Per Scriptum E. Wesley -- Mackinac Center Intern
Quite often, liberty is thought of in terms of war, independence, strength, and patriotism. Unfortunately, liberty signals an image of radical individualism, and rarely is it put beside beauty. Katherine Lee Bates gives us another view of liberty; one based on the blessing of God.
Bates was born on August 12, 1859 as the fifth child of William and Cornelia Bates. William Bates had moved to Falmouth , Massachusetts in 1858, and was pastor of the First Congregational Church on the Village Green. Katherine Bates was baptized on September 4, 1859. Unfortunately, Rev. Bates was unable to attend the baptism due to a fatal illness, his paralyzed legs and arms, and his voice which had been reduced to a whisper. He died six days latter. Caring for "Katie" eased the pain of his passing for Cornelia.
The Bates family moved from Falmouth to Granitville (now Wellesley Hills) when Katherine was 12. Katherine graduated from Wellesley Hills High School in 1874, and from the more advanced Newton High School in 1878. She earned her bachelor of arts degree from Wellesley College in 1880, studied at Oxford, England, and returned to Wellesley for her master's degree in arts. Wellesley College became her professional home, as she taught English there for 40 years. However, Katherine never forgot Falmouth as her hometown, and visited it yearly. Katherine traveled all over the Western world (Switzerland, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Egypt, and Palestine), which may explain her vivid imagination and passion for the beautiful.
Her literary achievements were unbelievable. She received the Doctor of Literature degree in 1916 from Oberlin College, Doctor of Laws degree in 1925 from Wellesley, authored 32 books, wrote many articles, and published beloved children's poems. Without pretension, Dr. Bates had wits, intellect, popularity, and was well-traveled. Children love her as being the creator of Mrs. Santa Claus in Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride. She continued writing Christmas poems for children including Fairy Gold, Christmas Island, Santa Claus' Riddle, Santa's Stocking, and Lolita's Bethlehem (see Poems of Christmas by Katherine Lee Bates). Longfellow praised Bates for her poem "Sleep" on their first meeting. However, it would be America the Beautiful that would put her securely in the annals of American history. While lecturing at Colorado College in the summer of 1893, Bates joined a group that took a 14,000 ft. hike up to the top of Pike's Peak. While on its summit, the opening lines of this poem leaped from her mind into a her little travel notebook:
O beautiful for spacious skies,Bates tells us that what all America has gained has been due to the work of patriots and the blessing of God. Grain can only wave if man tends the soil and God sends the rain. This simple view so embodies the 19th century American spirit. After seeing the world, Bates realizes that America is unique and unspoiled. Bates' legacy did not die with her death from cancer in 1929. It remains as long as Americans keep singing her songs, and holding her sense of liberty and beauty in their hearts. She is the bard of American beauty. Mr. Bradford summed up best Bates' legacy when he wrote for her obituary in Wellesley's The Townsman:
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain.
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thorough-fare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self control,
Thy liberty in law.
O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country lov'd
And mercy more than life.
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years,
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears.
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.
The death of Katharine Lee Bates means the passing away of one of the most notable citizens of Wellesley, one of the most important figures connected with Wellesley College, and much more than that, a considerable author and creative influence in the whole of American life.
Sources:
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Biographies/katherine_lee_bates.htm
http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/poets/bates.php
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Poetry/christmas_poems_of_katherine_lee.htm
Image from Person of the Week
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