If the requirement of community in the church hymnody permits dealing with special situations and experiences in the realm of spiritual life, then it ought to follow that this character of community will not be violated if the content of the church hymn bears upon certain external conditions and circumstances in which the entire congregation never can find itself at any one time. Since there are liturgical acts which directly affect only certain individuals in the congregation, not the congregation as a whole, there may be church hymns for certain individuals and special occasions. There are church hymns for marriage, confirmation, ordination, etc. It is also perfectly well to have church hymns for the aged, for the sick, for the dying, for prisoners, in time of war, etc. Since the church members should be kindly and lovingly interested in each other, the congregation may well give expression to certain sympathetic feelings in the church hymns. But such conditions and circumstances in the life of an individual as are quite exceptional and of special interest only to him, not to the congregation as such, are unsuitable as subjects for church hymns, since they may quite easily form a disturbing digression from that character of community which should distinguish the church hymns as such. Hymns “for a father or a mother at New Year, for a poor young man, for a young lady, for a blind man,” and the like, really have no place in the hymnal. The congregational character of the church hymn also finds expression in the language and style of presentation. This must be plain and clear, so that the hymn may be easily understood and appreciated by all who possess a reasonable religious training, young or old. The mode of expression is original, naive, true-hearted and graphic. The true church hymn avoids startling phrases, prettiness, and mere rhetoric. THE POETICAL QUALITY The other point of view from which the church hymn may be considered is the poetical; the church hymn is a _song_ thus a product of poetical art. Before attempting to analyze the poetical quality of the church hymn, it may be well to consider what kinds of poetry are used in the hymnody of the Church.