And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye not read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
The hymn was written by Rev. John Henley, an English Methodist minister, known widely for his deep spirituality and entire consecration to Christ. Henley gave much of his time and energy in behalf of the suffering and poor in his parishes.
MUSIC. INFANT PRAISE, also known as “Children of Jerusalem,” first appeared in John Curwen’s Tune Book to the Hymns and Chants for Sunday Schools, published in 1842. The hymn and tune appeared a year later in The Juvenile Harmonist: A Selection of Tunes and Pieces for Children, by Thomas Clark of Canterbury.
John Curwen, 1816-80, was a minister in the Independent Church in England, and an ardent advocate of congregational singing. He developed and promoted the Tonic Sol-Fa method of teaching to sing, using it in his own church and schools, and lecturing upon it in various parts of the country. Resigning his ministry on account of ill health, in 1867, he established a printing and publishing business and assisted in the founding of a Tonic Sol-Fa Association for the promotion of that method of singing. Curwen compiled and edited popular collections of songs for use in Sunday schools.
405. Around the throne of God in heaven
Anne Shepherd, 1809-57
The author of this hymn was born on the Isle of Wight, the daughter of Rev. Edward H. Houlditch, a minister in the Church of England. In 1843 she married S. Saville Shepherd. The hymn, originally in five stanzas, is one of 64 hymns written by Mrs. Shepherd and published in 1836 under the title, Hymns Adapted to the Comprehension of Young Minds.
MUSIC. GLORY was published in England in Curwen’s Tune Book to the Hymns and Chants for Sunday Schools, 1842, with these words. The combination of hymn and tune has continued to the present.