[Timeout]

A note of further history is that it was said that the hymn "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" had never been sung there before and there was the Queen singing it (we call it the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"

A further, further note of history: At the memorial service at the National Cathedral, Laura Bush did away with the politically correct version of the "Battle Hymn".

For many years, the lyrics appearing in song books have read:

As He died to make men holy,
Let me LIVE to make men free.

For the memorial service, Laura had the choir sing the original version:

As He died to make men holy,
Let us die to make men free.

Our God is Marching On....

[SES1066]

Speaking as a FORMER Episcopalean, it was probably the fault of the revised Hymnal (1980s?) that also did away with the three Rudyard Kipling hymns (Recessional and 2 others I can't name off the top of my head) in the spirit of anti-imperialism. If the PC revisers had ever actually read the verses of Recessional they'd have realized that it WAS anti-Imperialist!

Example for modem users (Verse 3);
Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget - lest we forget!