"THE NEW LIBERTY BELL." *
By MISS ALICE A. MITCHELL.
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| MISS ALICE A. MITCHELL. |
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It rings! the mighty bell of God; It thrills the hearts beneath the sod, And spirits of our Patriot Sires Kindle again the sacred fires. Hallelujah!! It rings! and from its tongue of truth, Bursts the victorious shout of youth; The martyr's smile, the warrior's cheer The star of women's frozen tear: Hallelujah!! It rings! and angels from the heights Salute the flag of Human Rights; As upward soars that radiant wing Seraphs and men unite and sing, Hallelujah!! It rings! and with its tongue of flame It writes upon the sky a name, The name of freedom!—kneel O Earth, God struck the hour that gave it birth. Hallelujah!! Hallelujah!!! |
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Miss Alice A. Mitchell was born in Monmouth, Warren County Ill., and is a sister of the late Lieut.-Commander Archie N. Mitchell, U. S. Navy. Her parents were John Hull Mitchell, a lawyer, and Susan Alice Smith Mitchell. She was educated in New York, Chicago, and at Monmouth College, Ill. She has traveled extensively in her own country, has a wide acquaintance among people in the social, literary and musical world. Her special work has been in the interest of literature, music and humanity. Miss Mitchell was the first woman in the United States to lift a baton as director, when her success was instantaneous. Those who saw her lead at the Suffrage Congress will recognize that she possesses that strange "mystery of commanding," which is a gift from Heaven. Her principal literary work is "Poems of Patriotism."
* This song was composed in honor of "The New Liberty Bell," It was first sung by Miss Mitchell at the Congresses in the Woman's Building, and afterward at the first ringing of the bell at the West-front of the Administration Building—Columbian Exposition.