The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-07-16

and Tyler, too" went over the coun-
trv with a popularity that only
Moody and Sankey," later, could at
tempt to rival? Then likewise were
the DAYS of "a little more cider,
too and Have you heard the
news from Maine ?" But before
these, even, the Democrats chanted,
ave dedicate the hickory tree
To jackson and TO Liberty
and sang "The Hunters of Ken
tucky," at their ox-roasts and
barbecues.
1t appears to be uphill work TO
trv to revive campaign songs, as the
patches of halting rhymes in the
various "organs" now show. Ne
body would think of singing such
mouthfuls of verse, however enthu-
siastic he might be for the plumed
knight: such lines would stick,
like any other feathers, in the throats
of the crowd. Blaine rhymes with
Maine. and wane, and swain, and
PAYNE Zone of the other fellows and
Logan with slogan and brogan, yet
not this richness, any more than the
fitness of Randall to handle, IN
national affairs will give us cam
paign singing as it used to be IN the
DAYS when such taking war songs
II
were hung to "Old Rosin the
Bow"
There is music in the air was
deceptive, often enough, yet it lent
itself. as did SCOTS wha hea, TO
the duel of Wing and Democrat, on
either side. The recital that Santa
Anna lost leg" did much for Gen.
Scott. and against the united ro-
nance of John and Jessie, in the
Fremont campaign; it was amazing
that an old bachelor like Mr.. Bu-
chanan could stand and prevail.
The amount of personal enthusiasm
and lungs that the young men of
1860 put to the service Of " Old Abe
when "Dixie" itself was sung to the
campaign ditties by Republican
Invincibles," seems altogether van
ished quantity.
II must be that the war, with its
fine roll of genuine " battle-songs,
has made all efforts in political
singing seem quite poor and empty
since. At all events neither Mr..
HAYES nor Mr.. Garfield, nor Mr.. Til
den nor Gen. Hancock had anything
of a musical accompaniment ; even
though "glees" and campaign music
had been written by the acre in their
behaves. This shows a real tide
mark of change. Mass meetings do
no, reach TO such a pitch now-a-
days as in the 1910 TO 1880 contests
for the White House. There are
numbers OF voters who never heard
how Maine went, &c, for Gov
ernor Kent as the over.jubilant
words cantered through the rough
RHYMES of the olden times and
where are the young ladies who
would be seen arraying themselves
for anv candidate with blue ribbons
as their grandmothers and grand
aunts did as they sang We're the
girls of 1870" in the fervers of their
youthful enthusiasm. No young
person would call herself A girl of
1880" for any political favorite
whatever; nor are the questions of
the modern campaign for the Presi-
dency manageable for music poetry or
noisy enthusiasm.
Perhaps it was in the very child
ishness of the nation that it sung
and unsung merry measures. Per-
haps the far higher chords that were
struck from go to '65 drove this
sort of partisan uote, and the chord
Mr.. Tennyson writes about, " out of
sight" In any event, it seems to
be gone. We shall have parodies,
no doubt. Tramp, " tramp, tranp,
the boys are marching" or the in
defatigable industry ofJohn Browns
body, will be fitted to jaw-breaking
verse, which will fall flat, because
of the odiousness of comparisons
with their former burthens.
The issues of the present canyass
are plain prose. They are not easi-
lv put into rythm, nor vet reviling.
Yet in one way what situation can
be more stirring than the honest de-
sire Of American hearts 10 find the
representative man? Party ties
and cries are weak before this re-
solve, and it is precisely the voters
who do no, sing. but hiiak and weigh
with Just scales, who will make the
music aud the certainty Of the can