Long may our Land be Bright with Freedom's Holy Light

Officially, the Continental Congress declared its freedom from Great Britain on July 2, 1776, but after voting to approve it, a draft document was needed to explain it to the public. The proposed draft was made by a committee that included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. It took two days for Congress to agree on the edits, and so the actual Declaration of Independence document was approved on July 4th.

In just two years from now, it will be exactly 250 years since the original Independence Day. We have come a long way since that time. Starting then as the smallest and youngest of the nations of the world, we have become the greatest and most powerful.

But today, God, as the ruler of all nations, is being at­tacked both internally and externally and it is having too much ef­fect for us to be complacent any longer. It is time that we should remind ourselves that we have a heritage of dependence on God, so well authenticated that it would be impossible to remove this from our history, even if we wanted to.

Our Declaration of Independence states that the right of mankind to enjoy freedom is a gift of God. Here are the words....

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Our coins state "In God We Trust." Our pledge of allegiance declares that we are "one nation under God." The president of the United States, when he takes the oath of office, places one hand on a Bible and raises the other toward heaven as he pledges to uphold the constitution.

The Bible says. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." If our nation needed God's help in overcoming its enemies when it was the tiniest infant nation in the world, and its leaders then said that it did, can we afford now to take the attitude that we have outgrown the need of Divine assistance?

When we take this attitude, we are on the road to disaster. Wouldn't it be far better to acknowledge now that we need the Lord and to ask Him to intervene in our affairs?

Abraham Lincoln said, "1 have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go." J. Edgar Hoover said, "The force of prayer is greater than any possible combination of man-controlled powers, because prayer is man's greatest means of tapping the infinite resources of God.

One of our favorite patriotic songs, "America," has a stanza, which is really a prayer....

"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"


This Independence Day. let's pause our celebration long enough to pray this prayer.

The Old Red White and Blue

I’ve led you in battle... as smoke filled my threads
Lowered to half...while honoring the dead
Popping in the wind...high above your head
Fifty stars strong...with stripes of red

From shore to shore...and every state hall
I’ve hung silent but ready... till I got the call
Representing pride and freedom... to those great and small
A symbol of valor...and justice for all

Never hitting the ground...flying strong in a fight
Carried by Washington...with the enemy in sight
Hoisted in victory...to my soldiers' delight
Glory and Liberty...till morning was night

Fabric now old...that once was new
My colors have faded...and my patriots few
Adorned and saluted...by the brave and true
In God we still trust...the old Red White and Blue

Adam Latham (2023)

America (My Country Tis of Thee)

In 1984, years before he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, 1st Lt Garlin Murl Conner of Albany, Kentucky was honored at a July 4th commemoration at Camargo Church of God in Mount Sterling for being one of the highest decorated military veterans in Kentucky. The war hero spoke to a crowd of about 365 people. There was a flag ceremony, the presentation of the colors, the Pledge of Allegiance and the congregation sang "The Star Spangled Banner," “America, the Beautiful” and “America (My Country Tis of Thee)."

Did you know that ''The Star Spangled Banner'' wasn't adopted as the official national anthem of the United States until 1931? Before that, the nation had a few de facto national anthems, and ''The Star Spangled Banner'' wasn't even the most popular. That honor goes to ''America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)." For a century, this was the most beloved 'unofficial' anthem of the nation.

The hymn was written In 1831 by Samuel Francis Smith, a student at the Andover, Massachusetts Theological Seminary, who had been asked to translate the lyrics in some German school songbooks into English. The "God Save the Queen" melody caught his attention, but rather than translate those lyrics, he was moved deeply by the desire to create a national hymn that would allow the American people to offer praise to God for our wonderful land. And so, in just thirty minutes, "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)" was born. The song was first performed on July 4, 1831, by a children’s choir in Boston.

All four stanzas of "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)," glorify freedom and liberty. God is the author of liberty. The hymn acknowledges no limits on freedom. The first three verses encourage and invoke national pride, while the last verse is a petition to God for His continued favor and protection of the United States of America. "Long may our land be bright with freedom’s holy light," 2 Corinthians 3:17 says “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (aka freedom)," which is to say Christ is where true freedom is found. It is a freedom that lasts for an eternity, not anything temporary. The kind of freedom we will never have to worry about being stolen or taken away. All four stanzas glorify freedom and liberty. God is “author of liberty” and unlike “America” the poem acknowledges no limits on freedom.

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!
Click here to read more about 1st Lt. Garlin Murl Conner

Harlan Ogle's Spirit of the American Doughboy

Some years ago Harlan Ogle wrote a book entitled "The Spirit of the American Doughboy" - A history of the "Doughboy" memorial in Monticello, Kentucky. The book contains eleven chapters and is a beautiful tribute to the service men from Wayne County, those "Doughboy Heroes," who participated in the first World War. Much of the material he used was directly from the Wayne County Outlook, while other material was provided by the Wayne County Library, Wayne County Historical Society and family members. The book was dedicated to a very special group of men and women of Wayne County "we proudly call veterans," he said. In 2010, KET aired a segment on the Monticello Doughboy and Harlan was interviewed. He talked about the sculptor and the background of the memorial, from the idea of it to its dedication.

The sculptor of this magnificent memorial in the middle of the town square that stands as a silent, but highly visible, reminder that Wayne County "boys" have died for the freedoms enjoyed by all Americans, was Ernest Moore Viquesney (1876 - 1946) of Spencer, Indiana. He was responsible for scores of statues and monuments memorializing soldiers of the Civil War, and both world wars. "Without doubt," wrote Ogle, "his most popular sculpture is "The Spirit of the American Doughboy," described as "100% perfect regarding its represen­tation of the World War."

Even before the war ended, Viquesney is said to have first conceived the idea of an inspiring monument that would honor those who were serving and dying in the war. In 1920, he copyrighted what was to become the most famous and well-known war memorial statute in U.S. history. Those early ideas and the efforts to transfer those sketches from paper to reality became one of the fasci­nating stories ever to be associated with Monticello and Wayne County.

These statues are located in at least 38 states. The one Wayne countians have been celebrating these past several days arrived in Monticello on January 19, 1923 and was dedicated April 8th that year. It was unveiled by Captain John Tuttle, a prominent Wayne County Civil War veteran, whom I have previously written about. Its acquisition was sponsored by American Legion Post No. 134. The sculpture cost $1,500, including freight. The total cost, including the marble base and monument area, required over $2,000 in cash and the donation of many hours of work on the monument by American Legion members.

The "Doughboy," in all of its 32 ounce bronze glory, is part of the rich her­itage of the people of Wayne County. According to Bro. Ogle, the original intent of it being on the public square was to serve as a constant and visual reminder of the sacrifices made by brave men from the area. It has been faithful to that cause for one hundred years, a silent reminder of the price that must be paid for Americans to enjoy "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Viquesney indicated the memorial was the image of the spirit possessed by the soldier. A spirit of love of man, God, country devotion, commitment, sacrifice, patriotism, and unquestionable courage.

"May those who are blessed to look upon the Doughboy ever be mindful that freedom is never free. There is a price to be paid for freedom and "The Spirit of the American Doughboy" standing in the middle of the town square is a silent memorial to those who paid that price." - Bro. Harlan Ogle

From Whence Our True Freedom Comes

Did you know that ''The Star Spangled Banner'' wasn't actually adopted as the official national anthem of the United States until 1931? Before that, the nation had a few de facto national anthems, and ''The Star Spangled Banner'' wasn't even the most popular. That honor goes to ''America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)." For a century, this was the most beloved 'unofficial' anthem of the nation.

The story of this popular hymn begIns in 1831, when Samuel Francis Smith, a student at the Andover, Massachusetts Theological Seminary, who would later become a Baptist preacher, journalist and author, was asked to translate the lyrics in some German school songbooks into English. The "God Save the Queen" melody caught his attention, but rather than translate those lyrics, Smith was moved deeply by the desire to create a national hymn that would allow the American people to offer praise to God for our wonderful land. And so, in just thirty minutes, he wrote his own words to the melody and "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)" was born.

The first three verses of this patriotic hymn encourage and invoke national pride, while the last verse is a petition to God for His continued favor and protection of the United States of America. "Long may our land be bright with freedom’s holy light," it says. 2 Corinthians 3:17 says “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (aka freedom)," which is to say Christ is where true freedom is found. It is a freedom that lasts for an eternity, not anything temporary. The kind of freedom we will never have to worry about being stolen or taken away.

It was William Penn who wrote: "Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants." And, while America strives to provide freedom, let us pray that we never lose sight of from whence our true freedom comes.

Victor: The Sousa Sessions

Victor Talking Machine Company
"Sessions with the Sousa Band"
Dec. 21, 1917
from my 78 rpm collection"

These recordings of the Sousa Band are among the very few on which Sousa himself is known to have conducted. The recording sessions took place at the Camden, NJ Auditorim. Two takes were recorded of each song and only the second take of each song was released.

"The United States Field Artillery March"
(Written by Sousa)
Matrix #: B21227710, 78 rpm
released as Victor 18430 (A)
Listen Here

"Liberty Loan"
(Written by Sousa)
Matrix #: B2127510, 78 rpm
released as: Victor 18430 (B)
Listen Here

Liberty And Justice For All

Just because the U.S. Supreme Court gave members of the same sex legal sanctions of marriage should not mean that preachers or churches should be required to perform or host the weddings, or for that matter, even recognize the civil union in their church. The same liberties that allow a civil union should also be afforded to those who oppose it. Both sides need to respect that. The liberty to act and believe as we choose, within the realm of justice, and to not restrict that liberty based on ones beliefs, applies to everyone. And I quote, ".. with liberty and justice for all!"