The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-01-08
THE HYMN AMERICA.
Written by the Rev, s, F, Smith Ia
HALF an Hour.
SHOULD RE THE NATIONAL AIR
Author Ayerred That No Oae Mas Author
itsd to Alter a nyma That Mas
the Natiou'S

To the Editor OF the New York lleralds
Memory carries the writer hack u Scorc
% years to a sunny autumn afternoon at
ROSlyn, l. l., where William cullen Rry-
ant repeated. as We sat In the shade OF
his favorite black walnut tree. celebrated
In one OF hts nncSt poems. the hymn
known as America" rcmarklng that
Il wuuld probably ou,tvc any similar
composition yet written Ia this country,
A somewhat similar opIuion was cN-
pressed by OlNSr Wendell Holmes. who
said to a frlenO a Few years axe, WHEN
the conversation turned Hroa his c'Ess-
mates who Wess livlEg, Now, lhu rs
Smith. His hamc will 10 honored Ly
every school child IN the land wl,eu |
have been ~torSo,;va f>r . hundred IratS
He wrote 'My C'tr'rv, Ills Of re,r'
II he had said our country the hymn
would not havs bSop Immortal. hui that
my was a mastsr StcUkS. Every enc
who sings the hy,na at once ,eclS u ftr-
soma worship ~ his native land. The
hymn will last a. lNms as the country
The Rev. DIR Samuel Francis Smith.
who died suddenly OF heart disease In
Boston on Saturday. November lG was
born In hat city october 4. lN& He
was prepared Tor college At tho El,ot
Latin School. and was graduated from
Harvard IN lSo, being a classmlte OF
James Freeman Cars Benjamin Curtis
and the admirable "AWlocras, whose
familiar lines concerning him are ia
miliar to all;
And there's a nice youngster OF excellent
pith:
Fate tried to conceal him by calling him
Smith;
But he shouted a o for the brave end
the free
Just read on his medal. My Country,
OF Thee"
At the age OF "a he was graduated
from Andover Theological Seminary.
having acquired a knowledge OF i've Lam
guages, during the course, in addition to
those he had studied at college, Nc
Smith then became pastor OF a church
at Waterville. Ne. II at the same time
was professor Of modern ~langulgSS In
the college OF that owl now known as
Colby University In SO h. accepted
the pastorate OF the First Baptist church
OF Newton. Mass. which was ever after
his home. For two score years DR.,
Smith was editor OF Baptist publications
and performed a large amount OF literary
work. chiefly in the line OF h~ymnology,
He edited several collections. and was
the author Of over six hundred hymns.
America" being the most celebrated.
1t was written while he vas a theo-
logical student early In 1872, and FIRST
sung at a children's celebration in the
Park stree: church. Boston. on the fol-
lowing Fourth OF July. The accom-
panying facsimile OF America written
by its author at the age OF s.. is an tx
act copy OF the hymn as originally pen-
ciIled on a small piece OF oun-colored
paper. In alluslon to the changes fire.
quently made in his lines and TO the
version that appeared in the Hymnal
adopted in 1872 by the Protestant Epis-
copal church $50 many Individual vhlms
having been recognized In editing It that
the bishop Of Connecticut aid Il might
properly be called the "Whimnal') Or,
Smith said in a letter TO the writer dated
January ., 1894: AS to the national
hymn as revised for the Episcopal
Hymnal, l have not seen II. and I nave
never authorized any changes In IL. l
have not been consulted as 10 any
changes. l should not feel authorized
to change even a word. 1t has belonged
to the country for sixty-two years, ard
l feel that | ave no right to alter It,"
las to the hymn being written con-
tinues DR.. Smith, for the tune God
Save the King yes. in substance. II
found that tune in a German singing
book and liked Its simplicity n move
ment. though l did not then know Il was
used in England as their national air.
CHANGING at the German words at the
foot OF the page | saw they were patrt-
otto, and Instantly felt the impulse to
write a patriotic song OF my own to the
same tune. which l did in a lrlef space
OF time, not designing to make a national
hymn. and 1 directly forgot that had
written the words. Months afterward
Mr.. Lowell Mason. to whom | had given
the lines, brought them out without con-
sulting me at a Fourth Of July celebrd-
ton in Boston"
In the version referrel 10 above one
verse is omitted. the fourth becomes the
first. and so many other alterations are
made that, as Sam Weller remarked OF
dear old MIR. pickwIck In a certain con-
tingency. His most familiar friend
wouldn't know him By what right any
man. I've he bishop or rnhcnian. assumes
TO cut and carve ~" p~oetlcnl compost
ton Of an5th -. the writer Is at a loss
TO understand. The mutilation oi hymns
mas been a Ia !oii amusement with edi
tors OF collsstiIls
Worthy DR.. AlliJ0nc was wont TO as
srrt with Uni.tsn"l earnestncss that an
author who presented a work oT any
value to the purIic without an index
should be Zen: TO state prison. The
writer could wish the same fate to over
take any culpri. who I1utilates other
peoples p~o"tj'dl productions "a great a
crime ~ drDlSin[ the coin OF the coun-
try.
The first Earl Of Selborne's service rem
dered to the cause Of ~hymnology. when,
as Sir Rounded Palmer. ne issued his
Book Of Praise, vas most welcome. In
this work the original texts of some OF
the finest hymns in the language were
Later he read A paper at theI
York Church Congress on English church
hymnology. n which he called attention
to the mutiltalon which many Of our
treasured hymns had undergone. The
business of his structures has been gen.
orally recognized and hymn tinkeIiGg
has been less frequent and reckless since.
At the Hampton Institute. near Fort
Monroe, Va, they have a peculiar but
most interesting and effective manner OF
rendering America" A trio, represent
ing the white, negro and INDIAN races,
sing together:
My Country. tits Of thee,
Sweet land OF liberty,
or thee / sing.