Fanny Crosby (1984) - full transcript

Welcome to "Testimony"
and "Testimony's" debut episode

the fabulous and inspiring
story of Fanny Crosby.

"TESTIMONY" is a biography
series of shows

that will entertain you,

sometimes they will amaze you

most certainly
they will inspire you.

"Testimony,"
the biography television series

endeavors to showcase
the lives of Christians,

past and present,

individuals of great faith
that in their own ordinary

and sometimes extraordinary ways
changed the world.



Hello. I am Rick Castelioni.

I am eager to introduce you
to a woman

whose name you
may not recognize

but whose songs
you probably will.

Of her more than
10,000 songs

many of them were
international best sellers.

Fanny Crosby was also
the first woman

to address the U.S. Congress
and there is much more.

The question is
how did a blind woman

who grew up
in a rural area like this

achieve so much
in her life

with all of the odds
against her.

Sit back and we will
tell you the story

of the one and only
Fanny Crosby.



(Narrator) Since the beginning
of time and before

there is seldom
anything as profound

as the creator's spirit
as seen through human kind.

"Testimony" proudly presents
the stories of individuals,

vessels who set themselves aside
to find fullness,

heroes who found
honor and humility,

spirit inspired lives

that would change the world
for eternity...

join us as we proudly present
the testimony of Fanny Crosby.

Throughout the history
of the Christian church

hymns have built a bridge

between the tangible world
and the spiritual realm.

Hymns have offered comfort
to the grieving at funerals;

jubilation and promise
during weddings

and hymns have echoed
compassion and hope

during times of War.

The early 1800s was a time
of growth and conflict

for the young nation
of the United States.

The anti-slavery abolitionists
of the north

were just organizing and
there was unrest in the South.

James Monroe, who would pen
the famous Monroe Doctrine,

was the presiding President.

lt was into this world that
Francis Jane Crosby was born.

Fanny as she
came to be called

went from a near
hopeless situation

to become one of the most
influential American figures

of her time.

of her time.

John and Mercy Crosby were
blessed with their first child,

a daughter on March 24th 1820.

Francis Jane was born
in Putnam County,

75 miles north
of New York City.

The Crosby's were people
of simple means

making a living
off the land.

As an infant,

Fanny contracted
an eye infection,

the family physician from
the nearest village was away

so the Crosbys sought the aid
of another country doctor.

What are
you doing?

Hot mustard
poultice.

On her eyes?

Madam,
I am the physician.

(Narrator) When the man was
finished with his treatment,

Fanny quickly
lost all sight.

Baby Fanny was blinded.

lt was later learned that the
man was not a qualified doctor.

He left town after
learning the results

of his destructive
prescription.

When Fanny
was nearly a year old

the family was struck
by tragedy once again,

her father John had become ill
while working his land.

He succumbed to pneumonia
a short time after.

Mercy now widowed
was forced to take a job

leaving young Fanny
in the care of her mother.

Fanny was an adventurous
and curious child

taking in the sounds and the
fragrances flowing around her,

she would even play hide and
seek with the other children

finding her way by the sound
of their breathing

and avoiding obstacles
by sensing their shadows.

Jane you always
find me.

(Narrator) This encouragement
of vivid childhood experiences

is what laid the groundwork
for Fanny's poetic mind

and comprehension
of visible things.

The wind across her cheeks,

the thunder clapping
in the distance

and the sounds of nature

formed the heightened
sense of wonder

that molded her spirit
and poet's vision.

Her family
was a significant influence

in Fanny's formative years.

Her grandmother spent long
hours reading the Bible to her.

Fanny absorbed scripture
like a sponge.

She could recite much of
the New Testament, Proverbs,

Ruth and several other
books of the Bible.

"Though preparest
a table before me

in the presence
of mine enemies. "

(Narrator) Her unparalleled
powers of memorization

and love of the Poetic

were to become
the tools of her trade,

and the means to change
the lives of so many people.

Throughout this time,

Mercy Crosby held firmly
to the belief

that Fanny's blindness
was only a temporary condition

and so Mercy arranged for
Fanny to see an eye specialist

in New York City.

The neighbors banded together
and collected enough money

to pay for the trip.

At the age of five,

as other children her age
were starting school,

Fanny and her mother were
making a life changing trip.

While Fanny was likely
overwhelmed with the new smells,

sounds, and energy of the city
her mother's intense focus

was in the hope of good news
from the doctor.

Is there nothing
you can do?

(Narrator) But the damage to
Fanny's eyes was irreversible;

she would never
regain her sight.

Fanny was very unique
as a blind child

because of the fact that
she was never treated at home

as a blind child.

She was taught to do things
just like other children.

People don't think
of blind people

the same as other people
and that's wrong, Frances.

So you've got to show them
that you're different.

You're going to have
to educate yourself,

because they can't teach
you in the normal school.

Do you understand,
Frances?

Yes,
grandmother.

(Narrator) This kind nurturing
from her family

gave her an optimistic
outlook on life.

Shortly after her trip
to New York City she wrote:

(Fanny) "Oh what a happy soul
I am Although I cannot see

"I am resolved that
in this world

"Contented I will be

"How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don't

"To weep inside
because I'm blind

I cannot nor I won't. "

(Narrator) Although Fanny
was content with being blind,

she was unwilling
to fit into the box

that society would
put blind people.

She yearned for more.

(Fanny) The night was beautiful,
I crept toward the window,;

and through the branches

of a giant oak that stood
just outside,

the soft moonlight
fell upon my head

like the benediction
of an angel.

"Dear Lord please show me

how I can learn like
the other children".

(Fanny) At this moment,

the weight of anxiety that
had burdened my heart

was changed to the
sweet consciousness

that my prayer would be
answered in due time.

From the time
Fanny was 8 years old

she prayed every evening

that God would find a place
where she could learn.

She would go attend the local
schools, the regular schools,

but the teachers at that time

did not know how
to teach blind students.

So to cover
their own inadequacy

they would tell her
that she was stupid

and she couldn't learn
and send her home

or they would let her sit there,
just sit in class

while the other children read
and went out for recess.

And Fanny was just very bored
and she could do everything

the other children could do
except read,

and the teachers just
didn't know how to teach her.

But, inside of that
little girl was a genius

that needed to be brought out.

(Narrator) ln 1829 when
Fanny was 9 years of age,

the family moved
to Ridgefield, Connecticut

and into the home
of the Hawley's,

a wealthy Quaker Family
where Mercy had taken a job.

An afternoon
in the Hawley's parlor

meant listening to the words
of the English literary masters

and enjoying
the company of those

whose loved fine art
and culture.

As she listened to the words
of Milton who was also blind -

her love of verse
took firm root.

Soon she began to compose
in her own mind,

filing away unfinished poems.

The powerful memory
she had cultivated

was now being refined.

Only when the poems
were complete

would she enlist the help
of a trusted friend

to commit the results to paper
for others to see.

Meanwhile, the New York
Institution for the Blind

was opening its doors.

Although Fanny
didn't realize it yet,

this institution would soon
play a major role in her life.

The opening of the New York
Institute for the Blind

gave young Fanny the opportunity
she had been praying for.

At the age of 15,
with her mother's assistance,

Fanny applied to the school.

"The institute said
you have been accepted. "

[Fanny gasps]

(Narrator)
The city that had been the sit
of a disappointing trip

was suddenly filled
with hope and promise.

She was going to learn
like other children.

While Fanny Crosby was eager
to be taught in the academics,

the philosophy behind educating
the blind in 1835

was more focused on
vocational training.

Determined to pursue her own
interest, the crafting of words,

Fanny struggled against
the insistence of her teachers

that she devote herself
to 'more practical' goals.

But not all the faculty
was so narrow minded.

The Superintendent
of the school, Dr. Russ,

encouraged Fanny and she came
to deeply respect the principal

whom she found out
later in life

had been so dedicated
to the school

that he once worked
for 2 entire years

without drawing
a penny in wages.

(Darlene Neptune)
The New York Institution
for the blind

was a unique and new type
of schooling.

So everyone - politicians
and famous people -

went to visit the blind school
to look at it.

And Fanny was their
poet in residence,

which meant that any time
someone came to visit the school

she would recite one of her
poems as a welcome to them.

So she came to know everyone
who came through there

all the presidents
and politicians

and famous people.

During her lifetime
at the school

she came to know
22 of our presidents

from John Quincy Adams
to Woodrow Wilson.

(Narrator) On one of these
dignitary visits

William Colin Bryant,
a famous poet of the day

came across
some of Fanny's work.

Do you have
a Francis Crosby?

Francis,
stand up please.

Francis Crosby,

an excellent young lady,
excellent!

I have been reading
your poems.

Yes, I have.

And you have the making
of a great poet someday,

but you have to work at it.

I shall observe your future
with great interest.

(Narrator) He only gave her

a few small words
of encouragement,

but Fanny was deeply touched
by Bryant's small offering

of inspiration.

(Fanny) He never knew how much
he did by those few words.

(Narrator)
Years at the institute,
while academically fulfilling,

offered Fanny
many opportunities

to be the mischievous
playful child that she was.

On one occasion,

she snuck a watermelon
from the school's garden,

an act of rebellion
on behalf of all the students

who were upset that the fruit
was going to be sold

before they could enjoy it.

And, occasionally,
she would describe

a school subject
through poetry.

Tell us the poem, Fanny.

Multiplication is vexation,
division is as bad.

The rule of three puzzles me,
and fractions make me mad.

[laughs]
ha, ha, ha

(Narrator) As Fanny moves
swiftly through her studies

she became known
among the school staff

as a gifted student.

[knock on door]

Come in.

(Narrator)
Upon her graduation

the institution offered her
a teaching position.

At the age of 22, Fanny was put
on the school's payroll

and began to instruct
young minds

on the wonders of rhetoric
and history.

This posting not only gave her
a respective place in society,

it also gave her a platform
from which to recite

and circulate
her creative verse.

One year later,
in the autumn of 1843,

Francis was given
an extraordinary opportunity.

Hoping to gain financial
assistance for the blind,

the New York Institute
sent Fanny and others

to address congress
on Capitol Hill.

The audience included
John Quincy Adams,

the sixth president
of the United States

and Jefferson Davis,

the only man ever
to be president

of the Confederate States
of America.

Fanny Crosby was to be the first
woman to ever address

the senate and congress.

(Dr. Wes Janzen)
ln the 19th century,

disabled people did not have
very many rights

and Fanny Crosby
was invited to speak

to the Senate
and the congress.

She was, in fact,
the first woman

ever asked to speak
to these government leaders

and the purpose
of her visit there

was to make the case that
disabled people can and should

and ought to lead
a productive role in society.

She was very convincing;

she endeared herself
to the government leaders

and was very influential
in making her point.

(Fanny) "I think of that
rustic village

"secluded as once it
stood

with its dwelling soul
and pretending... "

(Narrator) Fanny selected
several of her favorite poems

and when it was time
for her to speak,

recited them with
understated conviction.

The words spoke
for themselves.

When she had finished
reciting the first poem

there was a prolonged period
of silence.

Unable to see the faces
of the audience members

she began to dread that their
silence signified disapproval.

She was completed shocked when
a thunderous wave of applause

suddenly washed over her,

the noise overwhelming
her keen sense of hearing.

ln the years that followed
that first trip to the capitol,

the young teacher recited her
poetry to many public figures.

One of these,
President James Polk,

became a close friend
to Fanny's -

sometimes dropping
by the school unannounced

in order to avoid
the pomp and pageantry

that usually
accompanied the arrival

of someone
in his position.

He would walk the school's
grounds with the poet

and encourage her
to allow kindness

to always rule
her conduct,

a principle he strove
to uphold as president.

Another visitor to the institute
was General Scott

who had earned the nickname
"Rough and Ready Scott"

during the Mexican war.

After the usual
formal ceremony had finished,

the general was busy
admiring the school

when Fanny
and an accomplice

decided to liven
the occasion.

General Scott,
you are my prisoner!

(Narrator) But as Fanny's
playful personality

was asserting itself,

a tragedy was brewing
across the Atlantic

that would affect her life,

as well as the lives
of all New Yorkers.

ln the autumn of 1848,
the deadly Asiatic cholera

was sweeping Europe
killing millions.

lt took less than a year for the
plague to reach North America.

New York
was its first stop.

Authorities frantically tried
to stamp out the disease

but their efforts
were in vain.

What is it?

It's...
it's Margaret.

(Narrator) The Staff
of the New York Institute

braced themselves
for the worse.

Fanny became a volunteer

to help with the students
that became ill

and one of her
favorite students,

a little girl
of 8 years old,

came down
with the cholera.

Fanny was in habit of rocking
her in the evenings

and she asked
Fanny one evening

if she would rock her
while she was sick

and while Fanny
was rocking her

she said, "You can put me down
Miss Crosby,

in the morning
I will be with the Lord."

And then Fanny talked about
the next morning

that she carried her body
down to the Trinity Church

in New York City and buried her
in the Trinity Cemetery.

(Narrator) A skilled physician,
name JWG Clements,

instructed Fanny on making
a medicine he had devised

to bring down the disease.

Desperate by today's measures,

the mixture consisted
of three parts mercury

and one part opium
rolled into pills.

To meet the needs of
the endangered pupils,

Fanny switched roles
from teacher to nurse

putting herself
at great risk.

She spent her days comforting
those who were past hope

and treating those
who could still be saved.

She recalled that one evening

while hurrying through
a classroom turned hospital

she struck her foot
against an object

instantly recognizing the dull
thud of an occupied coffin.

And now Fanny
was certain that she too,

had developed symptoms
of the disease,

without telling her peers,

Fanny took a large quantity
of the cholera pills

she had been making.

The smell of death
was everywhere

in the summer of 1849.

As the epidemic ravaged
New York City,

Fanny, like thousands
of others

was sent to less populated
healthier places to recuperate.

The end of the epidemic came
with the first frost of fall.

Our fair city
needs you once again,

please return to your
homes

and aid us
in returning New York

to the noble metropolis
it deserves to be.

The Mayor.

(Narrator) Death and disaster
force us to question our lives.

Catastrophe causes many people

to consider
their spiritual state,

and so in 1850 revival meetings
sprang up throughout New York.

The narrow escape
from fatal disease

and the grief
of nearly everyone's loss

caused a great deal of hunger
for the gospel message

and the soothing words
of Jesus.

Fanny had been attending
weekly meetings

at the 13th Street
Methodist church since 1839.

Her recent close call with death
caused her to listen closer

than ever to the words that
rang out from the pulpit.

Mr. Theodore Camp,

a well respected teacher
in the city school system.

attended the meetings
with Fanny.

Camp and Fanny developed
a friendship,

and although he never forced
the gospel message on her,

Fanny was impressed by the
man's conviction in his faith.

Then one night Fanny Crosby
had a dramatic dream.

(Fanny) The sky was
cloudy for days

and I felt summoned
to the side of my friend.

Fanny, can you give up
our friendship?

I cannot. You have been
my adviser and my friend.

What would I do
without your aid?

Why would you chase
a spirit to earth

when it longs to fly away
and be at rest?

Will you meet me
in heaven?

[shocked]
Huh!?

(Narrator) The dream compelled
Fanny to reconsider

her spiritual state.

On the evening
of November 20, 1850,

at age 30,

Fanny Crosby finally felt
the peace of God wash over her

when she asked Christ
to take charge of her life.

lt seems odd
that someone raised

to memorize and
recite the Bible,

who often labored under
the banner of Christian charity,

would reach out to
God so late in life.

However, despite
Fanny's desire

to be a productive
Christian woman

she realized there
was more to faith

than the accumulation
of deeds.

(Fanny) My very soul was
flooded with celestial light,

and then for the first
time I realized

that I had been trying to
hold the world in one hand,

and the Lord in the other

Today, gentlemen we are
going to speak about

a very important time in
the history of America.

(Narrator) ln 1855,
the New York Institute

hired another blind prodigy,
Alexander Van Alstyne.

Although their relationship
was platonic for several years,

Alexander and Fanny's friendship
eventually blossomed into love.

ln the spring of 1858,

Fanny ended her 23 years
at the Institute

to marry Van Alstyne,

a union which was to last
for 44 years.

They moved to Maspeth,
a part of Queens.

Fanny had looked forward
to married life and motherhood.

Her joy was unrestrained.

Alexander insisted that
Fanny use her maiden name,

since it was already
so well-known.

And so although she was
legally Francis Van Alstyne,

she was always known
as Fanny Crosby in public.

Van Alstyne wrote the music
for several of Fanny's hymns,

but he lived quietly
in the shadow of her success.

The following year,
Fanny gave birth

to their first and only child,
a baby girl.

Fanny was ecstatic, but tragedy
was about to strike again.

(Darlene Neptune) ln 1859,
Alexander and Fanny had a baby

and Fanny was
excited about it.

There had to be
a little fear involved, also.

How would two
blind people raise a child

back in the mid 1800s,

but they lost the
child in infancy.

She was just a few months old
when they lost her

and Fanny and Van never really
spoke publicly about it.

lt was the worse experience
either one of them

had ever gone through
and neither one of them

dealt very well with it.

The hymn that she wrote
"Safe in the arms of Jesus"

was written as a poem
for her baby when she died.

(Narrator) Even today, that hymn
continues to comfort people

devastated by the loss
of a loved one.

♪ Safe in the arms of Jesus
Safe on his gentle rest ♪

♪ There by his love all shaded
Sweetly my soul shall rest. ♪

(Narrator) Following the death
of their only child,

Fanny Crosby and her husband

sought comfort at church
and attended regularly.

The minister there insisted
that she introduce herself

to Mr. William B. Bradbury,

a famous composer who
was looking for someone

to write hymn lyrics
to accompany his music.

Now what can
I do for you.

I think,
Mr. Bradbury,

that it's more of a question
of what I can do for you.

I hear that you are
looking for a lyricist.

Here are my
credentials.

I've seen
much of your work.

I think it would be best if I
just played the melody for you?

That would be
acceptable.

[playing the piano]

Well?

Very good. I shall
return on the morrow.

(Narrator) After impressing the
publisher with her abilities,

Fanny's next assignment
was more challenging.

Bradbury had an urgent need
for a patriotic tune,

so he suggested that she write
the words to the melody

"Forest Trees",

which had been used to stir
the troops during the civil war.

Several days later,

she returned
to Bradbury's office

to present him
with the finished song.

The composer wasn't in,
but the bookkeeper,

also a musical man,

played the hymn on the piano,
amazed at the new words.

♪ ...we shall dwell
in love together ♪

♪ there shall be
no parting there. ♪

How in the world did you
manage to write that hymn?

Nobody ever supposed that
you, or any other mortal,

could adapt words
to that melody!

As long as I have
a publishing house,

you will always
have work.

(Darlene Neptune)
Fanny and Mr. Bradbury

worked together for four years
and then he died

and Fanny was just
crushed and heart broken

because they worked
so well together

and written scores
of hymns.

And L. H. Bigelow
and Sylvester Main

then bought Mr. Bradbury's
publishing firm

and it became the
Bigelow and Main publishing firm

and they took Fanny on
as a writer.

ln their time,

they were the largest single
publishers of gospel music

and so that she had this
connection with them

really helped her
in the dissemination of music

to many, many people.

The exciting thing for Fanny
was that she had known

Sylvester Main from Richfield
when she was just a little girl,

they had played tag
and Fanny was it

and she was chasing the students
and she ran into a tree.

Fanny began to pick herself up
and she realized that there

was a little boy there
and he helped her stand up

and brushed her dress off
and tied her bow

and helped her walk home.

And Fanny was just so
horrified and embarrassed

she said, "I just can't imagine
how I ran into the tree,"

because the shade from the tree,
the coolness and the shade

always warned her that she
was getting close to the center

of the tree
and the little boy said,

"Well, the tree has
been dead for years."

That little boy
that walked her home

and helped her brush
the dirt off her that day

was Sylvester Main.

When Fanny left for the
institution at the age of 14

they didn't see each other again
until many years later

when Sylvester Main
was one of the purchasers

of Mr. Bradbury's firm.

(Narrator) She went on to work
for the Bigelow and Main company

for more than thirty four years

and Fanny did not limit herself
to songwriting.

As an accomplished
singer and musician,

she, with her husband,

would perform in concerts
for the public.

But, it was still
her songwriting

that she was best
known for.

ln 1866, Philip Phillips,
published a collection of hymns

called the "Singing Pilgrim".

He sent Fanny forty
titles requiring lyrics.

Here's where Fanny's
extraordinary memory

really came into play.

She wrote, revised,
and completed every one

of the forty songs in her mind
and put it to memory.

And then dictated
all forty in one shot

to somebody who was
transcribing them.

I can't imagine reciting
forty hymns myself,

any forty hymns that I
know in one shot

and I have been singing
hymns for many years.

So really,
it's quite astonishing.

(Narrator)
ln her autobiography,

she describes how she wrote
two volumes this way,

eighty songs in all,

adding that she was
not trying to boast.

Rather, she wanted
to impress upon readers

the incredible power
of the mind

and inspire them
to new heights.

Praise and worship seemed
to burst from Fanny's soul.

Years of Bible memorization
gave her the knowledge

to compose theologically
sound hymns.

And her poetic vision and
childlike love of nature

inspired rich metaphors
and beautiful imagery

describing the glory
of creation in harmony

with the spirit of God.

(Fanny) "The most
enduring hymns are born

"in the silences
of the soul,

"and nothing must
be allowed to intrude

while they are being
framed into language."

ln 1873, Fanny was visited by
her best friend, Phoebe Nap.

Phoebe and Fanny
were very good friends,

they did a lot
of things together,

shopping and all
the girl things.

Well, they were visiting
one evening

and Fanny said that Phoebe

sat down at her husband Van's
piano and began to play a tune.

She told Fanny, "Fanny,
God has given me this tune

but he hasn't given me
any words to fit it."

"Fanny", Phoebe said, "Does God
give you any words for my tune?"

Fanny said that she sat down
in her rocking chair

and in the next five minutes
she put together the words

to "Blessed Assurance".

(Narrator) The crusading team

of Dwight L. Moody
and Ira Sankey

did more to popularize Fanny's
hymns than anyone else.

ln mass crusades that
swept throughout Europe

and American cities
such as Chicago,

New York and Boston,

the two evangelists
spoke and sang

to tens of thousands
of people.

lt was at these meetings
that "Blessed Assurance"

was first embraced
by the masses.

♪ Blessed assurance
Jesus is mine, ♪

♪ Oh, what a foretaste,
of glory divine. ♪

(Narrator) lt has become
an "old stand-by"

that continues to echo
throughout thousands

of church services
every Sunday.

♪ Born of His Spirit,
washed in His blood. ♪

♪ This is my story,
this is my song. ♪

♪ Praising my savior,
all the day long. ♪

♪ This is my story,
this is my song. ♪

♪ Praising my savior,
all the day long. ♪

ln her day Fanny Crosby
was immensely popular,

she was the most prolific
composer of this type of music,

she was the most published
composer of this type of music

and she was the most popular
composer of this type of music.

Virtually everybody who attended
church during this time

in American history and indeed
in other countries as well,

would have sung the music
of Fanny Crosby.

(Narrator) Fanny Crosby often
went to the Bowery,

a ghetto of the destitute,

where she did what she
could to help and inspire

the poor and the lost gathered
at the various missions.

The Young Men's
Christian Association,

the Y.M.C.A. was at it's
height at the time

and Fanny was often
invited to speak.

Conductors, porters
and other railway workers

had started their own
Bible Studies

and prayer meetings,

eventually becoming an
official branch of the Y.M.C.A.

Fanny called them
"The Railroad Boys",

and they held a special
place in her heart.

(Fanny) "How I would like
to shake yours hands,

"and greet you one by
one,;

"But we are now too far apart,
and this cannot be done.

"Yet I can hope, and wish and
pray that heaven's eternal joys

May fall like dew upon your
heads, my noble railroad boys."

She made a connection
with people where they were at,

she understood
the common person,

she understood suffering,
she understood the yearnings

that the average person
on the street had

and she had a particular genius
for communicating these ideas

with sincerity and clarity in
an almost rugged simplicity

that just appealed
to a majority of people.

One evening Fanny went to
the Bowery Mission to minister,

she began her speech and she
said her tongue stumbled,

she paused for a
moment and then said,

"Please forgive this lapse."

Then she said she felt
a sudden curious urge

and she heard herself say,

"There is a young man
here tonight

who has turned his back on the
things of God and his parents."

She went on with her speech and
she said it flowed along freely

but after the meeting she said
a young man approached her

and said, "I believe I am
the young man you spoke of."

She said, "I believe your mother
is a godly woman is she not?"

And he said, "Oh she was."

Fanny said she took him
by his hand and knelt down

on the filthy floor
of the mission that night

and lead him in a prayer
to the Lord.

She said after they stood up
his voice burst out loud.

He said, "Now I can meet
my mother in heaven

for I have found her God."

Fanny said later that evening
as she rocked in the quiet

she savored the memories
and she thought

what if no one would have gone
to the mission that night,

that young man
could still be lost.

And that evening she put
together the words

to a new hymn,
this one she wrote

"For the people should be
witnessing the Gospel".

(Narrator) By 1906,
the hymnal series

"Gospel Hymns
and Sacred Songs",

to which Fanny
had contributed extensively

had sold over
15 million copies worldwide.

Fanny donated all her royalties

to a collection of charities
and seminaries.

Indeed she died with only
$2,000 in her estate.

She was a humble, generous,
gracious giving woman

and fame and fortune were not
important to her in the least.

That's one of the reasons
she is such an amazing woman

when we consider her
life and her legacy.

(Narrator) Often the song-bird
wrote six hymns a day,

turning them out so quickly
that her publishers found

they had a unique problem.

The public of that day
expected a collection of hymns

to be written by various
authors, not just one.

So publishes began
to employ pen-names.

ln all, Fanny Crosby used over
250 different pen names

during her publishing career,
including: James Apple,

Rose Atherton,
Henrietta E. Blair,

Frank Gould, Victoria Stewart
and many, many others.

ln all it is believed that she
wrote well over 10,000 hymns

all after the age of 43.

ln it's day the music
for Fanny Crosby's hymns

was quite conservative.

However, it was conservative
perhaps for a reason,

people needed to sing this
and frequently there would be

gatherings of hundreds
or even thousands of people

singing these songs together.

That these hymns were
conservative in their time.

Now, seems almost irrelevant
that the important thing

is these hymns have been around
and are still around,

they have been popular
and they have been enjoyed

and they continue to be enjoyed
for such a long time.

(Narrator) Fanny was an artist
and like other artists

she had her little
idiosyncrasies.

(Fanny) It has been my
custom

to hold a little book
in my hand,;

and somehow or other the words
seem to come more promptly

when I am so engaged.

I can also remember
more accurately

when this little volume
is in my grasp.

(Narrator) Over the years people
noting this curious habit

have asked some
strange questions.

Judging from pictures
of the songstress,

that book was always with her.

This led some to believe
that she could really see.

ln 1900, Fanny
and Alexander van Alstyne

moved in with family
in Bridgeport.

lt was two years later in 1902

that Fanny's longtime husband
and partner of 44 years died.

Fanny continued
to age gracefully,

always making new friends
along the way.

During the last months
of her life,

many visitors claimed
she seemed to glow

with a radiant light.

Right until her last hours

she showed more concern
for others than herself.

On her last night alive,
she dictated a letter of comfort

to a grieving friend who
had just lost her daughter.

lt was the morning
of February, 12th, 1915,

when Francis Jane Crosby
finally saw her Savior.

Fanny's funeral was the biggest
Bridgeport had every seen.

People lined up for blocks
to view the coffin

and many dignitaries
and politicians attended.

Fanny had insisted
on a simple grave,

preferring the money be used
to help the poor and needy.

Initially, her small gravestone
carried the terse statement

"She hath done
what she could".

ln 1955, the citizens of
Bridgeport replaced the stone

with a more fitting tribute.

The chorus to
"Blessed Assurance"

now forms the central portion
of her epitaph.

Fanny Crosby had never shown
resentment or regret

about being blind
or even about the charlatan

who took her eyesight
from her in her infancy.

ln fact, she appreciated
the fact that her disability

gave her deeper insight
into spiritual matters.

A century has passed

since Fanny Crosby wrote
most of her hymns

and throughout that century
the inspired words

of the most prolific
lyricist of all time

have rung out
more than those

of any other songwriter
in history.

The New York Institute
is still going strong

as an educator
of blind children.

Though others have deeply
contributed to its cause,

Fanny is still recognized

as one of the school's
most treasured alumnus.

Her friendships with men,
like President James Polk,

must have affected
the course of the nation.

Although it is difficult
to measure the full impact

of these unions.

Yet there are
thousands of others.

People from the Bowery's
and railway lines

who weren't from
societies elite

which were given
a gift from the poet,

they were given
the gift of truth,

the love of God by someone
who could not see

their haggard
distraught faces

but saw something
deeper instead,

light in their souls and the
promise that they could overcome

whatever disability the world
has placed upon them.

The last verse she wrote

was not one of a despairing
and dying woman,

but a joyful,
hopeful saint

about to see joy
face to face.

(Fanny) "In the morn
of Zion's glory,

"when the clouds
have rolled away,

"And my hope has dropped
its anchor

"in the vale
of perfect day,

"When with all
the pure and holy

"I shall strike
my harp anew,

"With a power
no arm can sever,

Love will hold me
fast and true. "

♪ Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord ♪

♪ let the earth
hear his voice ♪

♪ Praise the Lord,
Praise the Lord, ♪

♪ let the people rejoice ♪

♪ Oh come to the Father
through Jesus the Son ♪

♪ And give him the glory
great things He hath done! ♪

Some of you
likely grew up singing

many of those familiar songs;
perhaps you know them by memory.

It's been reported
that Fanny Crosby wrote

more verse than any other
human being in history,

perhaps she did.

It's also been reported that
Fanny Crosby was twice nominated

as the most important
woman in the U.S.A.

Well, we haven't been
able to verify that,

but we do know
she is very important to us.

Thank you for
watching "Testimony."

I'm Rick Castelioni
We will see you next time.