31. Day is dying in the west
Mary Lathbury, 1841-1913
An evening hymn of high rank which has been used widely in American churches during the past half century.
Mary A. Lathbury, daughter of a Methodist minister, was a successful art teacher but is remembered chiefly for her work with the Methodist Sunday School Union and her literary contributions to periodicals for young people. The “Look Up” Legion which she founded had for its motto, Edward Everett Hale’s four rules of good conduct:
Look up, not down;
Look forward, not back;
Look out, not in,
And lend a hand.
Miss Lathbury wrote this hymn for use at the vesper services at Lake Chautauqua, in western New York, where hundreds of young people, eager to deepen their spiritual life, have met every year since 1873 for Bible study and prayer. This hymn and “Break Thou the Bread of Life” give the author a permanent place in American hymnody.
MUSIC. CHAUTAUQUA was written especially for Miss Lathbury’s hymn. William F. Sherwin, 1826-88, studied music under Lowell Mason and later became a teacher of vocal music. He was unusually successful in leading choral groups and was appointed music director at Lake Chautauqua. The tune is dignified and stately, yet simple. The refrain should be sung softly at the beginning and rise gradually to a climax.