Reformed Hymnal

To deepen the religious consciousness of U. S. Reformed Jewry, to improve their congregational singing, a committee of ten rabbis has been working for the last five years on a revised Jewish Hymnal. Rabbi Louis Wolsey of Philadelphia, chairman of the committee, announced last week the completion of "Songs and Prayers of Jewish Worship," to be submitted next month to the Central Conference of American Rabbis, representing 400 Reformed Jewish Congregations. Less "oriental," less burdened with pathos than Orthodox Jewish music,* which Rabbi Wolsey calls "a pretentious attempt to revive the Jewish religious life of Palestine," the new Reformed hymnal aims to reshape oldtime melodies in modern forms without losing their essential Hebraic spirit. From the two previous hymnals, published in 1897 and 1914. the committee has removed 177 hymns written by non-Jewish composers, and substituted some 200 authentic Judaic compositions. Still to be part of the service, but not employed by any other sect, Jewish or Christian, are hymns with verses by Louisa May Alcott (Little Women}, Poets William Cowper, Thomas Moore and John Addington Symonds, Thomas Tallis (1515-85, "the father of English cathedral music") and John Haynes Holmes, Manhattan preacher and civic reformer./- Once a Unitarian, Dr. Holmes became an independent in 1919. Friend of many a Jewish leader, he is especially close to Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise, with whom he lately agitated against Manhattan's dapper Mayor James John Walker (TIME, March 23 et seq.). Three of his works are included in the Reformed Hymnal. One stanza, in his hymn No. 76, is not recommended by the committee:

Dear Father, we would learn to trust The doing of Thy will, And in Thy perfect law of love Our doubts and fears would still. Help us to know, in joy or woe, Thy ways are always best. And we, Thy children evermore, By Thy great goodness blest.

Jews do not hold an anthropomorphic (human-formed) conception of the Deity. Dr. Holmes stipulates that hymn No. 76 be used in its entirety if at all.

* Jazz Singer Al Jolson, son of a cantor, received his early training in rhythmic, highly-colored Chassidic chants. /- Last week Dr. Holmes listed the "ten greatest women of today," as follows: Jane Addams, "greatest among modern women"; Theosophist Annie Besant; Catherine Breshkovsky, "Grandmother of the Russian Revolution"; Scientist Mme Marie Curie; Anarchist Emma Goldman; Helen Keller, "most perfectly triumphant of women"; Poetess Edna St. Vincent Millay; Mme Sarojini Naidu, "first among Indian women"; Margaret Sanger, "indomitable advocate of birth control"; Authoress Sigrid Undset.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.