The form of "America" changed
As shown
above, the first publication of America was as prose, not as a poem.
Remove
from the N Y Times version the first paragraph and the first three sentences of the second
paragraph. What remains is the poem, starting with "God
built a continent of glory"
The poem changed words and some phrases. As examples:
"God built a continent" became "God built Him a continent"; "pillared it"
became "columned it"; and "the labor of men and the bounty
of earth" became "the bounty of earth and the labor of men".
Where did the poem originate?
A Plain Dealer search shows that he spoke
on "Organizing for Service" at the annual dinner of the
National Association of Purchasing Agents at the
Hotel Statler on Thursday July 17, 1923.
He had published poetry as a student at the University of Cincinnati
and may have written "America" long before his talk in 1923.
"America" and The Temple
Printed on a card shown at the left, "America"
was found in the archives of The Temple - Tifereth Israel. About 4 x 7 inches,
it could be mailed in a business envelope.
We hope to learn when the cards were
printed and how they were distributed. |