The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-05-26


"Of course they are; that is the proper
way to show fellows patriotism" returned
Ned; seems as if Yankee Doodle would
never wear out. 1t has heen played ever
since can remember"
Lou laughed long and loud. 1t was quite
improper for girl as she very well knew,
but then it was too funny.
"As long as you can remember" she re-
peated as soon as she could catch her breath;
then she went off in another peal of laugh
ter. "Why, Ned, Yankee Doodle is hun
dred years old, to say the least; it isn't likely
to wear out after standing that test"
"a hundred years old" repeated Ned;
Lou, are you surer
"Quite sure. Some say older; they even
think it was written in England. in the time
of Cromwell, only it was Yankee Doodle,
and the line,
Yankee Doodle came to town,
had reference to Cromwell's entering Oxford,
and the feather In his cap etc., was hit
upon his wearing a plume fastened with a
peculiar knot called a macaroni. i looked
up macaroni in the dictionary and found
out that it means a collection OF things
thrown together. / can imagine Just what
kind of knot that was-all ends hanging out
all ways But l would much rather believe
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 English. They
SAID Anglais then; instead of getting it near
er right they got it more and more corrupted
until they brought up on Yankee. believe
it was lust after the battle of Lexington that
Yankee Doodle was adopted as the National
song"
NV ell, didn't know all that before" said
Ned. "Do you know the origin OF our other
National airsF'
Hail Columbia was written, l mean the
words, by Joseph Hopkinson, lawyer and
Judge of Philadelphia; the tune was COM
posed by a German as a march in honor of
the first Presinent of the United States, and
was called The Presidents March, some
time before the words were written. The
Star-SPangled Banner was written about
seventy years ago; when we have talked up
a little farther in our history we will come to
the Bombardment of Baltimore There is
pretty story about the writing of that song.
The British fleet had anchored below Balti-
more, and while land troops moved against
the city the feet bombarded Fort McHenry,
one of the defences on the river
below. Mr.. Francis Key was a prisoner
on a British ship, and as the bombardment
was kept up through the night he and 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
fOrb ana the question suggested the poem
which Mr.. Key wrote out:
OH say can you see by the dawns early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilights last
cleaning?
OH say does the starspanged banner still wave
Ger the land of the free and the home OF the
brave2'
Lou hummed the lines, then she added,
"Since l read the story the song seems to
mean a great deal more than it did before"
sit does make it seem different" said Ned
thoughtfully. Say, Lou, can't you imagine
them straining their eyes before it was really
light enough to see, trying to catch glimpse
of the old flag? That flag meant a great
deal to them, didn't it?n
Indeed IL did But / suppose it really
did not mean any more to them than it does
to us pow."
~ don't understand how" said Ned.
'Why, the flag told them that the Fort
had not surrendered, that the British had
been unsuccessful in their attack; and it
tells us every time we look at it floating out
on the breeze that out government still
stands, and that we are still protected by the
power that holds up the flag
But after all, it is different" said Ned.
THAT was in war time, but nobody is firing
at the flag now"
so much the more reason to be glad"
How came we to have the flag, anyway
asked Ned.
Ned, why do you say anyway
Because it seems to fill out-kinder finish
up a sentence"
Lou laughed. at is like the snapper on
the end of a whip, and suppose you think
it will bring out quick response. Well,
happen to know something about the flag.
When we made the large flag at the academy
Professor Comstock told US about it. and the
history of the flag will take us back to the
period we were talking of in our history
talks In January, 1776, the British held
Boston, and Washi1gton's army were en-
camped at Cambridge. 1t was then that the
American flag was unfurled. 1t had thir-
teen stripes, red and white as now, to repre-
sent the thirteen colonies, but in the corner,
on blue ground, instead of stars were two
crosses combined; the st. George Cross and
the Cross of st. Andrew which is like the
letter x. The next year, by Act of Congress,
stars. took the place of the crosses. The
number of stripes and stars was changed by
Congress two or three times, but in 1878 it
was settled that there should be thirteen
stripes and star for every State. Faye
Huntington, in The Pansy.