Songs of Selma

From "Selma; Her Institutions, and Her Men" by John Hardy, pub. 1879:

On the 4th day of December, 1820, an act was passed by the State legislature, incorporating the “Town of Selma.” W. R. King, Gilbert Shearer, George Phillips and Eben Bowles were appointed Commissioners to hld an election for five Councilmen and putting the municipal government in operation for the town. In accordance with the provisions of this act, the Commissioners held an election on the first Monday in April, 1821; at which election, Carter B. Huddleston, Gilbert Shearer, Jas. Cravens, James Reynolds and Wm. Read, were elected Councilmen, who shortly after, met at the house of D. H. Burke, and proceeded to organize by electing James Reynolds, Intendant and D. H, Burke Clerk, and Wm. Huddleston Town Constable, and Jno. Simpson Town Treasurer.

Col. W. R. King having located three miles south of the Town, and being largely interested in the Land Company, took an active part in making, not only the Land Company, but the town a success. Being of quite a literary turn of mind, and being fond of the writings of ancient history as one of residences of “Ossian,” a blind poet of ancient Caledonia. Fingal, Prince of Caledonia, was the father of Ossian, and hunting was the chief occupation of this great ancient Prince and his tribe. His principal residence was at Selma, in the neighborhood of Glenco. Ossian, his son, flourished about 200 A. D. , and said by ancient writers to have been like some others of the ancient poets, blind, and to soothe his anguish for the loss of his favorite son “Oscar,” in battle, by the composition of songs, among which were the “Songs of Selma.” His name as a poet derived its celebrity from the publication of McPherson in 1760, but the best edition of Ossian’s poems was that of Campbell, in 1822, with illustrations. The subjects of Ossian’s Poems were partly narrative and partly lyric, heroic deeds of war, vivid pictures of highland nature, the praise of better times past, of wounded feelings, &e.. &c.

Ossian described his father as being one of the greatest warriors that ever lived, and his capital as a splendid walled city, situated among the mountains of Scotland, which he frequently called “Rocky Morvan.” The city is often called “Selma of Harps.” It was studded with high towers, and the walls were shaded by many tall trees. The ”feast of shells” was continually celebrated in its spacious banqueting halls. King Fingal once sailed over to Ireland to assist a friend against his enemies, and on his return was overtaken by a dreadful storm, and to save his ships from destruction took shelter in a large cave, which is at the present day known to all school children as “Fingal’s cave,” on the western coast of Scotland. Ossian’s wife was named Everallen, As we have previously stated, Ossian is supposed to hav live in the year 200; but his poems were never written, until James McPherson collected them from the mouths of the Highland bards of Scotland about a hundred and fifty years since, as they had been handed from generation to generation in rhyme. McPherson translated them from the Celtic language into English. Finding that the capital of Fingal was the splendid city which we have described, be in Anglicizing the word called it “Selma,” which is a Greek word, and means a seat, a throne, a row of seats, &c. there is no other place called Selma, either in the ancient or modern history of Scotland. And there is but one other in the United States, and that is a village in Jefferson county Missouri.

From this source did the pure man and statesman, Wm. R. King, derive the name he gave our beautiful city, and christened it on the 4th day of December, 1820.

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