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to "lowly mother", reflecting concern among some Anglicans that the word "maiden" might imply accepting belief in the perpetual virginity of the Virgin Mary. However, the original words have been restored in the fifth edition of the Irish Church Hymnal used by the Church of Ireland. Her hymn ‘Jesus calls us! O’er the Tumult’ is one of the hymns written not for children but for adults, and was originally intended as a mission hymn. At the request of HH Dickinson, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle, she produced an English version of a Gaelic poem, ‘Saint Patrick’s Breastplate’. The hymn, also known by its opening words, "I bind unto myself today", was first used on Saint Patrick’s Day 1889. She has been criticised for appearing to endorse the class system and social snobbery in the original third verse of her hymn, ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’:
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A window in Saint Columb’s Cathedral, Derry, refers to three hymns by Cecil Frances Alexander: Once in Royal David’s City (left), There is a green hill far away (centre) and The Golden Gates Are Lifted Up (right) (Photograph: Andreas F Borchett/Wikipedia, Creative Copyright Licence)
published in Verses from the Holy Scripture (1846), Hymns for Little Children (1848), and Hymns Descriptive and Devotional (1858). She also contributed to the Lyra Anglicana, the SPCK Psalms and Hymns, Hymns Ancient and Modern, and other collections. Some of her narrative hymns are heavygoing, even dull. But a large number are still popular and well-loved, including ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. ‘All things Bright and Beautiful,’ ‘There is a Green Hill Far Away’ and ‘Jesus calls us! O’er the Tumult’. ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ is one the many hymns she wrote to provide simple explanations of clauses in the Apostles’ Creed, with this hymn based on the words "who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary". Stanzas 1 and 2 describe the birth of Christ in simple terms. The city, of course, is Bethlehem, his birthplace and the birthplace of his ancestor, King David. Mary and Joseph were there to be counted in the census, which determined the tax distribution and burden of many communities, and was a real REALITY DECEMBER 2018
hardship for the poor who had to travel across difficult terrain. Stanzas 3 and 4 see Christ’s childhood as a pattern and example for children in living their lives. Stanzas 4 and 5 proclaim the divinity of Christ and point to his heavenly glory, which is in sharp contrast to the humble circumstances of his birth. The Christ Child who was born in humility and poverty is not only our pattern and example but also our Redeemer, seated in glory at God’s right hand in heaven. This hymn was first published in 1848 in Hymns for Little Children, her most famous collection. A year later, the English composer and organist Henry John Gauntlett (18051876) found her poem and set it to music with the tune, ‘Irby', named after a village on the Wirral Peninsula. Over the years, many changes have been made to the wording of this hymn. Some alterations changed her original "lowly maiden"
The rich man in his castle, The poor man at his gate, God made them high or lowly, And ordered their estate.
Archbishop William Alexander: a statue in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, of the former Archbishop of Armagh