Modern Hymns

With Klopstock this short survey of the course of German religious poetry must end. He has brought us within the entrance of that modern revival of literature which rendered the close of the eighteenth century as remarkable for its brilliancy as the opening of it had been for its barrenness. Germany had once more woke up to life; and perhaps because political and practical life offered no career to attract her ablest minds, their energies were all the more thrown into the field of thought, of literature and philosophy, criticism and research. To a great extent this new intellectual 335 activity made for itself other channels quite apart from that peculiarly Christian form of literature which we have been following; yet not wholly so. Klopstock marked the opening of the new era by the greatest religious epic that Germany possesses; Herder not only wrote religious poems of merit himself, but did better service by his works on ancient national poetry, and especially that of the Hebrews, which taught men afresh what they ought to seek and care for in this kind of literature. The writers of the so-called Romantic school, and of the patriotic songs which flew over Germany during the wars with Napoleon, furnished a few really fine religious poems and hymns, such as those of Novalis, Ernst Moritz Arndt, Schenkendorf, and Fouqué, whose name is best known to us by his lovely little romance of "Undine." Then followed a time which produced very little of this kind. With the exception of a few illustrious names--such as those of Neander, Rothe, Bunsen, or Nitzsch--the two tendencies most easily recognisable in the religious thought of Germany of later years have been an aggressive or a quietly contemptuous scepticism, confronted by a narrow and arrogant orthodoxy which has allied itself to whatever was least progressive in the political world. But by the side of these there has also been an undergrowth of a genuine religious life which has not as yet asserted itself in the field of thought, but has shown itself almost exclusively in that of active Christian charity and devotional feeling. It is to this spirit that the country owes that remarkable development of philanthropic agencies which find their bond of common work in the "Inner Mission," and no less the reform of its hymn-books, 336 and the rise of a large new school of hymn-writers. Within the last thirty years the hymnology of Germany, both before and since the Reformation, has been the subject of the most careful research; several important historical works on the subject have been written, and many thoroughly good collections of hymns have been published; while even the authorized State hymn-books are by slow degrees sharing in the improvement. At present the best is that of Wurtemberg. The original religious poetry of the present day is very considerable in quantity, but varies much in character. Among the Roman Catholic writers, Spee, with all the defects no less than the beauties of his style, affords the most frequent model, while the most usual theme is the praise of Mary. The Evangelical authors, on the other hand, take the earlier Lutheran school for their pattern in congregational "church-songs," and if they do not attain quite the force and condensed pregnancy of the classical hymns, they have at least much sweetness, earnestness, and simplicity; while their poems not intended for congregational use are often graceful and touching. The best among them are those of Spitta, Knapp, Victor Strauss, and Gerok, Louise Hensel and Meta Haüszer.