Following from Gospel Hymns and Choruses for Young and Old, I have come across a very small, leather, gilt-edged book, ‘Gospel Hymns for Children’, published by Morrish and with the Preface dated 1898. I am enquiring if anyone would know who compiled or edited this little book.

Beside the above hymnbook is another, ‘Heils= und Loblieder’, which was printed and published in Oberdiessbach and obtainable in Thüringia. In it are translations of hymns by, among others, J.N.D., G.W. Frazer, J. Hutton, R. Robinson, Miss C. Thompson and Mrs J.A. Trench (all four, eight-line verses of ‘How blest a home’). There is no date of publication, but on the fly-leaf is the name of an English couple, below which is written, ‘1932’, which may be assumed the year that they visited the Continent. Alongside the number of the translation of the well known hymn by Mr Darby, ‘And shall we see Thy face . . .’, there is printed ‘Geistliche Lieder 20’, which would indicate that this hymn was taken from a book already in print. It is not No. 20 in the Brockhaus ‘Geistliche Lieder’, nor in the most recent edition. This would indicate that it comes from a different ‘Geistliche Lieder’, perhaps the one in use by the few Continental brethren not in fellowship with the ‘Lowe’ brethren, as the translations seem to be from the 1903 edition of the Little Flock. There is also a translation of ‘Thou art the everlasting Word’, with tune ‘Waltham’.

Martin, is the universalism you mention connected to AE Knoch? He had influences among open brethren in Northern Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s (and I bought a copy of his Greek NT from an exclusive bookseller in England, so he may have had readers there too).

Thank you, Brother Arlhelger, for answering my questions. It is of note that in 1898 both Morrish and Hammond published ‘Gospel Hymns for Children’.

When brethren spoke of those who, preceding WWII., were in fellowship with Glanton in Germany, no mention was made of either Max Staude or Hugo Adrian. According to what is before me, at that time Walter Adrian in Düsseldorf and August Mann in Hildesheim were the corresponding brethren in their respective assemblies.

The history of the German hymnbooks is most interesting. While I have before me the 1926 edition, I find roughly 55 translations come from the 1881 ‘Little Flock’ and another 13 from the 1903 edition. The additional hymns, mostly by J.N.D., are of the character of worship, including the ‘burnt offering’ hymn by T.H.R., Nr 28 (‘L.F.’ No. 53).

From your list, it seems clear that F.H. Rückbrodt was with the ‘London’, later known as ‘Taylor’, brethren. Do you know anything of Richard Arras, the editor of the 1926 edition?

As you will know, the few scattered ‘Glanton’ meetings in Germany did not join the ‘Bund’. It was told that, when the S.S. turned up at his door In Düsseldorf, the indomitable brother Osberghaus sent them packing! After WWII. these brethren were in fellowship with the seceders from ‘Glanton’, who by no means could have the label, ‘Raven’, attached to them. A brother who came amongst them from the brethren then known as ‘London’ during WWII. was found to hold Raven’s errors and he was forthwith put out of fellowship.