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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
A fascinating read., 13 Feb 2003
The hymnal "Songs of Praise" (not to be confused with the BBC television programme of the same name) was first published in 1925, and expanded in 1931. This edition reprints the 1931 text. Unsurprisingly, it includes many hymns that some would now consider to be offensively nationalistic or even jingoistic - Kipling's "God of our Fathers", with its mention of "lesser breeds without the Law" is certainly one of these. It is also geared towards an English congregation; the 'National' section contains three hymns in which England is specifically invoked, for example. Because of these elements of its composition, this is not a good hymnal for congregations favouring "inclusive" hymns, and is probably not ideal for congregations in Wales, Scotland or Ireland either. However, it contains the words of most favourite traditional hymns, and if that's what you're loking for, then this is definitely good value for money. It would also be invaluable to a student of religious or general literature through the Romantic and Victorian preiods - hymns are far too often neglected as a good "way in" to the ideas and uses of imagery that lie behind a particular period in literature.
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