that is worthy of the reader's attention transpired till I
was safely landed at home once more with my wife and children. I found
them, however, doing well, and though I was only a rough sort of a
backwoodsman, they seemed mighty glad to see me, however little the
quality folks might suppose it. For I do reckon we love as hard in the
backwoods country as any people in creation.

FOOTNOTES:

[42-1] The name _painter_ is a corruption of _panther_, and is applied
in the United States to the cougar or American lion.

[Illustration]

AMERICA

_By_ SAMUEL FRANCIS SMITH

NOTE.--This poem, which is now considered by many to be the great
national hymn of the United States, was sung first at a Fourth of
July celebration for children in the Park Street Church, Boston.

The author was born in Boston in 1808, and graduated from Harvard
University in the same class with Oliver Wendell Holmes. When Smith
wrote _America_ he was a student in the Andover Theological
Seminary. Many years after they had left college, Dr. Holmes at a
reunion of his class read his famous poem _The Boys_. In it he
alludes to Samuel Francis Smith as follows:

"He chanted a song for the brave and the free;
Just read on his medal 'My country, of thee.'"

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 fathers' 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.

Perhaps few who know _America_ and who sing it well understand it
thoroughly.

There are a few historical allusions in it. Who were the pilgrims?
Why did the pilgrims take pride in the land? Does the author mean
Puritans when he says pilgrims?

The first stanza turned into prose