America

AMERICA."

Our beloved "America" was written by Rev. Samuel Francis Smith, who graduated from Harvard College with Oliver Wendell Holmes. The air is English; both words and music are said to have been composed by Henry Carey under the title "God Save the King." There is certainly something more than ordinarily inspir- ing in an air which has struck the popular heart of four nations England, France, Germany and America. In 1831 Mr. William Woodbridge brought from Germany a mass of music books and gave them to Lowell Mason. Mr. Mason turned them over to the Rev. S. Francis Smith, saying that he could not read German, but Mr. Smith could, and if he lound any- thing good to give him a translation or imitation of it, or, write a'whole original song, —anything, so that he could use it. One after-

noon, in looking over the books, hemet with the tune "God Save the King." The air thrilled him. Immediately he took up his pen and wrote the entire song at one sitting. This was at Andover, Mass., February 13, 1832.