As with many of our hymns of great heritage, there are at least two stories that must be told to get a fair picture of the publishing of the hymn. Then there are other stories that tell of the reason for the acceptance and success of the marriage of text and music. Such is the case of the beloved hymn “My Jesus, I Love Thee”.
Little is known of William Ralph Featherston (Featherstone). He was born on July 23, 1846 in Montreal, Quebec and died less than twenty-seven years later on May 20, 1873 in that same city. He belonged to the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Montreal, later renamed St. James Methodist Church, then St. James United Church. It is generally accepted that at the age of sixteen (or twelve from some sources), he wrote the poem that we know today. It is reported that he sent the poem to his aunt , Mrs. E. Featherston Wilson in Los Angeles, California shortly afterward. Liking the poem, she suggested that it be published and sent it to a publisher in Britain. It was published in the “London Hymn Book” in 1864 but was attributed to an anonymous author. David J. Beattie, in “The Romance of Sacred Song” (London, 1931), states that “the original copy of the hymn, in the author’s handwriting, is still a cherished treasure in the family.” If Featherston wrote any other poems, none made it into publication or have survived. In fact, this is the extent of what we know about him.
Copies of that British hymnal had made their way to America by 1870, where Adoniram J. Gordon, a Baptist minister, noticed the beautiful lyrics but thought they deserved a better musical setting. Gordon had attended Brown University and Newton Theological Seminary, and was ordained a Baptist minister in 1863. He served at the Baptist church in Jamaica Plain, Mass., then at the Clarendon Street Baptist Church in Boston. Gordon was not a accomplish musician, but was very good at composing melodies. He would hum tunes until he found something he liked, then would have a member of his family play the notes on the piano, which were then jotted down. It was just this way that the tune we know of as “Gordon” found its way into the 1876 edition of “The Service of Song for Baptist Churches”, compiled by S. L. Caldwell and Gordon and published by Gold and Lincoln of Boston, Mass. He would go on to found Gordon College, a liberal arts college located on the former Princemere estate in Wenham, Mass. and Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary, an evangelical seminary whose main campus is based in South Hamilton, Mass., with three other campuses in Boston, Mass.; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jacksonville, Florida.
How unlikely that a poem written in Canada and sent to a relative on the west coast would wind up in a British hymnal! What are the odds that this poem, discovered by a single songbook editor in a British hymnal over 100 years ago, could become an American classic.
There is an account by Ira Sankey of a story connection with this hymn.
“An actress was walking down the street many years ago and passed by an open door. Through the door, she saw a pale sickly girl, obviously handicapped, laying on a couch watching people pass by. She thought to herself, "I might be able to cheer up this girl." And with that, she stopped and went inside. The sick girl was a devoted Christian. The actress was impressed with her words, her patience, her submission, and her uplifting countenance. All of these so exemplified her faith that the actress was touched and began to seriously consider the claims of Christianity. Later, she decided to convert and become a follower of Christ. She told her father, the leader of the theater troupe, of her conversion and her conviction that she could not live a consistent Christian life and still be an actress. Her father was astonished and told his daughter that their living depended on her. If she quite, their business would be ruined. He was persistent, and managed to get her to reluctantly agree to continue. They made preparations for the next play of which she had the starring role. The father rejoiced that he had won his daughter back. The hour came and the audience was in place, the curtain rose, and the young actress stepped forward amid the applause. She stepped forward and the audience hushed as the light beamed on her beautiful face. There in the silence, she repeated these words:
"My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign;
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now."
So often, we wait and search for some "great" thing to do that will help us teach others of the love of Jesus, when just a simple honest declaration of our love and commitment will do.”
References:
Wikipedia
A Hymn is Born - Bonner / Broadman Press 1959
A Song is Born - Taylor / Taylor Publications 2004
Hymns & History - McCann / ACU Press 1997
Hymns of Our Faith - Reynolds / Broadman Press 1967
Then Sings My Soul - Morgan / Thomas Nelson Publishers 2003