Mfantsipim’s ‘FOR ALL THE SAINTS’

The Mfantsipim School Anthem – ‘For All The Saints’ was written by William Walsham How, a bishop of the Anglican Church, and first published in Earl Horatio Nelson’s Hymns for Saints’ Day in 1864, and considered to be How’s finest hymn composition.

William Walsham How, D. D., son of William Wybergh How, Solicitor, Shrewsbury, was born 13^th December 1823, at Shrewsbury, and educated at Shrewsbury School and Wadham College, Oxford (B. A. 1845). Taking Holy Orders in 1846, he became successively Curate of St. George’s, Kidderminster, 1846; and of Holy Cross, Shrewsbury, 1848. In 1851 he was preferred to the Rectory of Whittington, Diocese of St. Asaph, becoming Rural Dean in 1853, and Hon. Canon of the Cathedral in 1860. In 1879 he was appointed Rector of St. Andrew’s Undershaft, London, and was consecrated Suffragan Bishop of East London, under the title of the Bishop of Bedford, and in 1888 Bishop of Wakefield.

Whatever the meanings, interpretation and inspiration the hymn holds for the School as an anthem - a song of allegiance, praising and declaring loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity, dependability, devotion, patriotism, trustworthiness, staunchness, steadfastness, firmness, resolution, resolve, reliability, stability, dedication, constancy, unwavering or unswerving commitment to Mfantsipim School as well as Africa and humanity, may be derived from the memory of Rev. A. R. P. Bartrop.

Rev. Bartrop was one of the greatest men who made a profound and committed contribution in the service of the school in its fledging period. It is said that if ever Mfantsipim would claim a martyr, it should be Rev. Bartrop; and the song in a way memorializes Bartrop’s service to the institution and venerates the spirit of total service to humanity.

In his tribute at Bartrop’s funeral in Cape Coast, Rev. W. T. Balmer pointed out that “Bartrop’s constant care and anxiety were how the mission (Methodism) might be made an agency for the upliftment of the black race”, and emphasized Bartrop’s interest in education in general and in Mfantsipim School in particular.

Both Balmer and Sarbah are said to have derived guidance and inspiration from Bartrop.

There is absolutely no doubt, according to Prof. Adu Boahen, that the survival of Mfantsipim after 1900 was due far more to him, Bartrop than to any other single individual. It was he who rescued the Collegiate School between 1903 and 1904. He engineered the amalgamation of Mfantsipim and the Collegiate School, and smoothly pulled through the take-over bid in 1908. 

He did this in the face of competition from the Anglicans both in Sierra Leone and in Ghana. He helped secure a site for the School, virtually facilitated the completion of the plans for the school buildings and launched the fund-raising schemes. Above all, it was due solely to him that Mfantsipim owes the presence and work of Balmer in Ghana.

Prof. Adu Boahen’s book – ‘Mfantsipim And The Making Of Ghana’ highlights the fact that the hymn “For All The Saints” was sung for the first time during the 2^nd Founders’ Day celebration on 9^th November, 1910. 

This was in the memory of Rev. A. R. P. Bartrop who died in the service of the School, hence his martyrdom. Thereafter it became the School hymn, calling people to selfless and dedicated service to the institution, humanity and God.

1 For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

2 Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might,
Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

3 Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old
And win with them the victor's crown of gold!
Alleluia! Alleluia!

4 Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine,
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

5 And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

6 The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon, to faithful warriors cometh rest.
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

7 But lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

8 From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

As part of the Mfantsipim tradition, the lyrics and the music spur those who pass through to emulate the good deeds of those who have gone before them and live exemplary lives and through Bartrop’s memory become imbued with a commitment to serve. Thus, one finds in there an absolute reliance on God, the ideas of fellowship, communality, equality and being a warrior of truth among other things.

The hymn could be used as a choral anthem or as a congregational hymn; and traditionally sung for All Saints’ Day, for funerals, or for services on the theme of the Church triumphant. When married to the school crest and motto, it serves as a motivational force directing those who pass through the grey walls of the School toward higher social service.

These are the attributes that the School Anthem seeks to instil into every present student and or Old Boy as it is sung at every Mfantsipim function – meetings and assembly to re-dedicate themselves to the values and spirit of the School.

The School Anthem links the past to the present and the future of Mfantsipim, Africa and humanity – from ‘For all the saints who from their labors rest’: our founding fathers and all our departed colleagues to ‘Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold, Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old’: current students and old boys, and then to ‘But lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day’: the future of Mfantsipim, Africa and humanity.

It is amazing how many generations of individual families have passed through the School over its over 130-year’s lifespan. In some cases one would not be surprised to have four generations – a great great grandfather, a great grandfather, a grandfather, a father, a son and a grandson – all counting themselves as old boys. The story is told of Mr. A. M. Wright (1890-1904) who could be counted amongst the founding fathers of Mfantsipim and whose son, Mr. N. O. Wright was the Bursar of the School for so long (1934-1973).

Every student of Mfantsipim School – old, current and future / dead or alive – are all intertwined by this anthem and the sacrifices, dreams, destinies, prophesies of the Founding Fathers in “Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine, We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine”: that is absolute allegiance for continuity and eternity in total commitment and dedication to Mfantsipim School, Africa and humanity.

It is also instructive for purposes of interpretation to look at the first line of the second stanza: ‘Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might’ and infer Mfantsipim School as the reference point of every old boy; the standard that adds value by inference to the life and deeds of all past students, no matter where they find themselves to work, manage and lead any institution – locally and globally. This also takes the School beyond just a physical representation but serves as a value-breeding landmark. Thus to reference Mfantsipim is to manifest a wholesome and virtuous spirit of quality and a progress toward the nobility of action.

It is important, however to also look at the word – SAINT to really appreciate the enormity of the burden graduates of Mfantsipim ought to bear.

The word saint implies that one is not only set apart for God but one also has a spiritual union with God.

The word saint then becomes an inspiration for old boys to lead exemplary lives with the knowledge that whatever tribulations or hardships one may experience in pursuing a worthy life, the song serves as a reminder that others have gone before you in order to create a better world for their societies.

Thus, Mfantsipim old boys were to live lives seeking excellence through dedicated and committed service to society. According to ‘MFANTSIPIM AND THE MAKING OF GHANA’, “such were the high hopes and expectations that Mfantsipim evoked among its founders and patrons.”

The point is always made about LOYALTY AND FAITHFULNESS and, truthfully, Mfantsipim is about loyalty and faithfulness above all else to all the ideals and traits of the Mfantsipim brand; and it will be instructive to quote Rev. W. T. Balmer, who on the eve of his departure as the Principal, sent the following letter to the Mfantsipim boys in December 1910 before he left the shores of Ghana on 17^th December, 1910:-

“My dear boys,

You will all know how grieved I am that my strength has given way.

You know how I have worked for you and I hope that you will show

by your loyalty to the School that my work has not been in vain.

When I came to this School three years ago, I found 8 boys who

had remained faithful without any teachers. I trust that my successor

can speak in the same way of the faithful 88 when he comes.

There were no teachers then, now you have some of the best

Native teachers on the coast and I hope you will be faithful to

them. Mr. Ekuban is very wise and will look after you well.

Mr. Gaddiel Acquaah is the best teacher I know on the whole Coast

and I have been in every colony…. I wish I could have stayed, but

I am content that others should build upon the foundation

which I hope I have laid. It is your School. Be loyal to it.”

Prof. Adu Boahen emphasizes that ‘Mfantsipim was founded and maintained at such great cost and personal sacrifices by members of the Nationalists and the Methodist Missionary Society to meet specific needs and fulfill certain hopes and aspirations.’

Singing Towards 2026

It would have been most interesting for the School and the Old Boys fraternity to have collectively taken stock of a century of Mfantsipim in 1976. However, Prof. Adu Boahen’s book, to an extent, provides sufficient information for the present to meditate as time heads towards 2026, when the School celebrates its 150^th anniversary.

In the first decades of the 21^st century, it becomes important for every old boy to re-look the implications of the School Anthem and re-immerse self into a future for the School and in the progress of Ghana and the march of Africa in time.

A number of questions come to mind for the present generation of Old Boys in the march toward 2026 – are the old boys living the tenets of the School Anthem in their daily lives? How are they going to ensure that those coming after them are going to keep to the tenets of the School Anthem? Has the School on its part, in fact, lived up to the lofty expectations and confirmed the various prophesies, including providing the generation, bold enough to face the problems of the African Continent, practically and usefully?

NOW is the time for every Old Boy, the Methodist Church and everyone connected to the School to stand up and be counted. NOW is the time WE should collectively work towards leveraging individual strengths and accomplishments for the continued relevance of Mfantsipim as an institution in the broader scheme of continental emancipation. NOW is the time to manifest in every small corner of life the calling of ‘For All The Saints’.

There is no other Time but NOW!!!!