To the late Dr. James W. Alexander (q. v.) we owe the best version in our language of Gerhardt's imper- ishable hjTnn, " Oh sacred head ! now wounded." One of the most chaste and fervid of our hymn-writers was the late Dr. George W. Bethune (q. v.), author of " It is not death to die," " Oh Jesus, when I think
of thee, thy manger, cross, and crown," and many other well-known lyrics. The Rev. Dr. Alexander R. Thompson, of the Reformed Church, New York, has published some admirable original hymns for Christ- mas and Easter, and very spirited translations from an- cient and mediieval hymns. We specify only his ver- sion of the "Aurora coclum purpurit," which, with oth- ers from his pen, are given in full in Schaft's Christ in Song. Quite in another line, but not less happy, is a new hymn by the Rev. Hervey D. Ganse, a popular clergyman of the same Church in New York City. It is the story of Bartimaeus, so sweetly told that we re- gret we have not space for at least a part of it. There are no more delightful hymns in the language than those of the Rev. Ray Palmer, D.D., a Congregational clergj'man, author of Hymns of my holy Hours, Hymns and sacred Pieces, and many sacred poems. That " se- lectest and most perfect of our modern hymns," "My faith looks up to thee," etc., was composed in 1830. It has been translated into Arabic, Tamil, Tahitian, the Mahratta, and other languages, and seems destined to follow the Cross over the whole world. Among his other hymns are those beginning "Jesus, these eyes have never seen that radiant form of thine," "Alone with thee ! alone with thee ! O friend divine," " O Je- sus! sweet the tears I shed," "Jesus! thou joy of lov- ing hearts," etc.
The Rev. Russell S. Cook (q. v.) wrote and sent to Miss Elliott, the author of " Just as I am, Avithout one plea," a counterpart to her o\ra sweet hymn, so beautiful and complete that it seems almost as if the same pen had given them both to the world : " Just as thou art ! without one trace," etc. It has since been incorporated with Sir Roundell Palmer's Booh of Praise and several American hymn-books.
It would be inexcusable, in a summarj' like this, to omit a hearty tribute of acknowledgment to the female hymn-writers of our country. First among these, ]\Irs. Sigourney, Avho may be called the Hannah More of America, has an established place among these honored authors, although most of her poetry was wTitten in blank verse, or in metre not adapted to Church music. Yet her anniversarj^ hjTnns for Siuiday-schools and niis- sionarj' meetings have been verj- popular. Her verses are full of a tender, devotional spirit, and expressed in chaste and beautiful language. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, in some of her Religious Poems, published in 1867, has caught the spirit of the inspired word, and rendered its utterances into verse with singular felicity. We may instance the fine hymns commencing " When winds are raging in the upper ocean," " Life's mystery — deep, restless as the ocean," " That mystic word of thine, O sovereign Lord," and the one entitled " Still, still with thee." The Cary sisters, Phoebe and Alice, have added a few graceful and touching hymns to our Lyra Americana, and have been particularly successful in their writing for the young. That favorite and de- lightful hymn (which reminds us of Cowper's sensitive strains), "I love to steal a while away from every cum- bering care," was written by INIrs. Phoebe H. Brown after being interrupted while at prayer. On giving up her only son to preach Christ to the heathen, she wrote that sweet missionary hj'mn beginning
" Go. messenger of love, and bear Upon thy jrentle wing The song which seraphs love to hear, And angels joy to sing."
IMany a revival of religion has been sought and pro- moted in the use of her familiar strains, " O Lord, Thy work revive In Zion's gloomy hour."
These are but specimens of a few of our best female hymnists. Many others we cannot even mention, to whom the whole Church owes a debt of gratitude for " psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs," in which they have taught her to " make melody unto the Lord." For additional literature, see Psalmody. (W. J. R. T.)
I
HYPAPANTE
447
HYPERDULIA
Hypapante. See C.vxdlemas.
Hypatia of Alexandria, bom in the latter half of the 4th centiuy, was the daughter of Theon the younger, by whom she was instructed in mathematics and philosophy, and professed, Uke her father, the old heathen doctrines, of which she was one of the most el- oquent advocates. So eminent did she become in the ancient philosophy that, in the early part of the 5th century, she publicly lectured on Aristotle and Plato, both at Athens and Alexandria, with immense success. Socrates (Wells's translation, 1709, of the Latin of Va- lesius) thus narrates her history : '' There was a woman at Alexandria by name HjTJatia. She was daughter to Theon the philosopher. She had arrived to so eminent a degree of learning that she excelled all the philoso- phers of her own times, and succeeded in that Platonic school derived from Plotinus, and expounded all the precepts of philosophy to those who would hear her. Wherefore all persons who were studious about philoso- phy flocked to her from all parts. By reason of that eminent confidence and readiness of expression where- with slie had accomplished herself by her learning, she fretpiontly addressed even the magistrates with a sin- gular modesty. Nor was she ashamed of appearing in a public assembly of men, for all persons revered and admired her for her eximious modesty. Envy armed itself against this woman at that time ; for because she had frequent conferences with Orestes [the prefect of Alexandria], for this reason a calumny was framed against her among the Christian populace, as if she hindered Orestes from coming to a reconciliation with the bishop. Certain persons therefore, of tierce and over- hot minds, who were headed by one Peter, a reader, conspired against the woman, and obser\-ed her return- ing home from some place ; and, having pulled her out of her chariot, they dragged her to the church named Cresareum, where they stripped her and muulercd her. And when they had torn her piecemeal, they carried all her members to a place called Cinaron, and consumed them with fire. This fact brought no small disgrace upon Cyrillus and the Alexandrian Church" {I/ist. Ec- cles. bk. vii, c. 15). The death of Hj^iatia occurred in 415. Suidas (YiraTia), iii, 533, puts the guilt of Hy- patia's death more directly upon Cyril ; but his account is by the best authorities. Gibbon of course excepted, not thought to be trustworthy (comp. Schaff, C/i. Hist. iii, 943). There is a spurious epistle attributed to Hy- patia, addressed to CvtU, in favor of Nestorius (Baluze, Concilia, i, 216). Toland wrote a sketch of Hypatia (Lond. 1730, 8vo), and Kingsley has recently made her story the subject of a novel (^^Ifi/patia"), See Cave, Hisf. Lit. anno 415; Wernsdorf, Diss. Acad, de Hypatia (1747) : English Cyclopiedia ; IMenage, Hist. Mid. Philo- sop/i. p. 52; Miinch, Hypatia, in his Vermischt. Schriften (Ludwigsb. 1828), vol. i; ^chaS, Ch. History, u,Ql ; Gib- bon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, iv, 502 sq.