Saints and heroes, long before us, Firmly on this ground have stood; See their banner waving o’er us, Conquerors through the Saviour’s Blood! Ground we hold, whereon of old Fought the faithful and the bold. The American Lutheran Church cannot as yet point to an American Lutheran hymnist like Paul Gerhardt or John Olof Wallin. The English Lutheran hymn books in America contain translations of German, Scandinavian, old Greek, and old Latin hymns, also a large number of carefully selected English (Reformed) hymns. The matter of translating great German and Scandinavian Lutheran hymns into English is a very difficult task. But there are Lutherans in America who write hymns worthy of more general acceptance. They would find it if it were, first of all, accorded to them by their fellow-Lutherans of other synods. So long as the hymn writers of another synod are largely ignored in American Lutheran synodical hymnals, it is not to be expected that what they write will find its way into the hymnals of other denominations. Among the most successful translators and hymn writers within the American Lutheran Church the following may be mentioned: Rev. H. Brueckner, Rev. Dr. Matthias Loy, Rev. Dr. Charles Poterfield Krauth, Rev. John Casper Mattes, Rev. Dr. Alfred Ramsey, Rev. Dr. Charles William Schaeffer, Rev. Dr. Joseph Augustus Seiss, Mrs. Harriett Reynolds Spaeth, Rev. Dr. C. H. L. Schuette, Miss Anna Hoppe, and Rev. Dr. Paul E. Kretzmann. Miss Catherine Winkworth, Anglican, has produced a large number of excellent translations of German Lutheran hymns. Several excellent English Lutheran hymn books have been published within the American Lutheran Church. Perhaps the foremost work is the Common Service Book, authorized by the General Synod, the General Council, and the United Synod in the South. The Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal, published by order of the First English District of the Joint Synod of Ohio and Other States, is a worthy American Lutheran hymn book. The Wartburg Hymnal, edited by Professor O. Hardwig and published by Wartburg Publishing House, is noteworthy. The Scandinavian Lutherans have also published commendable hymn books. The new Hymnal of the Augustana Synod (1925) is excellent. Hymn book committees are at work on the compilation of better and more serviceable English Lutheran hymnals.