“Lend a Helping Hand”

One Sunday evening Pa’s fiddle was singing a Sunday tune and they were all singing heartily with it… — By the Shores of Silver Lake, Chapter 23, “On the Pilgrim Way”

     
Lend a Helping Hand is Hymn #22 in Pure Gold for Sunday School by Rev. Robert T. Lowry and W. Howard Doane. The hymnal was published in New York by Biglow & Main, 1871. Words are by Fanny Crosby; music by W.H. Doane. Doane’s main occupation was president of a woodworking company, although he was trained in church choirs and earned a doctorate of music from Dennison University.

Fanny Crosby (Frances Jane Crosby, 1820-1915) was known and loved throughout the world as the “blind hymn writer,” composing not only thousands of hymns in her lifetime, but popular secular music as well. She collaborated with W. H. Doane on a number of hymns. Born in New York, Crosby was blinded as an infant and was composing verses and music as a young child. She was educated at the Blind Institute of New York, where she later became a teacher.

During his lifetime, W. Howarad Doane (1832-1915)composed hundreds of hymns, and he published over 40 collection of hymns. Pure Gold was his fifth collection; a copy was owned by the Ingalls family. While working on the Little House books, Laura wrote sister Carrie and asked if she still had the old hymnal, and Carrie mailed it to Laura for reference.

     

“Lend a Helping Hand” (SSL 23)
     “To those who are faint and weary”
     “When cheerful we meet in our pleasant home”