No Eyes Yet See
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert.
Isaiah 35:5-6
Francis Jane
Crosby was probably the most prolific and creative hymn writer in
history. Her love for her Savior inspired her to write more than
8,000 hymns. Taken altogether, her hymns could fill more than 15
complete volumes of hymnals. Being humble, she chose to publish many
of her works under 200 pseudonyms so that her real name would not
monopolize the hymnbooks. In her lifetime, Fanny was one of the best
known women in the United States. Today, many of her hymns had been
lost and forgotten, but a large number remain ageless as evergreen
favorites of Christians all over the world.
Fanny Crosby was
born into a family of strong Puritan heritage on March 24, 1820 in
Putnam County, New York. As a baby, she had an eye infection.
Unfortunately, her family doctor was away. Another man, pretending
to be a certified doctor, prescribed the treatment by placing hot
mustard poultices on her red and inflamed eyelids. The illness
subsided but scars were inflicted on her eyes. Fanny lost all of her
sight two weeks after her birth.
A few months
later, Fanny's father died. Her mother, Mercy Crosby, became a widow
at the young age of 21. She supported the family by hiring herself
out as a maid. Fanny was primarily raised by her Christian
grandmother, Eunice Crosby.
Grandma Eunice
took great care of her little granddaughter. She provided every one
of her needs including food, drinks, clothings, medical care and
also education. She became the eyes of the little girl, vividly
describing every detail of the surrounding physical world with all
its beauty and splendour. Her loving ways of teaching helped to
train and develop Fanny's creative abilities.
Not only that,
Grandma Eunice also nurtured Fanny in the Christian faith. She read
the Bible to her daily, carefully explaining the Holy Scriptures to
her. She always emphasized the importance of prayer. When Fanny was
depressed as she could not do or learn as other children did, her
grandma would teach her how to pray to God for guidance, strength,
wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
Mrs. Hawley was
the landlady of the Crosbys. She also played an important role in
Fanny's life. She helped Fanny to memorize the Bible by teaching the
young girl five chapters a week. Through her, Fanny knew the
Pentateuch, the Gospels, Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and many of
the psalms by heart. She developed a fantastic memory that often
amazed her friends who could see. As her heart was strengthened by
the Word of God, Fanny believed that she was no different from other
normal people. Her blindness had not only forced her to develop a
powerful memory and focused lifestyle; it also deepened her
relationship with God.
Blindness was
not a terrible thing after all. At the age of eight, Fanny composed
this little poem:
Oh, what a
happy child I am,
Although I cannot see!
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be!
How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don't!
So weep or sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot - nor I won't.
Fanny Crosby had
an amazing outlook for her life, full of faith and hope. Her
blindness never gave birth to self-pity in her little heart. In her
adult years, she would often say, "It was the best thing that could
have happened to me" or "How in the world could I have lived such a
helpful life as I have lived had I not been blind?"
In 1834, Fanny
learned of a recently founded New York Institute for the Blind. She
knew that this was the answer to her prayer for a proper education.
Shortly before her fifteenth birthday, Crosby was sent to the
Institute. That became her home for 23 years - 12 years as a
student, and 11 years as a teacher.
Fanny became
somewhat of a celebrity at the school. She was called upon to write
poems for almost every conceivable occasion. As the time went by,
the principal asked her to avoid such "distractions" and to
concentrate on her teaching duties. He said to her, "We have no
right to be vain in the presence of the Owner and Creator of all
things."
A traveling
phrenologist changed the mind of the principal and again ignited
Fanny’s passion to write. Phrenology is the study of the shape and
irregularities of the skull for insights into the character and
mental capacity of the person. Though this science is now being
ridiculed and disputed, the words of the phrenologist proved to be
very prophetic: "Here is a poetess. Give her every possible
encouragement. Read the best books to her and teach her the finest
poetry. You will hear from this young lady some day." His words came
true!
By age 23, Fanny
was writing poetry for presidents and paupers. She was addressing
Congress and making friendships with presidents, especially Grover
Cleveland, who had served as secretary for the Institute for the
Blind before his election. When she was 30, she dedicated her life
to Christ at a revival meeting. From then onwards, her writing took
a new spiritual direction.
Her first book
of poems was published in 1844. It was called "The Blind Girl and
Other Poems." In 1858, she published a book called "A Wreath of
Columbia's Flowers." It was a collection of secular stories and
poems filled with the same emotional and sentimental tones that she
had given to her hymns. Her last book "Memories of Eighty Years" was
published in 1906 when she was 86.
On March 5,
1858, Fanny was married to Alexander van Alstine, another member of
the same institute. He was also a former pupil at the New York
Institute for the Blind. Alexander was a great musician. Considered
to be one of the finest organists in New York, he wrote the music to
many of Fanny's hymns. Fanny was herself an excellent harpist. She
also played the piano and the guitar, and she had a lovely soprano
voice. Though she could play a few instruments, Fanny put music to
only some of her hymns. Very often, the musicians would come to ask
her for the lyrics to their music.
Fanny lived
beyond 90 years. Even as an elderly woman, she would sit at the
piano, playing almost everything from classical pieces to hymns to
ragtime. Sometimes she even jazzed up the old hymns, bringing new
life to the ancient melodies. One biographer wrote this of her:
...in her
day, she was considered by most people to be the greatest in
America. As Johann Strauss reigned in Vienna as the "Waltz
King," and John Phillip Sousa in Washington as the "March King,"
so Fanny Crosby reigned in New York in the later nineteenth and
early twentieth century as the "Hymn Queen"….
After her
marriage, Fanny left her teaching post at the Institute. Within a
few years, she found her true vocation in writing hymns. She was
under contract to submit three hymns a week to her publisher,
Bigelow and Main. They would then use the new hymns in their Sunday
School publications. Fanny would sometimes write six or seven hymns
a day. She was usually paid only one or two dollars for each poem.
Those who composed the tunes usually kept all the rights for the
entire hymn.
Fanny could
write complex poetry as well as improvise classical music. But she
opted for simplicity by writing music for the common people. Her
hymns were aimed at bringing the message of the Gospel to people who
could not understand complicated preaching. Whenever she wrote a
hymn, she would pray to the Lord that He would use it to lead many
souls to Himself.
When the
evangelistic team of Dwight L. Moody and Ira D. Sankey began to use
her hymns in their crusades, her popularity grew. Her hymns was
instrumental in drawing multitudes to acknowledge and confess Jesus
Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. Some of them were:
- Blessed
Assurance
- All the Way
My Savior Leads Me
- To God Be
the Glory
- Pass Me
Not, O Gentle Savior
- Safe in the
Arms of Jesus
- Rescue the
Perishing
- Jesus, Keep
Me Near the Cross
- I Am Thine,
O Lord
Her hymn writing
abilities declined in her later years. But Fanny was still very
active in the ministry. She had speaking engagements, and did
missionary work among the urban poor in America - almost until the
day she died in February 12, 1915. Her grave was in Bridgeport,
Connecticut. There was a simple little headstone with the name "Aunt
Fanny" and these words:
Blessed
assurance, Jesus is mine.
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.
Eliza Hewitt
memorialized Fanny’s passing in a poem:
Away to the
country of sunshine and song,
Our songbird has taken her flight,
And she who has sung in the darkness so long
Now sings in the beautiful light.
Fanny had led
many people to Christ not only through her music and hymns but also
through her personal life and testimony. She continued to write up
to her death, a month shy of her 95th birthday. Her last
stanza was "You will reach the river brink, some sweet day, bye and
bye."
Fanny’s true
heart desire, before she died, was perhaps penned in one of her
later hymns:
When my
lifework is ended and I cross the swelling tide,
When the bright and glorious morning I shall see,
I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side,
And His smile will be the first to welcome me.
Chorus:
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand!
I shall know Him, I shall know Him
By the print of the nails in His hand.
Once a
well-meaning preacher sympathetically remarked, "I think it is a
great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered
so many other gifts upon you." Fanny replied quickly, "Do you know
that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have
been that I should be born blind?" "Why?" asked the surprised
clergyman. "Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall
ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!"
About her
blindness, Fanny said: "It seemed intended by the blessed providence
of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the
dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow, I
would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of
God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things
about me."
One of Fanny
Crosby's hymns was so personal that for years she kept it to
herself. Kenneth Osbeck was the author of several books on
hymnology. He said that its revelation to the public came about this
way:
One day at
the Bible conference in Northfield, Massachusetts, Miss Crosby
was asked by D.L. Moody to give a personal testimony. At first
she hesitated, then quietly rose and said, "There is one hymn I
have written which has never been published. I call it my
soul's poem. Sometimes when I am troubled, I repeat it to
myself, for it brings comfort to my heart." She then recited
while many wept:
Someday
the silver cord will break,
And I no more as now shall sing;
But oh, the joy when I shall wake
Within the palace of the King!
And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story--saved by grace!
Saved by
grace, no eyes yet see, poor but so rich! This is her story, this is
her song, praising her Savior all the day long! Blessed and assured!
Written on:
30 August 2004