Hymn Power
Reading the Rev Lezley Stewart’s contribution to November’s Life and Work, ‘Songs that stir the emotions’, reminded me in particular of Will Your Anchor Hold, written in 1882 by Priscilla Jane Owens [1829-1907], who was a Sunday school teacher in Baltimore, Maryland. The music was composed by William Kirkpatrick, a prolific writer of hymn tunes and compiler of hymn collections.
The hymn has, of course, for many years been associated with the Boys’ Brigade, founded by Sir William Alexander Smith. The hymn for me has much personal importance, having sung it for years as a member of the Boys’ Brigade, and it still has. For many, of course, it has considerable metaphorical importance for their lives. The continued importance of the Boys’ Brigade to many was confirmed by the article in the November edition of Life and Work on the BB celebrating, in September, a century of working with the 8-11 age group, known initially as the Boy Reserves, then the Life Boys, and now the Junior Section.