SCOUTING FOR GIRLS 
75 
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 at- 
tending 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 to read them 
throughout, I was moved at once to write a song adapted 
to the music — and “America” is the result. I had no 
thought of writing a national hymn, and was surprised 
when it came to be widely used. I gave it to Mr. Mason 
soon after it was written, and have since learned that 
he greatly admired it. It was first publicly used at a 
