355. Not alone for mighty empire
William Pierson Merrill, 1867—
A hymn of thanksgiving and of the higher patriotism, glorying not in empire nor in battleship and fortress but in the things of the spirit which have made America great. It was first printed in The Continent, a Presbyterian paper, now defunct, published in Chicago.
Concerning the origin of the hymn, Dr. Merrill wrote in a letter dated April 18, 1947:
The occasion for the writing of this hymn was a Union Thanksgiving Service in Chicago, where Jenkin Lloyd Jones made a prayer, in which he thanked God more for spiritual values in our national life than for any temporal ones. That prayer inspired my hymn.
Howard Chandler Robbins, Professor of Pastoral Theology in the General Theological Seminary, New York City, says: “On Thanksgiving Day we all ought to be singing Dr. Merrill’s great Thanksgiving hymn, one of the greatest national hymns in the English language.”
For comments on William Pierson Merrill see [Hymn 183].
MUSIC. IN BABILONE. For comments on this tune see [Hymn 122].