Mary Susannah Edgar was a Canadian author of several books, one-act plays and hymns, the most famous of them being ''God Who Touchest Earth with Beauty'', which has been translated into several languages and placed in hymnals around the world.

Biography

Mary Susannah Edgar was born in Sundridge, Ontario on May 23, 1889.Mary Susanne Edgar: birth details
Retrieved on July 25, 2007 She was the daughter of Joseph Edgar and Mary Little, from Sundridge, Ontario. Her schooling took her from Sundridge to Barrie High School and

Havergal College Havergal College is an independent day and boarding school for girls from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school was established in 1894 and named for Frances Ridley Havergal, a composer, author and humanitaria ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario. In 1922, she opened a girls' camp near Sundridge on

Lake Bernard Lake Bernard is a freshwater lake 276 km (171 mi) north of Toronto and 23 km (14.4 mi) west of Algonquin Park in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, between Huntsville, Ontario, Huntsville and North Bay, Ontario, North Bay ...

, called Glen Bernard. Edgar continued as the camp's director until her retirement in 1956. Her life was devoted to working with girls and camping through many local, provincial and national organizations. She was the author of many books, plays and hymns. One such hymn is "O God of All the Many Lands". Edgar died on September 17, 1973.

Works

Books

* ''Wood-fire and Candlelight'' (1945) * ''Under Open Skies'' (1956) * ''The Christmas Wreath of Verse'' (1967) * ''Once there was a Camper'' (1970) * ''A Magic Store'' (poem)

References

1889 births 1973 deaths Canadian Anglicans Canadian women dramatists and playwrights People from Parry Sound District 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian women writers {{Canada-playwright-stub