Josiah Miller wrote in the preface of his second edition of Singers and Songs of the Church: "It is the object of this work to provide such information of the authors and origin of our hymns as will add to the pleasure and advantage of private devotion and public worship." Such a noble objective cannot be improved upon nor stated with any more perspicuity. That was written in March 1869. The objective remains the same with the introduction of these six women--all authors--but five of whom were also brilliant hymnwriters!