n throughout the length of the country as one
of America's most distinguished clergymen. A prolific writer, his books
and his magazine contributions were widely read by the American people.

Like most literary productions, however, his books and pamphlets have
already been largely forgotten. It is only a little hymn, written on a
moment's inspiration, that seems destined to preserve Gladden's name for
posterity. That hymn is "O Master, let me walk with Thee."

The author was born in Pottsgrove, Pa., February 11, 1836. After his
graduation from Williams College in 1859, he was called as pastor to a
Congregational church in Brooklyn. In 1882 he removed to Columbus, O.,
where he remained as pastor until 1914, a period of thirty-two years.

During these years he exerted a profound influence, not only over the
city of Columbus, but in much wider circles. Gladden was deeply
interested in social service, believing that it is the duty of the
Christian Church to elevate the masses not only spiritually and morally,
but in a social and economic sense as well. By sermons, lectures and by
his writings, he was ever trying to bring about more cordial relationship
between employer and employee.

Gladden was often the center of a storm of criticism on the part of those
who charged him with liberalism. His beautiful hymn, written in 1879,
seems to be in part an answer to his critics. It originally consisted of
three stanzas of eight lines each. The second stanza, which was omitted
when the poem was first published as a hymn, indicates how keenly Gladden
felt the condemnation of his opponents:

O Master, let me walk with Thee
Before the taunting Pharisee;
Help me to bear the sting of spite,
The hate of men who hide Thy light,
The sore distrust of souls sincere
Who cannot read Thy judgments clear,
The dulness of the multitude,
Who dimly guess that Thou art good.

Dr. Gladden always insisted that he was nothing but a preacher, and he
gloried in his high calling. In spite of busy pastorates, however, he
always found time to give expression to his literary talent. At one time
he was a member of the editorial staff of the New York Independent. Later
he was an editor of the "Sunday Afternoon," a weekly magazine. It was in
this magazine that "O Master, let me walk with Thee" was first published.

The writer had no idea of composing a hymn when it was written, and no
one was more surprised than he at its p