The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1904-06-29
THE NATIONAL ANTHEM.


How IL Gnme to He Written by sam
ueI Francis smith.
In 1881 William G. Woodbridge, a
distinguished educator, visited Ger
Imuny 10 study the common schools.
lie noted that much attention was CIV
cn to childrcn's music aud brought
home many German books Of music.
lie gave them to Lowell Mason of
Boston. who was also interested in
songs for children.
Rev. Samuel Francis Smith has told
in the Outlook how these books inhu-
pneed him in writing "Anerica'
Il was n student in the Theological
seminary ut Andorer. One day Mr..
Mason brought me the whole mass Of
his books, some bound and some In
pamphlet form. and said In his simple
mud childlike way. Mr.. Woodbridge
has brought me these books. don't
know what Is In them. can't read
German, but you can. If YOU fall IN
with anything | can use any hymns
or songs for children, | wish you would
translate them into English poetry or
compose hymns or songs Of your own
of the same meter and accent as the
German. 50 that | cHn use them.
Il accepted the trust. not nhwillngly,
as mn agreeable recreation from graver
studies, and from time to time gave
him the results Of my efforts. Thus he
was furnished with several hymns for
the Spiritual Songs which he was Is
suing In numbers; also for the Juvenile
Tyre, the first book Of children's music
ever published in this country, In
which most of the songs We're my own
/ TRANSACTIONS from NaegeH and other
German composers.
"Onc dismal day III February, 1882
nbout hnlf an hour before sunset. |
was turning over the leaves of one of
+ the music books when my eye rested
/ on the tune which Is now known as
i America / liked the spirited move
ment Of it, not knowing It, ut that time
i to be Cod Snye the King | glanced
/ Mt the German words and saw that
j they were patriotic and instantly felt
/ the impulse to write II patriotic hymn
/ of my own adapted to the tune. Pick
i Ing up IL scrap of waste paper which
4 lay near me. ! wrote at once, probably
/ within hnlf an hour, the hymn Amer
4 lea rs il Is known everywhere. The
whole hymn stands today as 1t stood
i on the bit of waste paper, five or six
/ Inches long and two and half wide"
Mr. Smith had no suspicion that he
had In that short half hour mndc his
mime imperishable, says the Westmin
ster Press He gave the song soon aft
efwnrd to Mr. Mason, with some 9th
cf5, and thought no more about It, On
I the Fourth of July of the same year
Mr. Mason brought 1t out ut chill
drcn's celebration In the Park Street
church. Boston. From there 1t soon
found lis Why into the public schools
of that city. and then of other places,
aud into penics and patriotic cclcbra-
tinnS everywhere. and finally Into the
hymn books of the various denomlna-
tlous The whole history of the hymn
and lis present position are summed
up In a remark once nude by the au-
thor himself. Tie people took 1t into
their hearts,
I During his life br Smith became IA
miiar with no less thnn fifteen lnn-
puai,es mud visitor to him In his
eighty sixth year found him on the
lookout for a suitable text book with
which he might begin the study of the
Russian language. Fer half century
his home MAS In Newton Center. Muss.
Dr. Smith lived to he eighty seven
years ot axe. netiye and busy until the
evening Of Nov III, 1850, when he sud
denly dropped dead while on II cur