Fanny clapped her hands joyfully and cried, “O thank God, He has answered my prayer, just as I knew He would.” So it was on March 3, 1835, that Fanny boarded a stage for Norwalk and then a boat for New York City. Near her 15th birthday came a happy announcement … Mother could send her to a new school, The Institution For The Blind in New York City. Two great blind poets of history, Homer and Milton, were to be joined by another great, Fanny Crosby, who published her first poem at the age of eleven. It is said, that as a child, she could repeat from memory the Pentateuch, the book of Ruth, many of the Psalms, the books of Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and much of the New Testament! This furnished the themes, inspiration, and diction for her imperishable gospel hymns. Also, she introduced Fanny to the Bible and this book now became more familiar to her than any other. Grandmother spent many hours describing the things of nature and heaven to her. Mother was kind, but busy making a living for both of them, so it was Grandmother who became an unforgettable influence in her life. To weep and sigh because I’m blind, I cannot and I won’t!Īround nine years of age, the family moved to Ridgefield, Connecticut, where she was to stay until age 15. How many blessings I enjoy, that other people don’t. Surprisingly, at the age of eight, she wrote her first recorded poetry: 0 what a happy soul am I! Although I cannot see, I am resolved that in this world, contented I will be. ![]() It was the thought that she would never be able to get an education like other boys and girls. It was not the loss of sight that bothered her young heart. The dreaded answer came, “Poor child, I am afraid you will never see again.” Fanny did not think she was poor. Neighbors and friends pooled money together in order to send her. When but five years old, she was taken by her mother to consult the best eye specialist in the country, Dr. A wise mother set about immediately to prepare her daughter for a happy life, in spite of this great handicap. ![]() Fanny never felt any resentment against him, but believed it was permitted by the Lord to fulfill His plan for her life. He prescribed hot mustard poultices to be applied to her eyes, which destroyed her sight completely! It was later learned that the man was not qualified to practice medicine, but he had left town and was never heard of again. Another country doctor was called in to treat her. ![]() When Fanny was six weeks old, she caught a slight cold in her eyes. Will Jesus Find Us Watching … to mention but a few.īorn in a one-story cottage, her father, John, was never to be remembered by Fanny for he died in her twelfth month. sung, she would inquire about the author, and find it to be one of her own!įanny gave the Christian world such songs as: On several occasions, upon hearing an unfamiliar hymn. She produced as many as seven hymn-poems in one day. Frances, were given her works by hymn book publishers so the public wouldn’t know she wrote so large a number of them. As many as 200 different pen names, including Grace J. “Mother, if I had a choice, I would still choose to remain blind … for when I die the first face I will ever see will be the face of my blessed Saviour.”īlind for all of her life, Fanny Crosby, the greatest hymn writer in the history of the Christian Church, later wrote, “And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story – Saved by grace.” She saw over 8,000 poems set to music and over 100,000,000 copies of her songs printed. Frances Jane Crosby BORN: MaSouth East, New York
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