much light upon a portion of the chronicle recorded for the year 1759 in the Historischc Anmerkungen[1] by Rev. Christopher Schultz. The passage runs thus: "For years we have had under consideration the question of publishing a hymn-book for our own use, believing that it would prove a welcome work, because the hymns which we are using—excepting those which chance to be preserved by transcription and compilation—have a scattered existence."
We do not wish to convey the idea that the Schwenkfelders have at no time used printed hymn-books other than those intended for the sect. The Silesian Schwenkfelders knew and used all the editions of the German hymn-book of the Bohemian Brethren (Moravians), admitting possibly a single exception. For a period of about thirty years beginning 1535, this hymn-book was not generally in favor among Schwenkfelders, because of a change in Schwenkfeld's attitude to this religious body. But after the appearance of the edition of 1566 and until the emigration from Silesia (1726) the Schwenkfelders of the principalities of Liegnitz and Jauer continued to use these hymns. A number of copies of this hymn-book were brought to America by the Schwenkfelder immigrants. Twelve of these copies have come under the observation of the present writer. Some of the copies, which were rebound when still in use, were supplied with blank leaves on which were added in manuscript the hymns used by the sect but not contained in the Bohemian hymn-book.[2] This fact is a striking corroboration of our thesis, that the Schwenkfelders probably at no time used only the hymns of the Bohemian Brethren.
We are not disposed, however, to depreciate the significance
- ↑ Published by Prof. M. D. Learned, Ph. D., L. H. D., in Americana Germanica, Vol. II, No. 1.
- ↑ The most interesting copy of this description known to the writer is the copy which was owned and used by David Seibt. It is in the possession of Hon. S. W. Pennypacker, Former Governor of Pennsylvania.
Marshall College, Lancaster. Pa., who kindly allowed the present writer to compare this manuscript with its original. The book seems to have been written by Rev. George Weiss.
