drinking song, fitted the words, and the two were quickly
united with astonishing success. The old flag which prompted the poem is
still in existence; it was made by Mrs. Mary Pickersgill.

"America"

My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the Pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let freedom ring.

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake,
Let all that breathe partake,
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong!

Our father's God, to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing:
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King.

--Samuel F. Smith, 1832.

"America" was written in 1832 by Samuel Francis Smith, a graduate of
Harvard, at that time studying for the ministry at Andover, Mass. The
circumstances attending the writing of this hymn are told by the author
in the following letter:

Newton Centre, Mass., June 5, 1887.

Mr. J. H. Johnson:

Dear Sir: The hymn "America" was not written with
reference to any special occasion. A friend (Mr.
Lowell Mason) put into my hands a quantity of
music books in the German language early in the
year 1832--because, as he said, I could read them
and he couldn't--with the request that I would
translate any of the hymns and songs which struck
my fancy, or, neglecting the German words, with
hymns or songs of my own, adapted to the tunes, so
that he could use the music. On a dismal day in
February, turning over the leaves of one of these
music books, I fell in with the tune, which
pleased me--and observing at a glance that the
words were patriotic, without attempting to
imitate them, or even read them