With Joy We Claim the Growing Light
Hymn composed by
Musicalisches Hand-buchContextual information
Tune Name
WINCHESTER NEW
Tune Name
Text Meter
L.M.
10.9.10.9
Song Composer
Musicalisches Hand-buchHymn Arranger
Composer Background information
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Lyricist Background information
Born in Portland, Maine, Samuel Longfellow (1819-1892) was ordained as a Unitarian minister and served congregations in Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. In 1846, he and Rev. Samuel Johnson compiled and edited A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, often revising lyrics to meet the needs of churches with increasingly liberal theologies. Devoted partners for 40 years, Longfellow and Johnson enlarged upon their work in 1864 with Hymns of the Spirit. Noting the difference between Samuel and his famous older brother Henry Wadsworth, a friend remembered, “It was said that while Henry Longfellow was made a poet, Samuel was born one, and also it was said that he was good enough to be a saint and interesting enough to be a sinner. He was certainly a mystic.” (prepared by Rev. Norman Allen)
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Lyrics
With joy we claim the growing light,
advancing thought, and widening view,
the larger freedom, clearer sight,
which from the old unfold the new.
With wider view, come loftier goal;
with fuller light, more good to see;
with freedom, truer self-control;
with knowledge, deeper reverence be.
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