This Is My Father's World

...For the world is Mine, and all it's fullness.

Psalm 50:12b

Maltbie Babcock was arguably the most remarkable student Syracuse University had ever seen. Hailing from an aristocratic family, he was a brilliant scholar with a winning personality. Tall and steel-muscled, he was an outstanding athlete, expert swimmer, and captain of the baseball team. he also directed the university's orchestra, played several instruments, and composed original compositions. A proficient vocalist, he directed the university glee club. He entertained other students by drawing and doing impersonations. On the side, he was an avid fisherman.

He would have been successful in any profession, but he decided to be a minister. After going to school, he became the minister at a church in Lockport, New York. It was a beautiful area--midway between  Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, not far from Niagara Falls--and Maltbie enjoyed hiking and running in the hills outside town. Telling his secretary, "I'm going out to see my Father's world," he would run or hike a couple of miles into the countryside where he'd lose himself in nature.

It was while preaching at Lockport that he wrote a sixteen-stanza poem, each verse beginning with the words, "This Is My Father's World."

In 1886, Maltbie became a minister in Baltimore. While there, he traveled widely and was in great demand on college campuses. He was a fresh, engaging speaker who never failed to stimulate students. In 1899, he moved to another church to serve in New York City. Here he found it more difficult to take off on his hikes. The work load was enormous, but Maltbie faced it stoically, writing:

Be strong! We are not here to play, to dream, to drift,

We have hard work to do and loads to lift;

Shun not the struggle. Face it. 'Tis Gods gift. Be strong!

When he was 42, his church presented him with a special gift--a trip to the "Holy Land." With great excitement, Maltbie departed by ship. While en route at Naples, Italy, he was seized with a deadly bacterial fever and died at the International Hospital on May 18, 1901.

After his death, his wife compiled his writings into a book entitled Thoughts for Everyday Living, published in 1901. Included was Maltbie's "This Is My Father's World."

*Don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of the blog and pause the playlist, ok? ;)