Excerpt from Elmhurst Hymnal: And Orders of Worship for the Sunday School, Young People's Meetings and Church Services The Elmhurst Hymnal is for the use of the Sunday school in both of its functions, worship and religious instruction. The editors freely acknowledge their obligation from the outset to the editors of earlier hymnals, and to numerous students of hymnology and religious education. There was only one way to discharge this obligation; and that was, to profit by the excellence or suggestion of each, and to make the Elmhurst Hymnal the better for it. The editors desire to call attention to the following features: 1. The Elmhurst Hymnal is equally serviceable for the large or the small Sunday school. Its range includes hymns for all departments from juniors to adults. It is suitable also for young people's meetings, for midweek or Sunday church services. 2. The selection makes ample provision for every period of the church year, all special occasions, seasons, religious and national holidays, and so forth. The hymns include First, such as give specific expression to the religious experience and emotion of youth. Second, the great church hymns and popular favorites which should be learned, as part of their religious education, by all Sunday school pupils. Third, a large number of hymns that appeal to boys and men; doubtless also to giris and women. The book is especially strong in hymns that present the Christian attitude toward life and modern problems, and tend to prompt Christian conduct and action - purity of life, brotherhood, citizenship, and social service, as well as in hymns of prayer, consecration, faith and loyalty. Many hymns have been chosen with special reference to their direct application to the lesson of the day. 3. The Index of Subjects analyzes and classifies all the hymns in such a way as to show at a glance what hymns are available for any lesson, topic, or occasion. Constant and careful use of the index of subjects will help the pastor or superintendent to make the most appropriate selection of hymns. 4. The tunes have been chosen with unusual care. In the first place, the editors have sought to admit only good music: but they have as rigorously excluded too heavy as well as too trivial tunes, bearing in mind always the character of the Elmhurst Hymnal as a book for Sunday schools. The melodies will be found bright, attractive to youth, pitched within range of the average voices. The harmony is simple, and every tune is adapted for unison singing. In most cases, the tune chosen is the one to which a hymn is commonly sung. The use of the Elmhurst Hymnal, therefore, is an education in the best Sunday school music, and ill much of the best of all sacred music. Where, however, usage was not fixed, the editors have chosen what they believed would be found the most attractive tune. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.