Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-05
THE SONG "AMERICA."
First Sung at Park Street Church,
Boston, 1882.

First Sung at Park Street Church,
Boston, 1882.
Letter to the Editor of the Boston Transcript:
I observe that the long and so far as
know hitherto unquestioned understand
ing that America" was first sung at
Park Street Church July 4, 1892, is made
the subject of controversy in your col
umns October 81. There should be no
question as to the fact. DR.. Smith, my
honored father-in-law. stated this repeat
edly in the home circle, as we'll as in
public l speak / think, for his whole
family in writing this. l well remember
passing Park Street Church with him one
day. when he said: This is where Amer
lea was first sung. on the Fourth of
July. 1892" He states this in his auto
biography. prefiXed to his Poems of
Home and Country" published with his
careful cooperation in 1885 the year Of
his death: and the following note is add
ed upon page a, where America APP
pears: Written February, A. D.. 1882
and first sung at Fourth of July celebra-
ton at Boston, the same year
So many of his public statements to
this effect could be referred to that it is
unnecessary to refer TO any. He could
not have been mistaken, there was
nothing relating to his own writing in
which he took warmer interest than in
the history Of america with every de-
tail of which he was familiar. Moreover,
Lowell Mason. under whose direction the
hymn was first sung, knew everything
about it: and he never questioned Dr.
Smiths constant account of the matter
down to the time of his death in 1872 /
am confident that published word of
his can be found criticiSing the repeated
statement of DR.. Smith. with which he
must have been very familiar. 1t would
have been well if any criticism of the
universally accepted account could have
been brought to DIR. Smiths attention
while he was still living and could speak
for himself. None ever was submitted, to
my knowledge: if there were, it clearly
made no impression upon him-and at
this late day the family and friends of
DR.. Smith feel that his statement cannot
properly be impeached
1t is of course probable that before the
various choirs or Sunday schools came to-
gether to sing at the Fourth of July cele-
bration at Park Street Church they had
rehearsed America" and the other pieces
on the program by Mr.. Mason'S arrange
ment in their own respective churches
This was evidently true of the singers
from the Baptist Sunday school in Charles
street. among whom was Mary A Morse
who has recently given, in one of the
of the celebration. 1t was doubtless true
of the Bowdoin Street Church But it
was for the Fourth of July celebration at
Park Street Church that the public per-
Torrance was planned; and these pre-
liminary singers of the hymn are no more
properly to be spoken of as it's first pro-
duction than would be the rehearsal or
preliminary singing of some original work
today by the choirs of Park street and
other churches in preparation for first
bringing it out together at Symphony
Hall. l do not say that such was the
history of America" but only that it
very likely may have been. l simply sub
NIT that DIR. Smiths own statement, re-
peated again and again until his death.
cannot we'll be questioned