Henry Maiben: Additional Song

This post at the blog Times and Seasons alerted me to another song written by my 3rd great grandfather Henry Maiben.  The post called the title of the song "Come, Mormons, All attention pay."  So I went looking for it and found the song in a book called The Mountain Warbler.  The song begins on page 67.  The songs in the book have no music and just list the tune name.  This song is sung to the tune of "The King of the Cannibal Islands" (of which I am not familiar.)

The subject of the song is the paying of tithing.  If there was a title listed for the song, I would have guessed it would be "Come Forward, and Pay Up Your Tithing."  The words of the song are below.

TUNE—" The King of the Cannibal Islands."

Come, Mormons, all attention pay,

While I attempt to sing my say;

I've chosen for my text to-day,

Come forward and pay up your tithing.

These may not be the very words

Which ancient Holy Writ records-,

But Malachi, I think, affords

A verse with which the sense accords,

It seems that he had cause to scold

The Saints; or Israelites of old;

In fact, they needed to be told

Come forward, and pay up your tithing.

CHORUS:

Then, if to prosper you desire,

And wish to keep out of the fire

Nay, if you to be Saints aspire

Come forward, and pay up your tithing.

Just as it was in olden times,

With ancient Saints in other climes;

The call is now, bring out your dimes,

Come forward, and pay up your tithing.

Our prophet says, "when elders preach,

The law of tithing they should teach,

Pay up themselves, and then beseech

All those that come within their reach;"

This makes me now appeal to you,

To follow counsel: right pursue;

And whilst all evil you eschew,

Come forward, and pay up your tithing.

Now, male and female, rich and poor,

Who wish to keep your standing sure:

That you salvation may secure,

Come forward, and pay up your tithing.

A tenth that is, and nothing less,

Of all you do or may possess:

In flocks and herds, and their increase,

In pigs and poultry, ducks and geese;

A tenth, indeed, of all your toil,

Likewise the products of the soil;

And if you've any wine or oil,

Come forward, and pay up your tithing!

HENRY MAIBEN