Library Collections: Document: Full Text


Memories Of Eighty Years

Creator: Fanny J. Crosby (author)
Date: 1906
Publisher: James H. Earle & Company, Boston
Source: Available at selected libraries
Figures From This Artifact: Figure 2  Figure 3  Figure 4  Figure 5  Figure 6  Figure 7  Figure 8  Figure 9

Next Page   All Pages 


Page 1:

1  

MEMORIES OF EIGHTY YEARS
BY
FANNY J. CROSBY
(MRS. ALEXANDER VAN ALSTYNE)

2  

THE STORY OF HER LIFE, TOLD BY HERSELF
ANCESTRY, CHILDHOOD, WOMANHOOD
FRIENDSHIPS, INCIDENTS AND HISTORY OF HER SONGS AND HYMNS

3  

ILLUSTRATED

4  

JAMES H. EARLE & COMPANY BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS

5  

DEDICATION

6  

Go little book with many a prayer
Go on thy pinions light as air
The story and the life portray
Of her who sends thee forth to-day
Go little book, God's goodness tell
Whose praise her soul enraptured sings
Who gave the harp she loves so well
And in her childhood tuned the strings
Go, little book, her years recall
With countless friends so richly blest
She murmurs not what'er befall
But feels the power of perfect rest
Go, little book, should some lone heart
Forget in thee one throb of pain
Shouldst thou but play this humble part
Thy author has not toiled in vain

7  

INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT

8  

FOR those friends and acquaintances, who have expressed a wish to read the complete story of my life, from my childhood to the present time, I have undertaken the writing of this book. By including even some incidents that, in themselves, may seem trivial, I have tried to make this account a full and accurate autobiography. In modesty, however, I have also desired to render my story as simple as possible, in fact, to give a vivid pic-ture of my work, my opinions and my aspirations, not only as a teacher but also as a writer of sacred songs; and if I have spoken with a frankness that may seem akin to egotism, I hope that I may be pardoned; for I am fully aware of the immense debt I owe to those numberless friends, only a few of whom I have been able to mention, and especially to that dear Friend of us all, who is our light and life.

9  

Throughout the pages which follow I have availed myself of the kind assistance of several persons; and I desire to acknowledge here especially the services of the Biglow and Main Company for permission to make a few quotations from my copyrighted poems; to J. L. B. Sunderlin, for the use of a number of articles that originally appeared in the "Albany Railroader"; to I. Allan Sankey, Hubert P. Main; Dr. William H. Doane and Mrs. Mary Upham Currier, for corrections, suggestions and stories of the hymns; to my sister, Mrs. Carrie W. Rider, for the single-hearted devotion with which she has aided me in every way she could to make this story of my life all that a loving sister would wish it to be; to my friend, Miss Eva G. Cleaveland, who has warmly seconded my sister's efforts; and to my cousin, William Losee, for pictures of my early home and its surroundings.

10  

In the work of compiling, copying and arranging this book, I am indebted to the valuable services of H. Adelbert White. Like my old physician, Dr. J. W. G. Clements, through whose generous efforts my first book of poems was issued, he has sacrificed every other consideration and patiently devoted himself to my interest. This he has done, however, as a gift of friendship; and I realize that this book never would have been possible without his assistance.

11  

But, if this little volume shall be the means of trans-mitting sunshine into any life, I am sure that all those, who have so generously given their aid, will feel abun-dantly rewarded. For myself, it is a rare privilege and pleasure to twine the blossoms I have been gathering in the garden of memory along the journey of life into a wreath which must forever be a token of fellowship and good will.

12  

CONTENTS

13  

Chapter
I. Flowers that Never Fade
II. The Training of the Blind
III. First Visit to New York
IV. Early Poetic Training
V. The Promise of an Education
VI. Inspiration for Work
VII. The Daily Task
VIII. Summer Vacations
IX. Two Addresses before Congress
X. A Peerless Trio of Public Men
XI. Contrasted Events
XII. Literary and Musical Memories
XIII. A Lesson in Self Reliance
XIV. Early Songs and Hymns
XV. The Life of a Hymn-Writer
XVI. Two Great Evangelists
XVII. Other Literary and Musical Friendships
XVIII. Work Among Missions
XIX. Events of Recent Years
XX. Incidents of Hymns
XXI. A Few Tributes
XXII. Autobiographical Poems

14  

CHAPTER I
FLOWERS THAT NEVER FADE

15  

MANY of the flowers I planted in the garden of memory during a happy childhood are still blooming sweet and fair after a lapse of more than eighty years. Those that are somewhat faded, because they have not recently been watered, and those which have been crushed in the press of a long and busy life, I will try to revive until I have finished the life story that I am about to tell. Amid

16  

"Giant rocks and hills majestic,
Sunny glade and fertile plain,"

17  

as one of my own poems describes the surroundings among which I was reared, these blossoms of expectant youth, some of them frail promises of future harvests, were gathered in the good old town of Southeast, Putnam County, New York. In that region the traveller, perhaps to a greater degree than the inhabitant, remembers the country as one of wonderful wildness and gran-deur. The scenery is sublime because natural; and more majestic than any handiwork designed by man. During the summer months the neighboring hills are studded with great masses of foliage; and this here and there is touched with small masses of gold and brown; and in winter the same landscape is covered over with spread of virgin snow. These gracious gifts of natural scenery left their own indelible imprint upon my mind; for, although I was deprived of sight at the age of six weeks, my imagination was still receptive to all the influences around me; and the surrounding country, in its native beauty, was real enough to me; in one sense, was as real to my mind as to the minds of my little com-panions. At least the inner meaning of all the objects that they could see with their physical vision, to my mental sight by imagination was made somewhat more plain than may be supposed.

Next Page

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50  51  52  53  54  55  56  57  58  59  60    All Pages