The Press., 1883-07-12
Belongs but to the white

Belongs but to the white; But as for me, upon my soul
 So liberal are we here,
 I'll let Sambo be murdered in place of myself,
 On every day in the year.
 On every day in the year, boys,
 And every hour in the day,
 The right to be kilt I'll divide with him,
 An divil word I'll say.'
 He was the life of many campfire wss Private Miles O'Reilley, and much of the best and raciest literature of the war came from his gifted pen.
 "The Star Spangled Banner" will ever rank as the first of American war songs, and linked with 1t will be "Hail Colum- bia," America" and ''The Red, White and Blue@ We are not certain that this latter is an American song. It has been claimed by the English under the title Britannia, the Gem of the Ocean," The first person we ever heard sing it was the late Edward l.. Davenport, and he once informed us that he got the song in the motherland "Hail Columbia" was set by its author, Judge Hopkinson, to the air of 'sThe Presidents March, which some body had composed in honor of Washing ton but the words of '"Ihe Star Span- gled Banner"are sung to an old English bacchanalian air, ''To Anacreon in Heav-
 
 country, 'tis of thee," goes to the air of "God Save the Queen" The national hymn, with appropriate original music, is yet to be written Keller's hymn does not l fill the bill, nor indeed does Julius Eich- berg's, or that ambitious production which l Gilmore gave to the country some two or three years since.
 We have touched but lightly on few of | the soldiers songs. Did one go into the matter to any great extent there certainly would not be a suf6ciency of space ill this l edition of the Traveller to accommodate us While there was plenty of enduring poetry written during the war, the number of really meritorious songs that were given birth to were few indeed. On the whole, we are inclined to think that in this re- spect the south was in advance of us, for we certainly (Mrs. Howe's noble effort aside) do not possess single song of the rebellion at ell comparable to ''Maryland, my Maryland" {" and the air to which it is sung is well fitted to the words. We re- member once having heard it sung under l circumstances that for the time made us fancy it was the sweetest thing we ever \ listened to. We had reached Frederick l City, in Maryland, after a distressing forced march, wearying alike to man and beast, and going into bivouac the staff, to which we were attached, took up their quarters on the piazza of lonely man. sion, and there, wrapping themselves in their blankets, with their saddles for pill lows, sought needed repose. Sleep refused to visit us. The night was 8 delicious one; twas warm, but 8 slight breeze was stirring, the sky was intensely clear and the stars were many and brilliant. The stiffness was profound. Every one around us was sunk in slumber. Suddenly there fell upon our ears the words
 l The tyrant's heel is on my neck, l Maryland, my Maryland. | The voice was mezzo-soprano, full, round and clear and the charming melo- dy was sung with infinite tenderness and great delicacy of shading. We listened al- most breathless, for twas the first time we had ever heard the song, and when it was concluded we arose for the purpose of as. certaining who was the singer. We found her in the person of plump little negro girl of about sixteen years, with 8 face blacker than the smoke of Vulcans smithy. As Desdemona 'ssaw Othello's ,visage ir in his mind, so we also saw the yisage oi this girl only in the sweetness of her voice which was of a certainty one of the purest vocal organs we ever listened to-
 ''The Bonnie Blue Flag" was another o1 the secession songs which met with great flavor. It was, if we remember aright written by an Irish actor by the name o1 1 William Mccarthy, and first sung by his sister. Marion McCarthy, at the Varieties Theater, New Orleans. The air is an old and popular Irish melody, 'sThe Irish Haunting Car." Our people were not long in getting hold of the sons, and very soo1 8 capital answer was written, the first verse of which we give:
 An, no, the ''bonnie blue fag,' 5.' With one white ghastly star,
 Never shall float before our ranks,
 To lead the brave afar;
 But blend the hue of sunset- The bonnie, red, white and blue
 Shall fire our souls with patriot zeal, With hope and courage true.
 Hurrah, hurrah, for nations rights, hurrah
 They shall not harm our beautiful flag
 Nor quench single star. f<
 "Dixie" can scarcely be called wal song, for it was written and composed be fore the rebellion had birth. But it was sung by both armies, and though of south ern origin was quite as popular at tho north as in ''the land of cotton. .''-B0sto1 Ir0veler.