Show Ai america the death of dr samuel francis smith revives public interest once more in his famous national anthem of america the origin of which was much discussed last spring pring at the time lime of his special birthday anniversary celebration and again when when the american episcopal church placed the hymn in in its hymnal the venerable clergyman always spoke of his writing of the national ode as a simple affair it was in 1832 while a young theological at And andover that he be undertook to translate some german school son bongs Ys for americal school children one of a patriotic character struck his fancy particularly and lie he determined ter to write a new american hymn hyma to the same air 1 I did not know mow at the time he be afterward declared that the tune was the british god save the kin king ile ie wrote america on a scrap cf wa waste ste paper within hlf half an hour after his first moment of inspiration it was first sung at the childrens festival in the park street church boston on the succeeding fourth of july and immediately gained national reco recognition the words and music of the ori original nal god save the xin king were by ay iy henry carey and the british anthem was first sung in public in honor lonor of the victory of portobello on nov 20 1740 the german heil 1161 die im Sieger kranz was adapted from it in 1801 by balthazar schumacher 1 I do not exclaimed dr smith on one occasion 4 share the regret of those who deem it at an evil that the national tune of britain and america are the same on the contrary a ry I 1 deem it a new and beautiful tie of union between the mother and the daughter one furnishing the music if indeed it be really english J and the other the words the popularity of the anthem is Ir i indisputable disputable dr oliver wendell holmes who was a classmate of dr smiths at harvard once ye remarked now theres smith his name will be lio honored nored by every school child in the laud land when I 1 have been forgon forgotten ten a hundred years ile he wrote my itly country of thee if he had said our country the hymn would not have been immortal in but that my nasa n was asa a master stroke every one who sings the hymn at once feels a personal ownership in his native land the hymn will last as long as the country it is distinctly our religious hymn our puritan anthem I 1 keys star spangled banner is our poetic hymn our cavalier 1 anthem musical record |