The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-02-07
SCRAPS OF HISTORY.

o'hFN' - ~ '''O ~
The Origin of "Yankee Doodle" and
Other National Airs The National
Flag.
"Oh, what a racket"
Eyes; it is those fellows with their
drum, and dear knows what, " replied
Ned.
"They enjoy it, 1 suppose" contin-
led Lou.
Il presume So"
And Ned looked as if he did not
think it such a dreadful thing as Lou
seemed to consider it.
"They are playing Yankee Doodle, >"
said Lou, after a moments pause.
"Of course they are; that the proper
way to show fellows patriotism" re-
turned Ned; "seems as if Yankee Doc
die would never wear out. 1t has been
played ever since l can remember"
Lou laughed long and loud. 1t was
quite improper for a girl, as she very
well knew, but then it was too funny.
''As long as you can remember" she
repeated, as soon as she could catch
breath; then she went off in another
peal of laughter. "Why, Ned, Yankee
Doodle is Il hundred years old, to say
the least; it isn't likely to wear ont after
standing that test"
"a hundred years old!'' repeated
Ned ''Lou, are you sure?"
"Quite sure. Some say older; they
even think it was written in England,
in the time of Cromwell, only it was
Nankee Doodle, and the line:
'Nankee Doodle came to town.
had reference to Cromwell's entering
Oxford, and the feather in his cap
etc, was hit upon his wearing plume
fastened with peculiar knot called
macaroni. looked up macaroni in the
dictionary, and found out that it means
"a collection of things thrown together
I can imagine just what kind of a knot
that was-all ends hanging out all
ways! But | would much rather be-
lieve that the tune and words belong to
Revolutionary times, as long as it has
become national air. Some think the
word Yankee is simply a corruption of
the way the Indians pronounced En-
.glish. They said Anglais then; instead
of getting it nearer right they got it
more and more corrupted until they
brought up on Yankee. | believe it
was Just after the battle of Lexington
that Yankee Doodle was adopted as
the national song"
even, Ididn't know all that before, ="
said Ned. DO you know the origin of
our other national airsP' 10000
"'Hail Columbia was written, /
mean the words, by Joseph Hopkinson,
a lawyer and Judge of Philadelphia;
the tune was composed by German as
a march in honor of the first President
of the United States, and was called
THE Presidents March some time be-
fore the words were written. The Star
Spangled Banner was written about
seventy years ago. There is a pretty
story about the writing of that song.
The British fleet had anchored below
Baltimore, and while land troops moved
against the city the fleet bombarded
Fort McHenry, one of the defenses on
the river below Mr. Francis Key was
prisoner on British ship, and as the
bombardment was kept up through the
night he and a friend who was with him
were very anxious as morning came to
know the fate OF the fort. And one
said TO the other as he looked out at the
first streak of light: DO you see the
flag? The old flag was still waving
from the fort and the question sug-
igested the poem which Mr.. Key wrote
out:
rohl Say, can you see by the dawn's early
light,
What so proudly we hailed at the tw flights
last gleamingI