certain stanzas have been omitted, or verbal changes made by competent editors, that the hymns might be rendered more suitable for public worship.
The sketches of personal history of authors, which have been obtained from the most reliable authorities, constitute an important feature of the book. Several of those relating to living hymn-writers in the United States have been revised by the authors themselves.
I sincerely hope that a thoughtful study of the hymns and poems, upon which many sympathetic comments have been made, may prove not only enjoyable, but spiritually helpful.