"Boys and Girls of England"
"Boys and Girls of England" (1906) words by Rev. Lionel S. Lewis and music from "The March of the Men of Harlech" is a true activist song of late-19th-century philanthropic movements, and I am sure would have been used by more than the Bands of Mercy (Sunday Schools, Bands of Hope, etc). Its lyrics address young activists, in particular, to be brave and kind. The lyrics espouse specific roles for the "boys" and the "girls," which you can see on the original score from 1906, above. "Boys of England" are told "Now's the time for conflict; up and forward" (v1), to "Work for those who age and sicken," "Speak for the distressed / Act for the oppressed" and now those might be human as well as non-human beings who are oppressed. Likewise, "Girls of England" are reminded that "utter beauty / Lies in bravely facing duty" (v 3) and to "Teach your children when you're mothers" that this world is not "for man alone" and that God "grieves to see His children heartless" (v 4). Ultimately, "boys and girls together / Never fear the darkest weather" for "the Universal Donor"and "Eternal Owner" watches all in "field or city" and is "Father of us all" (v 5). Despite the narrowed gendered roles implied, its expansiveness in local (country or city) and intellect expected of the children singing it (the complex metaphors of God, for example), is notable.
The 2025 Band of Mercy changed the title to "Boys and Girls of Richmond" (Indiana) and gave the "boys" and "girls" more neutral tasks to sing (girls sang the boys' second verse; we skipped vv 3 & 4). They sang it for the theatre performance and their special Band of Mercy concert at the local museum. Here, we present this powerful activist hymn to you, as we recorded it, taken from a perhaps forgotten Bands journal of 1906!
Score: Band of Mercy, Volume 28, March 1906.
Choir: 2025 Band of Mercy (pictured)
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- Part 3: Animal Welfare (Bands of Mercy) Songs Alisa Clapp-Itnyre