Posted on 08/25/2003 3:03:27 AM PDT by StACase
Phil Stinson - 08:56pm Aug 24, 2003 EDT 458
Carpe Carpium
I'm a teacher and also a member of a national commitee of school textbook consultants. We removed the fourth verse of the song "America" from the recent music textbooks.
The first verse was fine.
"My country, 'tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty
of thee I sing..."
The fourth verse says
"Our Father's God, to Thee
Author of liberty, to Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
with feedom's Holy light,
Protect us by Thy might, Our God, our King."
That verse was deemed unsuitable and requiring students to read and sing it a travesty and a clear violation of the separation of church and state. It's "outa" here, as it should be. It's not in the new textbooks. I'm happy and proud to have been a part of that national decision.
The log in at NPR if you haven't done so involves waiting for a confirming E-mail from the site.
Oh the poor dears. They might actually read something the way the author wrote it.
I've only heard that verse sung in public a few times myself (you usually hear two or three verses at most from that song, unless you're singing it in church), so the implication that students will be forced to sing it if it appears on paper is dishonest. But what these people are doing, pretending that the "offending" verse never existed-- that's the real travesty as far as I'm concerned.
Deparate attempts by small minds to contain the rest of us. F. U. Phil.
At least the Brits still sing, "God Save the Queen".
I thought the last words were "Great God, our King."
Either way, it's too bad that the song verses are censored from print. It would be better to print all the verses, and children could sit quietly during that verse (just like the Pledge of Allegiance used to be handled) in the unlikely event that a teacher would use that verse.
Hey Phil, you fuc*ed up. You forgot to delete the fourth verse of "The Star Spangled Banner," you know, our National Anthem:
"Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
Stick the damn statue in a vat of monkey urine and call it art. Problem solved.
Congressman Billybob
Latest column, "In the Justices We Trust?" posted on FR, other publication to come.
Most of what the ACLU advocates is partisan; much of what they advocate is unconstitutional. Just keep supporting it's polar opposite, the ACLJ. We'll keep winning more.
Words: Samuel F. Smith, 1832. Music: America, Thesaurus Musicus, 1744 (MIDI, score). These words were born because Smiths friend, Lowell Mason, could not read German. Mason had received several German hymnals, and sent them to Smith, who he knew understood German. In one of them, Smith ran across the tune now used for My Country Tis of Thee. Noting that the German words were patriotic in nature:
|
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 mountainside, 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 freedoms 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 freedoms holy light; Protect us by Thy might, Great God, our King. |
"MY Country Tis of Thee"
My country tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim's 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 fills
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 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!
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