bay of Naples, not from from Mount Vesuvius.

After his death, Babcock's wife made arrangements to have nine hymns he had written published. One of the hymns was 'This is My Father's World''.

Here the words to the famous hymn:

"This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world: He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world. O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav'n be one.

This is my Father's world, dreaming, I see His face.
I ope my eyes, and in glad surprise cry, 'The Lord is in this place.'
This is my Father's world, from the shining courts above,
The Beloved One, His Only Son,
Came-a pledge of deathless love.

This is my Father's world, should my heart be ever sad?
The Lord is King -- let the heavens ring. God reigns-let the earth be glad.
This is my Father's world. Now closer to Heaven bound,
For dear to God is the earth Christ trod.
No place but is holy ground.

This is my Father's world. I walk a desert lone.
In a bush ablaze to my wondering gaze God makes His glory known.
This is my Father's world, a wanderer I may roam
Whate'er my lot, it matters not,
My heart is still at home."

Answer: Lisbon

Philip Doddridge died died Oc­to­ber 26, 1751, in Lis­bon, Por­tu­gal. Dodd­ridge had gone there to re­cup­er­ate from ex­haust­ion and died of tu­ber­cu­lo­sis. He was born June 26, 1702, in Lon­don, Eng­land.

Doddridge was the youngest of twenty child­ren and served as a pas­tor of an in­de­pend­ent con­gre­ga­tion and tu­tor of a sem­in­ary for dis­sent­ing min­is­ters at North­amp­ton from 1739 un­til his death.

He is credited with writing forty-eight hymns, including 'Yes, the Redeemer Rose'

Here are the words to the hymn:

"Yes, the Redeemer rose, the Savior left the dead,
And o'er our hellish foes high raised His conquering head.
In wild dismay the guards around,
Fall to the ground and sink away.

Lo! the angelic bands in full assembly meet,
To wait His high commands and worship at His feet.
Joyful they come, and wing their way
From realms of day to see His tomb.

Then back to Heav'n they fly and the glad tidings bear.
Hark! as they soar on high, what music fills the air!
Their anthems say, "Jesus, who bled,
Hath left the dead, He rose today."

Ye mortals, catch the sound, redeemed by Him from hell;
And send the echo round the globe on which you dwell:
Transported, cry, "Jesus, who bled,
Hath left the dead, no more to die."

All hail! triumphant Lord, who sav'st us with Thy blood;
Wide be Thy Name adored, Thou rising, reigning God!
With Thee we rise, with Thee we reign,
And empires gain beyond the skies."

Answer: France

France is the correct answer. Theodulph of Orleans was born in 760 in Ital­y and died in 821 in prison in An­giers, now known as Angers, France. Angers is in western France, at the edge of the Loire Valley.

Although Theodulph was born into Ital­i­an no­bil­i­ty, he dedicated his life to serving Christ and in 781 Char­le­magne ap­point­ed him Bi­shop of Or­leans, France.

After Char­le­magne's death, things took an ugly turn for Theodulph. Nethymnal.org reports Lou­is the Pi­ous sus­pect­ed The­o­dulph of se­cret loy­al­ty to po­li­ti­cal lead­ers in It­a­ly, the coun­try of his birth.

"These sus­pi­cions led to The­o­dulph's im­pris­on­ment in An­giers in 818," the Website reports. "His pre­di­ca­ment is re­mi­nis­cent of Paul's in­car­cer­a­tion in Rome. Like Paul, The­o­dulph's faith sus­tained him in­side cold stone walls."

While imprisoned, he wrote the hymn 'All Glo­ry, Laud and Hon­or'. Shortly afterwards, Theodulph died in prison. In 1851, John M. Neal translated the hymn from Latin into English.

Here are the words to 'All Glory, Laud and Honor':

"Refrain:
All glory, laud and honor,
To Thee, Redeemer, King,
To Whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

Thou art the King of Israel,
Thou David's royal Son,
Who in the Lord's Name comest,
The King and Blessèd One.

[Refrain]

The company of angels
Are praising Thee on High,
And mortal men and all things
Created make reply.

[Refrain]

The people of the Hebrews
With palms before Thee went;
Our prayer and praise and anthems
Before Thee we present.

[Refrain]

To Thee, before Thy passion,
They sang their hymns of praise;
To Thee, now high exalted,
Our melody we raise.

[Refrain]

Thou didst accept their praises;
Accept the prayers we bring,
Who in all good delightest,
Thou good and gracious King.

[Refrain]"

Answer: New Jersey

Henry Gilmour died May 20, 1920, in Del­air, New Jer­sey, as a result of injuries sustained in a bug­gy ac­ci­dent. Gilmour was born Jan­u­a­ry 19, 1836, in Lon­don­der­ry, Ire­land, and is buried at the We­no­nah Cem­e­tery in We­no­nah, New Jer­sey.

Gilmour immigrated to the United States as teen­ag­er and served in the Amer­ican Civ­il War, fighting on the Union side. He was cap­tured by Confederate soldiers and spent sev­eral months in Libbey Prison.

After the war, Gilmour be­came a den­tist and in 1869 he moved to We­no­nah, New Jer­sey, and helped found the We­no­nah Meth­od­ist Church.

He is credited with writing seven hymns, including 'The Haven of Rest'.

Here are the words to hymn:

"My soul in sad exile was out on life's sea,
So burdened with sin and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice, saying,
'Make Me your choice';
And I entered the 'Haven of Rest'!

Refrain:
I've anchored my soul in the 'Haven of Rest',
I'll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I'm safe evermore.

I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
In faith taking hold of the Word,
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;
The 'Haven of Rest' is my Lord.

[Refrain]

The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story so blest,
Of Jesus, who'll save whosoever will have
A home in the 'Haven of Rest'.

[Refrain]

How precious the thought that we all may recline,
Like John, the belovèd so blest,
On Jesus' strong arm, where no tempest can harm,
Secure in the 'Haven of Rest'.

[Refrain]

O come to the Savior, He patiently waits
To save by His power divine;
Come, anchor your soul in the 'Haven of Rest',
And say, 'My Belovèd is mine'.

[Refrain]"

Answer: Soul

'It Is Well With My Soul' was written by Ho­ra­tio G. Spaf­ford in 1873. Spafford was born Oc­to­ber 20, 1828, in North Troy, New York, and died Oc­to­ber 16, 1888, in Je­ru­sa­lem of ma­la­ria. He is buried in Je­ru­sa­lem.

Spafford was a prominent lawyer and wealthy businessman and he and his wife Anna were the parents of four daughters. It appeared the world was his oyster. However, he would suffer immense heartbreak before he wrote the words to the popular hymn.

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 spelled financial ruin for Spafford as buildings he owned were destroyed by the monstrous inferno. Despite his immense loss, the Website Cyberhymnal.org reports Spafford and his wife Anna "de­vot­ed count­less hours to help­ing the sur­viv­ors."

As if losing his property in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 wasn't enough, Spafford would suffer even more heartbreak. Two years later, his wife and their four daughters would be involved in a horrific maritime disaster.

In 1873, Spafford's wife Anna and their four children were crossing the Atlantic on the Ville du Havre heading for London, England. Due to business concerns, he stayed behind opting to catch up with his family later. Spafford would never see his children again.

The steamship Ville du Havre was struck by an iron sailing vessel and 226 people lost their lives, including all four of Spafford's daughters. The four daughters who perished in the sinking of the Ville du Havre were eleven-year-old Tanetta, nine-year-old Elizabeth, five-year-old Margaret Lee, and two-year-old Anna.

After hearing of the loss of his four daughters on the sinking of the Ville du Havre, Horatio Spafford booked passage on a ship and set sail for London to join his wife Anna who survived the maritime disaster. According to Cyberhymnal.org, Spafford wrote the words to 'It Is Well With My Soul' as he passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died. "The Ho­ly Spir­it in­spired these words," Cyberhymnal reports. "They speak to the eter­nal hope that all be­liev­ers have, no mat­ter what pain and grief be­fall them on earth."

In 1881, Spafford and his wife moved to Jeru­sa­lem (tak­ing two daugh­ters born af­ter the ship­wreck tra­ge­dy) and helped found a group called the Amer­i­can Col­o­ny, Cyberhymnal.org reports. The purpose of the American Colony was to serve the poor and later the col­o­ny be­came the sub­ject of the No­bel prize win­ning "Je­ru­sa­lem", by Swed­ish nov­el­ist Sel­ma La­ger­lof.

Here are the words to the hymn 'It Is Well With My Soul':

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

[Refrain]

My sin -- oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!-
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

[Refrain]

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

[Refrain]

But, Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!


[Refrain]

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

[Refrain]"

Answer: Parable of the Lost Sheep

The hymn 'There Was Joy in Heaven' is based on the Parable of the Lost Sheep. The parable is found in Luke 15:1-7 with Verse 7 quoting Jesus as saying: "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."

Reginald Heber was born Ap­ril 21, 1783, Ma­lpas, Che­shire, Eng­land, and died Ap­ril 3, 1826, in Tir­u­chir­ap­pal­li, Ta­mil Na­du, In­dia, of a ce­reb­ral hem­or­rhage while bath­ing. He is buried in India.

Heber at­tend­ed Brase­nose Coll­ege, Ox­ford, where he won a num­ber of awards in Eng­lish and La­tin. In 1823, he be­came the Bi­shop of Cal­cut­ta, In­dia.

Most of his hymns were not pub­lished un­til af­ter his death.

Here are the words to 'There Was Joy in Heaven':

"There was joy in Heaven,
There was joy in Heaven,
When this goodly world to frame
The Lord of might and mercy came;
Shouts of joy were heard on high,
And the stars sang from the sky,
Glory to God in Heav'n.

There was joy in Heaven,
There was joy in Heaven,
When the billows heaving dark,
Sank around the stranded ark,
And the rainbow's watery span
Spake of mercy, hope to man,
And peace with God in Heav'n.

There was joy in Heaven,
There was joy in Heaven,
When of love the midnight beam
Dawned on the towers of Bethlehem,
And along the echoing hill
Angels sang, "On earth good will,
And glory in the Heav'n!"

There was joy in Heaven,
There was joy in Heaven,
When the soul that went astray
Turns to Christ, the living Way,
And, by grace of Heav'n subdued,
Breathes a prayer of gratitude,
Oh, there is joy in Heav'n."

Answer: Canada

Joseph Scriven died in Canada after immigrating to the Great White North from Ireland. Many Canadians are fond of coffee and make a point of frequenting outlets of the country's largest coffee chain -- Tim Hortons. And it seems like every second Canadian orders their coffee as a 'double-double' -- in other words, two cream and two sugar.

And yes, international divas Celine Dion and Shania Twain are both from Canada. Dion is from Charlemagne, Quebec and Shania Twain is from Timmins, Ontario, the same city I live in. And yes, I knew Shania before she became an international superstar and yes, she is an extremely nice person who hasn't been spoiled by success.

Scriven was inspired to write 'What a Friend We Have in Jesus' when on two different occasions he was to be married, then his sweetheart died. The first incident happened when he was twenty-five years old.

"The day before his wedding his fiance died in a tragic drowning accident," the Website Sharefaith.com reports. "Heartbroken, Joseph sailed from his homeland to start a new life in Canada."

The Website goes on to state: "While in Canada working as a teacher, he fell in love again and became engaged to Eliza Roche, a relative of one of his students. Once again, Joseph's hopes and dreams were shattered when Eliza became ill and died before the wedding could take place."

At much the same time as the death of his second fiance, Scriven received word his mother in Ireland was seriously ill. It was not possible for him to join her in Ireland, so he wrote a letter of comfort and enclosed a poem he had titled 'What A Friend We Have in Jesus'.

Ironically, Scriven, similar to his first fiance, died by drowning.

Here are the words to the hymn 'What A Friend We Have In Jesus':

"What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer!

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge--
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield you;
you wilt find a solace there."

Answer: Myanmar

Born Au­gust 9, 1788, in Mal­den, Mass­a­chu­setts, Adoniram Judson served as a Baptist missionary to Burma for more than forty years. (The country is now known as Myanmar.)

Judson was highly successful in his efforts in Burma. By the time he died in 1850, he had established one hundred churches with more than eight thousand believers.

Wikipedia states Myanmar has the third largest number of Baptists worldwide, behind the United States and India.

Here are the words to 'Come Holy spirit, Dove Divine':

"Come, Holy Spirit, Dove divine,
On these baptismal waters shine,
And teach our hearts, in highest strain,
To praise the Lamb for sinners slain.

We love Your Name, we love Your laws,
And joyfully embrace Your cause;
We love Your cross, the shame, the pain,
O Lamb of God, for sinners slain.

We sink beneath the water's face,
And thank You for Your saving grace;
We die to sin and seek a grave
With You, beneath the yielding wave.

And as we rise with You to live,
O let the Holy Spirit give
The sealing unction from above,
The joy of life, the fire of love."

Answer: Yerba Buena, California, is renamed San Francisco.

Yerba Buena, California, was renamed San Francisco in 1847. For the record, John A. Macdonald did not become prime minister of Canada until 1867, when Canadian Confederation took place, and Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address in 1863 at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Alexander Graham Bell made the world's first long-distance telephone call, calling from his homestead in Brantford, Ontario, to nearby Paris, Ontario, in 1876.

Henry Francis Lyte was born June 1, 1793, in Ed­nam, Scot­land. He was orphaned at an early age and at­tend­ed Trin­i­ty Coll­ege in Dub­lin, Ire­land. After graduation, Lyte served as pastor at a number of churches in Ire­land and Eng­land.

Nethymnal.org reports there is a highly interesting story involving Lyte's writing of the hymn 'Abide With Me' while he was serving at All Saints Church in Low­er Brix­ham, De­von­shire.

"Lyte was in­spired to write this hymn as he was dy­ing of tu­ber­cu­lo­sis; he fin­ished it the Sun­day he gave his fare­well ser­mon in the par­ish he served so ma­ny years," Nethymnal.org reports. "The next day, he left for Ita­ly to re­gain his health. He didn't make it, though -- he died in Nice, France, three weeks af­ter writ­ing these words."

The Website reports for more than a cen­tu­ry, the bells of All Saints Church have rung out 'Abide with Me'.

According to Netymnal.org, 'Abide With Me' was sung at the wed­ding of King George VI, at the wed­ding of his daugh­ter, the fu­ture Queen Eliz­a­beth II, and at the funeral of Nobel peace prize winner Mother Teresa of Calcutta in 1997.

Here are the words to 'Abide With Me':

"Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word;
But as Thou dwell'st with Thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free.
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.

Come not in terrors, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings,
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea-
Come, Friend of sinners, and thus bide with me.

Thou on my head in early youth didst smile;
And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee,
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me."