The Song of the Righteous: An Historical and Literary Analysis of the Latter-Day Saint Hymnal

203 Pages·2017·9.34 MB·English

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Theses and Dissertations
1971
TThhee SSoonngg ooff tthhee RRiigghhtteeoouuss:: AAnn HHiissttoorriiccaall aanndd LLiitteerraarryy AAnnaallyyssiiss ooff
tthhee LLaatttteerr--DDaayy SSaaiinntt HHyymmnnaall
Ruth Alene Thomson Symons
Brigham Young University - Provo
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BBYYUU SScchhoollaarrssAArrcchhiivvee CCiittaattiioonn
Symons, Ruth Alene Thomson, "The Song of the Righteous: An Historical and Literary Analysis of the
Latter-Day Saint Hymnal" (1971). Theses and Dissertations. 5158.
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THE SONG OF TRIE RIGHTEOUS
E
eehliissstttorical ria LMMA
AN HIST OF T AArailIdImMD LITERARRYY AAa1NkkALLYYSSIISS
I
1
slirt
lattee 1831871
OF THE LLLAAATTTTTTEEERMRDDDAAAYYY SSAAIINITTI HhyY1I2N4t1Aa1L1l 1118883353511887711
thesis
A
presented to the
english
department of
brigha
young university
brigham
ra
w
partial
in fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
arts
master of
by
ruth alene tthhoomnssoonn symons
august
1971
grateffuullllyy
foUwl lllaaattteee I acknowledge the excellent guidance
1 my committee
liv
ray
chairman dr S williams has given me on this thesis I1 would
also like to thank professor john mckendrick for the interesting
A 11
insights he has provided on many of the hymns and I1 aamn especially
grateful to family to father dr woodruff thomson for his
my my
C
numerous suggestions to mother irene thomson for her encour-
my
G
agement and for typing the final draft of the thesis with such pains-
taking care to brother lee for proofreading to dear
my and
my
husband van symons for his enthusiasm support in this as in all
and
of endeavors
my
TABLE OF CCOOINNTTEENNTTSS
chapter page
I
introduction
1
hylal
II beginnings tle hesahlaikl
11 TTtiIMmE1 1188335 L
baptismal sacramental lu
and hymns 14
of christian dedication
hymns 20
restoration
of
hymns 31
mmMkkiliiilillleeleeennnnnnnniiiaaalll the plan of salvation
hymns and 38
mRiissssiioonnaarryy ao
hymns 505o0
praise
of
hymns 54
U
literary
analysis
of phelps 61
hiyymns 61
ay alttmmss VI 17
iillli ibo
III tim1188400 missionary htrhjal
111 EXPANSION THE 1xissio Y im11a1aa L 67
1
pubbbliliilc
of worship
hymns c 69
L
doxologies
885
baptismal sacramental
and hymns 89
mMiillleennnniiaall
hymns 94
missionary
hymns 99
new themes in the hymnal lo11g005
pratt
literary
analysis parley
of
hymns PF 113
page
chapter
consolidation emea 11881411 119
IV SMITHS
EelMtiMa A HYMNAL
lluoaa
Vvo EXILE AAaalNIlmMaD THE PpRroOlM11ISisEeDd LLAUNMD THE HYMNALS OF 1849 1188511
l86
186
1856j 1863 118817 127
AND 1871
the 1849 hhyymmnaall bastion of the faith 131
the 181 hymnal ccoclillaaaarrrriioonn of the gathering 137
1851 0
the 186 hymnal caught in the rwteiiininnndddd of new doctrines
11885666 1
13
153
promoter unity
the 1863 hymnnnaaalil of 166
Hyrn
the 1871 hymnal witness for christ 11775
f
1
literary analysis eliza
hyans of snow
hhhyaymmmmmnsss R 177
conclusions 183
VI
a
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
selected bibliography 11995
0
I
CHAPTER 1
introduction
with today divergent divisive society individuality
I s and where
1
is celebrated to the exclusion of cohesion and where any man who
attempts to arbiter tastes
become the or even barometer of public
and
philosophies regardless of his social political or literary standing
is assailed from all points for the audacity of judging as as for
much
art
the judgment where in merit is mythically an individual matter
but where often the technician most rapidly proliferates shocking
wlathhoo
greatest
artistic
innovations receives the acclaim where indeed the
ppprrreeevvvaaarlilliinng tenor of the times is the polarization of values political
r
C
religious and aesthetic an age characterized as houghton and stange
characterize the victorian age by its tismultiplicity and eexxttreme variety
111 rerrie
it
of style and belief is at times refreshing to turn to another age
another less confused style of life neither the society nor the
where
individual was sacrificed to the god of individuality and where moral
01
integrity
rather than the latest pornography was hailed as an artistic
triumph of course such societies were plagued by their inherent
own
weaknesses and consequent failures but they were spared from ssoomnee of
grosser
the malignancies of our om
own
one such society iloonngg the object of derision and only
common
recently rreeccoovveerirning any critical admiarirraaatttiiiooonnn the puritan oligarchy
adri was
admi
7
of seventeenth and eelicghhsttteeeeeennnttthhh century new england another also
ti
walter houghton and robert stange Vviiccttooorrridlaaannn poetry and
E
G
poetics xiii
boston houghton mifflin comppaannyy 1199599tt p
comi
I1
13
1
widely and strongly berated was the mormon society of the nineteenth
1 P
0
1
1
A
ilarities
ssilaa
century because of the many and basic ssiimmiillaarriittiieess between these two
it
fitting
peoples seems only in this thesis which is a study of one
aspect
of the mormon culture to employ a brief comparison of the two
peoples which may then serve as a point of departure and continual
standard of reference throughout the paper
obviously both societies essentially religious ventures
were and
both had undertaken arduous treks to largely uninhabited wilderness areas
3
ill
hoping to avoid the ppeersecuti1oonn and feeling each had tasted at home
CDP
if
which continued could possibly have led to the physical disruption of
vement
each rmoovement and hoping to preserve in purity their oowvmn doctrines and
ocodoi
nation proxiriu
beliefs free from the cecooonnntttaaamiiiiiiinnaattiioonn which a closer proximoittyy to other
gentile beliefs
might have occasioned
and while the philosophical bases of the congregational and
latterday
latter saint theologies differed significantly the very basic idea
day
of the nature of god differed greatly between the two groups the
J
zz3a P
similarities in the practical religion of each society are rieiamrakrkaabbllee
red
1
the revered and authoritative position awarded to the scriptures in
is scriptural
both instances evinced not only by the references
many
allusions present in nearly all phases of writing but also in the
and
makeup and government of their ssooccallieeetttiil1 eess both considered themselves
wilderness peoples after the example of mmmkoooosslseeeessssyy and covenant peoples
in the tradition of abraham iissaaaacl and jacob the scripturally based
social of both tgrroouuppss to establish zion the kkkiiinnngggddoomin of god
aim was ddooilnn
P
I1 D
on earth and to live in a community of perfect harmony and perfect
righteousness and the social order of both peoples depended on a
3
definite theological hierarchy
where the wise and godly would counsel
and direct but also vwaalheleerrreee individual consent or dissent would be taken
i
into consideration in both sssoooceciwieeitetitieieesss integrity productivity and
enlightenment were cardinal virtues turpitude idleness ignorance
and
3
reprehensible vices the religious element nwraaasss pervasive in all areas
iiras
inas
of cccooomi7rmmjnunuuitnnyiittyy life upon the rock of religion were ffounded not only the
relation
gggooovbveeerrrnmmmleenntt but also the schools the ffamily rrreeelllaaatttiiiooonnnssshsshhhhipiiilpps the regulations
sa
s3
ccddc1
for dealing with domestic crises and external eeennntttaaannnrgrgllleeemmmeenentnstt3ss and the
economic base
it
of course is impossible and incorrect to view eeeeililtttthhneeerrr society
as a ssseeelilfffcoconntataiinneedd organism springing ffuullllgrgorowwnn from spontaneous gener-
C aqoo
puritanism
ation in a vvaaccuuuumn As 11uritan ism appeared the unquestionable child of
religious and social conditions in Eelliizzaablbeetthhaann england the fffiinrsstt puritans
pron
indeed dddilifffffeerriinnga fefrrrooondm their orthodox Aanncglliiccaann brothers only in ffoorrmn and
I
1
L IL
C 10
show of the church not one whit in tthheeoolllooogwUy so did illIlollooorrrrammmooonnniissimmsr appear
I
1
any standing
in mrnrmaaaannnnyyyy of its theological beliefs and practices nnnooitttwwwiiitttkkhhhssttaannddiinngg its
C
claims to divine authority and modern revelation to be an aamlgalegaamn of
am
concepts championed by various new england sects at the tttiiimnreee of its
inception and even as neither group could not be considered unexpected
it
appeared considering the cultural milieu at the time of its
when
origin neither could be called a static society unchanged or unchanging
from year to year or generation to generation each experienced times
of great fervency unity and growth followed by times of external stress
0 C
and internal apathy or dissent each also underwent changes in belief
and doctrinal emphasis and knew a continuing dialectical struggle to
0
CQ
it
all
remain in the world but not of while pressured on sides to
h
its
position
abandon unique
puritans
in the case of the the worldly antithesis working over
the period of two centuries finally diluted the puritan lifeblood of
orthodoxy to a smooth though no more cerebral unitarianism the mtoorrmmoonn
T
still
society though to be sure young has fared far better from the
viewpoint of internal orthodoxy or proved more obstinate and anti
its
ecumenical as detractors might say in maintaining unique flavor
although not as previously mentioned without changes in doctrinal
if
emphasis not in basic doctrine
ivfjihhiillee growing out of sixteenth century engrrlilaaannnddd or nineteenth
hn
puritan
century america both the and kormon societies may be considered
distinct cultures rather than sssuuubbbccsuuullltttuuarrreeesss because of the physical
resulting
isolation both groups chose and the societal changes from the
puritans
isolation no matter close the new england ties were to
how
his mother country and his loyalty and hheeaarrt tffeelltt pride iinnbbeeiinngg an
englishman were unquestionable at least during the first colonial ppeerriioodd
C
left
in fact the pilgrims holland because of the fear of cultural
sailing
assimilation england was over one thousand miles a distance
thirtyfive fortyfive
of thirty five to forty five days away from the ccoolloonniieesss ounnee thousand
miles over the seas were the libraries and rich cultural refinements of
puritans
european refine-
the new england brothers and many of those
art
ments mnuussiicc aarrtt3a fiction and nnoonnddiiddaaccttiicc vveerrsseewwoouulldd have been
rausic3
frills if
unjustifiable in any frontier society even they had not been
specifically opposed by the puritans as worldly enticements to divert the
attention of the godly from tthhoouughahtttsss of heavenly and eternal concerns
ccdd1c
5
in such a pass new and old england soon displayed a remarkable divergence
of cultural opinion and habit though their theological base never
was
point dispute
a of mmaajjoonr
ror
the Mymrmcoooooorrrrrmriilmmlioooonnnnssss too realized that separation from the land of their
birth was the only way to maintain their religious integrity even though
they too lloovdeedd their country dearly a love strengthened by their belief
that aammeerriiccaas founders and leaders were divinely inspired but unlike
t
the puritans thhee kmLoooorrrrmmnmoooonnnn 1i0 ntegrity consisted of a auunnniiiqqqaaueellyy combined
doctrinal system rather than a denial of certain external or cultural
values in fact with a few notable exceptions the moaorrrmmmooonnnsss strove to
1
1
erican
keep a ffiirrmn grasp on their ameerircicaadn cultural hhheeenrriiitttaaagree at all times and
ALI
in all places in direct opposition to puritan denial of worldly comfort
or beauty the mormons encouraged the arts believing that all things of
beauty were galivveenn to man by his creator and that striving in turn to
create beauty in aaaannrrttttyy music architecture literature or dance was only
it
further glorifying him may well be that this continual cultural as
cas
C D
well as religious ssttrriivviinngo by the mbbbourrrnnnmiiilooooonnnnnsssss has allowed ttthhheeemnu to prosper in
ale
still
the world whhiiele remaining theologically apart from worldly ssttrraiffeess
w
and concerns but the puritans tying their cultural denials so closely
to their theological system too late that disruption in
discovered a
sipilar
the first set of values would lead to a ssiilviiiillaarr disruption of the latter
resulting in the ultimate downfall of the entire paaubriritittaaannn system
naturally
any study of a people mrauusstt begin with the records they
1
1
left
have to chronicle their existence and sometimes consciously to
justify that existence because the mooorrrmmnooonnn society was religious in
T
11
CD
conception organization ggoovveerrnmmaeenntt and belief the scope of mnoorrmmoonn
1
C 2