A beautiful poem expressing genuine love for America and faith in human brotherhood. The historical accuracy of the second and third stanzas may be questioned. To one familiar with New England theocracy, it is clear that the Pilgrims were not, as the poet suggests, the champions of freedom of thought and religion. On the contrary, they were intolerant of any form of opposition, whether religious or political. The hymn is less limited to the New England landscape than “My country, ’tis of thee,” and probably for that reason has overshadowed the latter as a popular national hymn. Katharine Lee Bates, born in Falmouth, Mass., was educated at Wellesley College where she later became Professor of English. She is the author of many books. A folder published by the author, giving the exact title and words of the hymn, also contains interesting data concerning its origin and history: _America the Beautiful_ was written in its original form, more literary and ornate than the present version, in the summer of 1893. I was making my first trip west. After visiting at Chicago the World’s Fair, where I was naturally impressed by the symbolic beauty of the White City, I went on to Colorado Springs. Here I spent three weeks or so under the purple range of the Rockies, which looked down with surprise on a summer school. This had called to its faculty several instructors from the east, Dr. Rolfe coming from Cambridge to teach Shakespeare, Professor Todd from Amherst for lectures on Astronomy, Professor Katharine Coman from Wellesley for a course in Economics. My own subject, which seemed incongruous enough under that new and glowing sky, was English Religious Drama.