,
And the fearful breakers roar
'Twixt me and the peaceful rest,
Then, while leaning on Thy breast,
May I hear Thee say to me,
"Fear not, I will pilot thee."

Edward Hopper, 1871.

A FAMOUS HYMN WRITTEN FOR SAILORS

It does not surprise us that the writer of "Jesus, Saviour, pilot me" was
the pastor of a sailors' church. Rev. Edward Hopper, who for many years
was minister of the Church of Sea and Land in New York harbor, had in
mind the daily life of the seamen attending his church when he wrote his
famous lyric. A hymn on the theme of the stormy sea, picturing Jesus as
the divine Pilot--this, he felt, would appeal to sailors and be a source
of constant comfort and encouragement.

Perhaps Hopper got his idea from Charles Wesley. It was a common practice
of the great English hymn-writer to compose hymns that were particularly
adapted to the audiences he addressed. When he visited the men who worked
in the Portland quarries in England, he wrote the hymn containing the
lines:

Strike with the hammer of Thy Word,
And break these hearts of stone.

In any event, Hopper's beautiful hymn at once sprang into popular use,
not only with sailors, but with Christians everywhere. It appeared for
the first time anonymously in "The Sailors' Magazine," but several
hymn-books adopted it. It was not until 1880, nine years after it was
published, however, that the author's name became known. In that year the
anniversary of the Seamen's Friend Society was held in Broadway
Tabernacle, New York City, and Hopper was asked to write a hymn for the
occasion. He responded by producing "Jesus, Saviour, pilot me," and the
secret was out.

Hopper wrote several other hymns, but only this one has lived. Like
Edward Perronet, the author of "All hail the power of Jesus' Name," he
was "a bird of a single song." We could have wished that the fires of
inspired genius had continued to burn with both of these men. Here,
however, apply the words: "Happy is the man who can produce one song
which the world will keep on singing after its author shall have passed
away."

The author of "Jesus, Saviour, pilot me" was a child of the city. He was
born in America's great metropolis, New York City, in the year 1818. His
father was a merchant. His mother was a descendant of the Huguenots, the
persecuted French Protestants. He was educated for the ministry, and,
after serving s