which disfigured many old hymns. Klopstock altered twenty-nine of them. 'He was followed by a swarm of hymnological tinkers and poetasters who had no sympathy with the theology and poetry of the grand old hymns of faith; weakened, diluted, mutilated, and watered them, and introduced these mis-improvements into the churches. The original hymns of rationalistic preachers, court chaplains, and superintendents, now almost forgotten, were still worse, mostly prosy and tedious rhymes on moral duties. . . . Instead of hymns of faith and salvation, the congregations were obliged to sing rhymed sermons on the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, the delights of reunion, the dignity of man, the duty of self-improvement, the nature of the body, and the care of animals and flowers.' Yet this was the classic age of German literature. A better time dawned at last; 'rich in hymns which combine the old faith with the classical elegance of form, sound doctrine with deep feeling.'
Any one who wishes to appreciate the labours of Dr. Julian and his staff of helpers should turn to the annotations and biographical sketches which form the staple of his huge Dictionary. Twelve columns deal with the text of the Dies Irae, discuss its authorship, liturgical use, and translations, of which there are more than a hundred and fifty. Daniel says every word of this glorious sequence 'is weighty, yea, even a thunderclap.' Archbishop Trench grows enthusiastic in his description of the triple rhyme falling on the ear like blow following blow on the anvil. Thomas Celano's confidence in the universal interest of his theme made him handle it with an unadorned plainness which renders it intelligible to all. His Great Judgement hymn has written its own history broad and deep on the Middle Ages. What influence a hymn may exert is seen in St. Bernard's 'Jesu, dulcis memoria.' It was probably written when he was in retirement, smarting under the indignation of his contemporaries over the disastrous failure of the Second Crusade, of which he had been the preacher. It is true that his 'Joyful Rhythm' on the Name of Jesus labours under the defect of a certain monotony and want of progress, but the fascination of the theme and the tenderness and warmth of the minstrel s touch have made the hymn a sacred heritage. A few hymns have been more extensively translated into English, 'but no other poem in any language has furnished to English and American hymn-books so many hymns of sterling worth
