| Show 3 Thru E 5 BY CLINT BONNER My Country Of Thee A busy youth i writes a song in half an hour I Samuel Francis Smith was always busy always al ways on the go Just like Uke Lowell Lowen Mason who was forever buzzing about Boston composing music publishing song books and directing choirs It was earl early In 1832 that Boston's minded civic William C. C WoodbrIdge gave Lowell Lowen Mason some songs longs he had brought back from Germany Woodbridge Wood Wood- bridge had come across the songs while studying European school systems and thought Mason might want to translate some lome of them for his choirs The music showed promise but to Mason the words might as well have been written In ID Egyptian symbols sym bols Then Mason thought of young Samuel Smith the ministerial student and Harvard graduate who knew 15 IS languages Samuel Smith lived In the shadow shado of the church where they hung the lantern that night Paul Revere Revere Re- Re vere rode the horse So he naturally absorbed his share of patriotism It was according to Smiths Smith's account ac cc count a I half halt hour before sundown Feb 2 2 1832 that thai he got around to translating one of the German songs for Lowell Mason It was under the patriotic pa pa- title Un fin in German God Bless Our Native Land England had bad also been using the tune to I God Save The King for a hundred bundred years Hut But why translate the German words He lie took look a piece I of scrap strap paper six Inches long and half halt as a. wide I and by the time the sun lun was down he had written writ writ- ten some lome verses of his own The following July Masons Mason's children childrens choir sang My Iy Country us Of Thee Thee- for the first time On Nov 16 10 1895 a famous Baptist minister hurried hur tied ried to catch a train train lie He was on his way to fill a preaching engagement Besides writing books teaching languages at Newton Center and holding Important posts in to his denomination he was the tho theauthor theauthor author of ISO church hymns The conductor of the train was about to sing out his traditional board but lowered his arm Something had happened on the platform of one of the coaches Perhaps the old gentleman had taken the steps too spryly for his 87 years ears At any rate Samuel Francis Smith died ashe as ashe he had lived on the go Of all aU his work Dr Smith Is la best remembered for tor his missionary hymn The Morning Light Is Breaking and for these verses he wrote on a scrap of paper in hall half half half-an an hour when he hu was 26 20 years old My country of thee Let music swell the breeze Sweet land of liberty And ring from all the trees Of thee I sing Sweet freedoms freedom's song Land where my fathers died Let mortal tongues awake Land Lond of the Pilgrims Pilgrim's pride Let all that breathe partake From every mountain side Let rocks their silence break reak Let Freedom ring The sound prolong My native country thee Our fathers father's God to Thee Land Lond of at the noble free Author of liberty Thy name nome I love To thee we sing I love thy rocks and ond rills Hits Long may moy our land be bright Thy woods and hills With freedoms freedom's holy light My heart with rapture thrills Protect us by Thy might Like that above Great God our King Kingl by br r tur i tt Irmin ham 1 m m. m Ala AU |
