Mary Susannah Edgar was a Canadian author born in Sundridge

Sundridge

Sundridge may mean:* Sundridge, Ontario, a village in Ontario, Canada* Sundridge, Kent, a village in Kent, England* Sundridge, London, suburb in the London Borough of Bromley southeast London....

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 on May 23, 1889. Her schooling took her from Sundridge to Barrie High School and Havergal College

Havergal College

Havergal College is an independent boarding and day school for girls from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Named for English hymn composer, author and humanitarian Frances Ridley Havergal, the school was founded in 1894 by a group of men led by The Honourable H...

, Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

. She is the 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.

She was the daughter of Joseph Edgar

Joseph Edgar

Joseph Edgar was an Irish-born merchant and political figure in Ontario. He represented Parry Sound in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1914 to 1919 as a Conservative member....

 and Mary Little, from Sundridge, Ontario

Sundridge, Ontario

Sundridge is a village in central Ontario, Canada, approximately 75 km south of North Bay, Ontario along Highway 11, on the shore of Lake Bernard. Sundridge is a tourist destination in both winter and summer, with boating and snowmobiling providing the main attraction. Algonquin Provincial Park is...

. In 1922 she opened a girls' camp near Sundridge on Lake Bernard

Lake Bernard

Lake Bernard is a lake in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, between Toronto and North Bay. It measures roughly 2.5 km across and 7 km long...

, called Glen Bernard. Mary 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".

Mary S. Edgar died on September 17, 1973.

Books

• Wood-fire and Candlelight (1945)
• Under Open Skies (1956)
• The Christmas Wreath of Verse (1967)
• Once there was a Camper (1970)