Hymns: 'Tell Mother I'll Be There'

May 08, 2008 06:08 pm

— President William McKinley was born to Nancy Allison McKinley. He had five sisters and three brothers, but he always seemed to be his mother's favorite. He was named after his father, and maybe this had something to do with it, but he was always devoted to his mother. Mrs. McKinley would tell friends that William would grow up to be a Methodist preacher someday. It was true that he was a devout Christian, taught a Bible class and was later superintendent of the Methodist Church Sunday School. But what his mother did not know was that he would not become a preacher, but would attend law school and become a successful lawyer, congressman, governor of Ohio and president of the United States.
Every day of his life, he either telegraphed or wrote his mother. After becoming president, he had a direct line run from the White House to her home in Canton, Ohio, in case of an emergency. He also had a private train at full steam 24 hours a day, standing by in case his mother needed him.
In mid-October 1897, President McKinley took a train from the White House to Canton to walk his mother to church, just as he had done when he lived at home. That same winter, "Mother McKinley" became ill. Soon the message came by telegraph that she needed William to come and comfort her in her last hours. President McKinley wired back immediately, "Tell mother I'll be there." Mrs. McKinley died Dec. 12, 1897, in the arms of her 54-year-old-son, President McKinley.
Tragically, four years later, McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo, N.Y., while making a speech. With no bitterness even toward his assassin, the dying president said, "God's will be done." Then he called for a hymn - "Nearer My God to Thee" - to be sung. He was buried in Canton beside his mother.
One of the greatest hymn writers of that day, Charles Fillmore, was reading a newspaper account of McKinley's telegram to those sitting with his gravely ill mother and was inspired to write a hymn in 1898 using as a title the dramatic message.
For years in America this hymn was very popular in May and especially on Mother's Day. This hymn is not sung as much now as it was in the early 1900s, but it should be revived.
Evangelist Charles M. Alexander said '"Tell Mother I'll Be There" has converted more men than any other song written in a decade. A song which critics have tried to cut to pieces, both words and music, but I have never found a song, which would take its place. One night in Liverpool while the choir was singing 'Tell Mother I'll Be There,' one hundred and sixty men arose and publicly accepted Christ before all the people." The hymn was arranged by Robert Harkness.

Stories Behind the Hymns is written by Warren Shiver of Biscoe. He can be reached by e-mail at wshiver99@embarqmail.com or by snail mail at P.O. Box 775, Biscoe, NC 27209. Shiver also has self-published a book of 104 hymn stories. Contact him at the address above for more information.