I've been studying the works of Fanny Crosby for several years. I'm fascinated by the number of songs she wrote that were only published one or a few times and then mostly languish except here on Hymnary.org! Over time, I've reset about 20 of Fanny's songs to modernize the lyrics and make them a bit more singable, or perhaps set to music for the first time (based on Don Hustad's "Fanny Crosby Speaks Again"). Recently I noticed that she wrote a bunch of lyrics that got published in hymnals that are labeled as "temperance", meaning they were part of the temperance/prohibition movement.
Many, perhaps most of the songs labeled "temperance" do not have a spiritual tone/message. I'm curious about the usage of such songs. Were they used in worship services or generally limited to gatherings to encourage temperance/abstinence? Is that "documented" in books from the era or "hearsay history"?
Dave
San Antonio, Texas