Joyful Greeting by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 3, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 21.

“Joyful Greeting”

By Editor

Is the name of the newest Sabbath-school song book that has come to our notice. It is published by J. E. White, who is quite well known as the publisher of the “Song Anchor,” “Temperance and Gospel Songs,” and “Songs for Class and School,” with which books the present one will compare favorably. The book is of the popular size for song books, but contains 216 pages, which is largely in excess of the number of pages that books of that class usually contain. Of course it is not to be expected that of 204 songs every one should please everybody, yet in the variety of pieces there is doubtless something to suit every taste, and there are a goodly number in the book which, we venture to say, will suit everybody. Until the public taste is educated back more nearly to the standard of the old hymns, it will doubtless be necessary for publishers to make more or less concession to the present popular demand for a light class of music, and this has been done in the present instance, yet not more, perhaps, than will suit a large number of those for whom it is designed. We are sorry, however, to see a concession to popular and unscriptural theology, on page 166, where the verse writer confounds the coming of Christ with the pagan notion of the wafting of a soul over “death’s dark river” by the mythical boatman. This was, no doubt, an oversight which will be made right in a future edition.

We have not space to call attention to all the good pieces in the book, but would mention those on pages, 7, 17, 24, 27, 46, 128, 130, 154, and 172 as being among those which we think will be liked by everybody. Notwithstanding its size, the book is sold at the popular price of 35 cents a copy, $3.60 per dozen, and $30.00 per hundred. We have no doubt that the average Sabbath-school will find in this book a stock sufficiently large to supply all their wants in the way of song. See advertisement in this paper.