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The idea caught my fancy at once; and I said to Mr. Bradbury,

"If I write a hymn for that subject, will you compose the music?" He said that he would; and the words were written that same evening. Other hymns written before 1868 are "The Prodigal's Return," "Let the Good Angels Come In," "Lord, Abide with Me," "Wel-come Hour of Prayer" and "Our Loved Ones Gone Before."

On April 30, 1868, Dr. W. H. Doane came into my house, and said,

"I have exactly forty minutes before my train leaves for Cincinnati. Here is a melody. Can you write words for it?" I replied that I would see what I could do. Then followed a space of twenty minutes during which I was wholly unconscious of all else except the work I was doing. At the end of that time I recited the words to " Safe in the Arms of Jesus." Mr. Doane copied them, and had time to catch his train.

There are a great many beautiful stories connected with this hymn. Ira D. Sankey related a conversation with a simple Scotch woman who came to him after a great meeting.

"I want to thank you for writing 'Safe in the Arms of Jesus,'" she said.

"My daughter was very fond of it and sang it as she passed to the life beyond."

"But," replied the evangelist, "I did not write the hymn. Fanny Crosby wrote the words and W. H. Doane the music. Sit down, my good woman, and I will tell you about it." A look of disappointment passed over the dear woman's face; but as she listened to Mr. Sankey's story her countenance again lighted up and she said,

"When ye gang back to America tell Fanny Crosby that an auld Scots woman sends her blessing and her love."

The late Dr. John Hall used to tell a touching story of "Safe in the Arms of Jesus." He went to see the little daughter of one of his congregation; and her father came downstairs in tears.

"My dear friend," asked the clergyman, "what is the trouble? Has the little girl gone home?"

"No," replied the father, "but she has asked me to do something that I cannot do; anything that wealth might buy she may have, but I cannot sing ' Safe in the Arms of Jesus'; for I never sang a note in my life."

"Oh," said Dr. Hall, "I will go up and sing it for her." When he reached the last two lines of the hymn

"Wait till I see the morning
Break on the golden shore,"

the spirit of the child passed to that land where all shall sing the melodies of Zion.

Another incident of the singing of "Safe in the Arms of Jesus" was related by a sea captain, who was in the habit of holding services on board his vessel. From Sabbath to Sabbath he noticed that there was a certain man who did not unite with the others when they sang that hymn. At last he approached the sailor and in-quired if he did not enjoy the meetings.

"Oh, yes," the latter replied, "but I am not 'Safe in the arms of Jesus'; and I cannot sing that hymn." The captain prayed with him, and as a direct result of the interview, ere the next Sabbath, the sailor was singing the piece with the rest.

On one occasion as Mr. Doane and I were travelling from Cincinnati to New York he composed a melody which he whistled to me, and suggested that I compose the words to accompany it. I told him I would, and in a short time I wrote the hymn beginning,

"Jesus, I love Thee, Thou art to me
Dearer than mortal ever can be."

This hymn was published in a book called "The Diadem" and copied into an English song collection. A few years later Mr. Doane received a letter from England, written at the request of a dying woman by her pastor. She had been brought under conviction by the singing of our hymn; had given herself to the Lord; and before her death had been the means of leading over twenty souls into the light. Some years after this Mr. Doane attended a large meeting at Vernon, Ohio; and after the service a man came to him and asked,

"Do you remember receiving a letter from a gentle-man in England concerning a lady's conversion after hearing 'Jesus, I Love Thee?' Well, I am the one who wrote the letter." Mr. Doane told me the meeting seemed providential.

Some years after the writing of "Jesus, I Love Thee" Mr. Stebbins came to me and said,

"I think I have something both of us will enjoy. I have a melody here, and would like to have you write the words for it while we are together." He played it aver for me and I was pleased with the tune and wrote "They Tell Us of a Land So Fair." Mr. Stebbins also wrote the music to "Jesus is Calling," "No Sorrow There," "The Day Star Hath Risen," "O Sing of My Redeemer," and many others.

"Victory Through Grace" was written under the following circumstances: Mr. Sweney sent me the title and asked me to write a sort of a battle piece. A day or two later he came to see me. I told him I had already begun the hymn; and repeated as much as I had finished. "Go on," he said, "that is right; we'll have our battle song." The remainder of the hymn was written while he was at my house. Mr. Sweney also wrote the music to "Only a Beam of Sunshine," "The Saviour Precious" and " Sing On," and scores of others.