This Is My Father’s World

Maltbie D. Babcock, a Northeastern native and poet, penned the words that became the well-known hymn “This Is My Father’s World.” “While a pastor in Lockport, N.Y., near Lake Ontario, hymnologist Kenneth Osbeck noted Babcock’s practice of ‘taking morning walks to the top of a hill north of town where he had a full view of Lake Ontario and the surrounding country.’ It was said that he had a frequent expression before leaving for these walks, ‘I’m going out to see my Father’s world’” (C. Michae...