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OUR PATRIOTIC SONGS We Are Not as Familiar With Them as We Should Be. FEW OF US KNOW THE WORDS Flow Many Americans, For instance, Can Recite "The Star Spangled Dan ne er My Country, 'Ti3 of' Thee?" "Dixie" and "Maryland, My Mary land." ]Proud as they are of their nation, it is a strange fact that Ami'erlcans are -ot so familiar with their country's patriotle air as are the people of the i'oreigi iandsi. Even when they are stirred to the point of sloging by bands they find it hard to reolilect the words. And it is do'uitful whether many are aware of the tilts of history attached to some of the ind's patriotic airs. Take "The Star Spangled Banner," for instance. Howt much can you sing Of that song? Yet, if any can be called the national anthem, this is the one. Of oturae it is unfair to ourselves to say that we cnnot sing it, I)lt it must be adiittd that we don't know it as generally a-, we should. Its author, Francis Scott Key, now lies% in a cemetery at Frederick. Md.. -where an American flag is always 'waving over his grave. Key wrote the song after an experience he had while a p3risoner aboard a British war vessel. While he was aboard the boat Fort MclHenry, the sole protection of Bal timore, was bombarded, and the song tells of his satisfaction at finding the fing of his country still waving upon the dawn of the succeeding morning. It is a hymn which all Americans can joIn in singing, because it breathes the spirit of the whole (land and tias not one suggestion of sectionalism in It. Next as a national song comes "Amerlen," sometimes known as "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." Objection Is frequently raised aigailust this because the tunIe wIas not original. It is the property of the British empire as inuch 1s it is of the United States, and when It In heard from afar one cannot tell whether the bantd wants to feel the in spiration that is in the words of "Amerlea" or in "God Save the King." The words of the song "My Country 'Tis of Thee." were written by Saimie Frnnels Smith. Tle song was firs sung at a Sunday school celera tion o the Fourth of July at the l'ark Streel church in Hoston. It is an interestinia fact that one of lie little boys who helpedl to sing "Ameriea" for the fli-st time is now the chaplain of tle United States senate, the venerable and rev erend Edward Everett Ilate. Then we have "Columbia. the Gem of the Ocea1. whieh ias something like aln echo of "Iritania, the Iride of the Ocean." The tule (f "Yankee Doodle" is a good (fne. andi we all like to whistle or hum It, but thle words u~nfortunately mire not very good and, furthermnore, it has been said didl not ineau a great deal at the time they were written. At any rate, it has not the solemn grandeur that "The Star Span lgledi Banner" holds. The~ origlin of "Ynnlkee Doodlle" is shroud~ed in the mnystery of a score of conf3icting tales. It is generally agreed, however, that tihe tunie camne from England, and the words were in vented biy the British soldiers to b~e sung in derision of the raw Americani troops who joined thiem at the ca mp on the Iludsoni below Albanily in 1755 duiring the French and Indian wvar. Twenty years later the rebecllis pan tria played "Yankee Doodie" at the ha tile oif Lexington, and it becenme tile first 11ational song of the United States. I hliadelphin has considerable inter est in "Hall Columbia." It was writ ten by Joseph Hopkiuson of this city, although the aIr was one comuposedl by a Glerman who was conducting an or chestra in New Y'ork. hiopkinsoni wrote tile words at tihe time whlen war was threatened with' France in 1798, and for a long whIle it was the most popular of our patrlotic songs. As for sectional songs, there are some whichhiive mighty good tunes, a case in point .bping "Dixie." Although this was the battle hymn of the Confed eracy, Lincoln enjoyed it immensely and on the day of is assalssinatioli asked a band to play it for himi. "Dixie," however, w~as written long befor'e the civil war and wvas not ini tended for the use of the Confedet ates. It was written In 1850 by Dan lel D. Emmett, wuho was singing with Bryant's minstrels in New York. Bry ant's sho0w was dragging, and~ as fail uire seemeld imminenit ile asked Emi mett to write a negro "waik around' which would stir up some enthusiasm "Dixie" was the result. its aldaphtationl nearly two years latei MS the war song of tile south was ar nelccdenit. Mrs. .Johni Wood was tp. pearing at the New Orleans Varietim theater in "Pocahontas." On accouni of tile rising tide of war a zouave dril vantroduced into tile show. Tile or phgest pu leader triedI over several airt for .th' march and finally hit upo, "'Dixie.' Th'e war cloud burst the nexi .wenk, nd fronm New Orleans "Dixie' ~regal pyr -b soth Attienot liber and trad I anny .L. Crosby, the hymnn writer. wrot1e n sonig for "Dixie" wleih was st'rngly LUnion ini sentimtt but the o)the1r side had1( p~re-empIted thet airI. Then it was that the nrthu took up~ "JTohni Brown's Body," which was firat put on by a Boston (co11mtmuy. an mlIa ter Mrs. .lulla Ward IHowe wrote' to this tune "The Enttle Ihymn of the Rlepub I Ie." Another popular southern air is real ly an olsd German one. It had been utsed in America for many years as a v'ehicle for the ol college song "Lan ri.ger Iloratius," but it is now iuiver sally associated with "Maryland, My Maryhind." This song was conaldered by JamesI Itussell Lowell to be the best poem produced by the civil war,' and Mr. Lowell could not bave beeni partial to its sentiments. It was written by James Itydler Randall, a Marylander. At the outbreak of hostilities Mr. IRan dalI was teaching in a small college in Louisiana. When he heard the news of the riots in tihe atreets of Baltinore in April. 1801, ho was fired b~y the in telligence and1 angry because his nn tIve state (11d not forsake the Union. Under these circumstances he wrote the poeCm. It was first published in the New Orleans Delta and copied in all the southern papers and, of course, b-' camne v'ery popular among Maryland secessionists. One of these, Miss .Jen nie Cary, sugisested ndnypting it to the - air of the funiliar college song. Miss Cary was In Virginia Just, after lie first battle pf Bull It. Shq. ,ond' a party of friends were serenaded ait Fairfax Court Ihonse by the Washing ton Light nrmtilery of New Orleans. Miss Cary responde'd by sinilng 'i1a rylanad, My Marylad."-l'hilade4~ Press, THA NKS e wish to thank our friends and customers for the ver al patronage they gave us during the sale. e are now replenishing our stock for the spring busines! we are going to offer you some special inducements t ! with us. atch this space. JATH, BR UCE, MORROW Ca TRADE MARK REGISTER ED / L~For twenty-three ye the standard of the / the old time fish gi F. S. Roystei Guano Co. Norfolk,. Va. MADE *WITH FISH ars South Llano.