An Arch of Promise Bright

Summer Sundays are always a good opportunity for a gospel song. Today's song, while no longer familiar to many, was produced by two very prolific writers, Emily Hewitt and Charles Gabriel.

Charles Gabriel spent most of his career in Chicago, where he worked in music publishing, eventually editing or compiling nearly a hundred songbooks, which generally contained some of his own compositions.   In 1912 he became associated with Homer Rodeheaver, who had a gospel music publishing firm, and was also the music director for Billy Sunday, a phenomenally popular touring revival preacher.  Rodeheaver used many of Gabriel's songs in Billy Sunday's services, which spread them to a wide audience.

Emily Hewitt was active in the Methodist Church in Philadelphia, superintendent of her congregation's large Sunday School.  Many of her songs, possibly including this one, were written for that assembly.

Be not weary or cast down,
When the heavens seem to frown,
There’s a rainbow on the cloud for you!
’Tis an arch of promise bright,
Earnest of unfading light
Pouring from a sky of radiant blue.

Refrain

There’s a rainbow on the cloud for you,
There’s a promise that is sure and true;
Yes, the storm will pass away;
There will dawn a brighter day—
There’s a rainbow on the cloud for you.

Christ whose word rebuked the storm
Now is able to perform
Every word he whispers to your heart;
Wholly lean upon him, then,
For the sun will shine again,
And the shadows evermore depart.

Refrain

There’s a rainbow on the cloud!
Tho’ your soul is sorrow-bowed,
Lift your voice to praise the Lord today;
There’s a rainbow ’round the throne;
In its glory we will own
That he led us in the perfect way.

Refrain

Eliza E. Hewitt, 1914; alt.

Tune: RAINBOW ON THE CLOUD (7.7.8.D. with refrain)

Charles H. Gabriel, 1914

Both Hewitt and Gabriel were proficient at writing either the words or the music, or both.  They each produced so many songs, that, like Fanny Crosby, their publishers would bring out some of their material under pseudonyms so their songbooks would not appear to be overly full of any one person's contributions.

Three Years Ago: Charles A. Tindley

Eliza Edmunds Hewitt

Today is the 150th birthday of lifelong Philadelphian Eliza Edmunds Hewitt, a prolific writer (and sometimes composer) of gospel songs. She graduated as valedictorian of the Philadelphia Girls' Normal School and began a career as a public school teacher. However, she was injured in the classroom by an unruly student who threw a heavy slate which struck her in the back, and this caused her to be bedridden for an extended period of time (and to suffer from back pain for the rest of her life).

It was apparently during this time that she began to write poetry which came to the attention of publisher John R. Sweney (a gospel songwrtier himself), who invited her to try writing songs. She became one of his must successful writers, and he himself supplied tunes for several of her texts.

There's a clear fountain flowing
From the heavens above,
And its waters are glowing
With the sunshine of love;
Take the blest consolation,
Jesus came to bestow,
Take the cup of salvation,
Let the joy overflow.

Refrain
O the joy! With this wondrous salvation
Be our hearts all aglow;
O the joy! Let the blessing run over,
And joy overflow.

Many hearts need the story,
Are athirst for that grace;
Go to them with Christ's glory
Shining out from your face;
Tell of Jesus your Savior!
And his mercies you know,
Show the light of his favor
Let the joy overflow.
Refrain

Be our lives freely yielded
To the Savior's command;
By his care ever shielded
And upheld by his hand;
In the pathways of sadness,
Sweetest lilies may grow;
Let us sow seeds of gladness,
Let the joy overflow.
Refrain

Eliza E. Hewitt, 1917; alt.
Tune: OVERFLOWING (7.6.7.6.D. with refrain)
Charles H. Gabriel, 1917


Three Years Ago: More Voices Found: Eliza Hewitt

Two Years Ago: Frederick William Faber

Love's Treasure Bringing (Day Four)

Many "forgotten" Christmas songs have been written over the years for children. Sunday School hymnals and songbooks were big sellers in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth, and nearly all of them include sections for Christmas, combining familiar carols and new selections, often written especially for that book. I'd guess that the great majority of those new selections never made it into another collection. Today's song was written by Eliza Hewitt, who wrote and composed dozens, if not hundreds of gospel songs and Sunday School songs, most of which we no longer sing. Composer E.G. Snelling is even more obscure, it seems. It appeared in Sunday School Hymns No. 1 (1903), one of whose editors was Grant Colfax Tullar. Checking a few later Sunday School songbooks published by Tullar's company, this song appears in neither The Bible School Hymnal (1908) nor Sunday School Melodies (1914). Peaceful the wondrous night, Peaceful and holy, Under the silv’ry light, Gleaming afar. Faithfully watching there, Shepherds so lowly, Over the hills so fair, Saw glory’s star. Refrain Hail to the starry night, Sparkling with glory; Angels on wings of light, Thronging the sky. Hail to that starry night! Wondrous its story: Jesus, the Lord of Light, Came from above. Come with that shepherd band, Come to the manger; Join in the chorus grand, Glory to God! Worship the holy Child, Wonderful Stranger, Give to the Undefiled, Glory and laud. Refrain Sweet favor, thus to bow, Love’s treasure bringing, Gratefully yielding now, Life’s joyful praise. Hear from the heav’nly height, Glad echoes ringing, Blessing and pow’r and might, Through endless days. Refrain Eliza E. Hewitt, 1903 Tune: WONDROUS NIGHT (6.5.6.4.D. with refrain) E.G. Snelling, 1903 One Year Ago: The Holy Innocents

More Voices Found: Eliza Hewitt

Eliza Edmunds Hewitt, born on this day in Philadelphia in 1851, was bedridden with a spinal injury for many years, during which she began her hymnwriting career. Her writings were discovered by fellow Philadelphians John Sweney and William Kirkpatrick, composers of gospel songs who together edited and published their own collections, and included many of Hewitt's pieces in their books (and provided the tunes in many cases). One of her best-known songs was Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown.

Eliza Hewitt has already shown up here back on May 24, due to her collaboration with Emily Divine Wilson, When We All Get to Heaven. Hewitt was also a good friend of Fanny Crosby. Of her many songs, I chose this one for today.

Bear the good tidings all over the world,
Let the bright banner of love be unfurled,
Wherever sorrow and pain shall be found,
There let the news of salvation resound.

Refrain
All over the world,
All over the world,
Let the bright banner of love be unfurled,
All over the world.

Plant in the wilderness Sharon’s sweet rose,
Blessing will follow wherever it goes;
Onward, led onward by God’s guiding hand,
Open fresh springs in the dry, thirsty land.
Refrain

Oh, what a song shall in heaven be sung!
By every nation and kindred and tongue;
Saints reunited by grace shall be there,
Joy everlasting together we’ll share.
Refrain

Eliza E. Hewitt, c. 1896; alt.
Tune: SHARON'S ROSE (10.10.10.10. with refrain)
William J. Kirkpatrick, c. 1896

Hewitt was a prolific writer, and her publishers must have felt that she needed a pseudonym so she didn't appear to be crowding out other writers (a distinction she shared with Fanny Crosby), so some of her gospel songs were attributed to "Lidie Edmunds." She does have 73 listed at cyberhymnal.org, which means that there may even be several more out there. She also wrote the music for at least three of her songs.

In later years, Eliza Hewitt partially recovered from her injury and was a Sunday School superintendent, both at the Northern Home for Friendless Children and the Calvin Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.