256
JEREMIAH EAMES RANKIN
found its way around the world in so short a time as did that one of his which was adopted by the Christian Endeavor society as its own, and is sung at all the meetings of that society as their closing hymn, "God be with you till we meet again." It has been translated into many foreign languages. It appeals to universal feeling; and had Doctor Rankin written no other Christian lyric, this one would keep his memory green for years to come. His poems generally have struck the keynote of human affection, high endeavor and interest in unseen realities.
Doctor Rankin was married to Mary Howell Birge, November 28, 1854. He died at Cleveland, Ohio, November 28, 1904. Of his five children, two were living in 1905.