The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1891-11-07
THE NATIONAL HYMN.


meet the armies OF German delenderS
OF hereditary monarchy ut the frontier.
had reached the capital and the fury
OF the mob against royalty broke loose
over the city like "a terrible storm.
Men and women, goaded on by fren-
zied agitators. gathered about the
Tuileries, the royal palace. whose in
mates sought safety in flight while
the faithful Swiss guards retarded the
progress of the mob with the sacrifice
OF their lives. But no human power
seemed TO be capable OF controlling
the plebians of Paris on that fateful
day, and soon Il motley crowd disport-
ell itself within the walls of the royal
pa ace such as had never before been
seen or heard there 1t went through
the building like ii cyclone leaving
cruel destruction IN its wake.
Scayengers and ragpickers dressed
themselves in kingly robes. says the
Chicago News paraded through the
saloons and held mock court from
thrones which had been sacred to roy
atty. Men and women who for months
had had no food but the remnants
frcm the tables OF the rich reveled in
the contents of the royal pantries and
wine cellars. Debauch was the order
of the day and royalty had to be dis
poiled Of its glory 10 furnish the trap
pings for the feast They were not
men and women any longer The
sight of the lu u,urious surroundings in
which their oppres.1rs and the friends
OF the nations cnc,gles had lived made
them frantic with rage and turned
them into mad beasts. bent upon ruin
and desolation. The worst dregs OF
Paris society MAZE the almost sacred
Precincts Of the Tuttric3 resound with
Il rovelry whose PRINCIPAL programme
was the destruction of everything
beautiful and reaned and the degrada-
ton OF the home OF royalty TO the
level Of the lowest hovel where vice
and misery abound.
When the shameless orgie was at its
height one of the young members OF
the mob, a professional musician
whose business il had been to enter
tain the audiences of low resorts with
ribald song and play, espied beauti-
fully decorated clavichord whose tiny,
delicate design suggested the music OF
tho comic opera and the charming
dance tunes OF the age of the stately
ninuet. Caught by an inspiration, he :
opened the instrument and standing
before it hammered out the tune of the
"Marseillaise then brand-new
composition. The mob. drunk with
frenzy aud with the wine frc.a royal
cellars joined the young singer in the
fiery, tyranny-defying words OF the
text The song of the revolution be-
came the death kne}l of royalty. and
Its history became eHtwined with
memories too terrible To be ever effaced
by time.
The "dawning of the day of glory"
which the Marseillaise announces
to the children of France was the
downfall OF that royalty which had
kindled love OF glory to make France
forget the misery 10 which royalty and
aristocracy had condemned her toll.
ing millions. :
All Europe became terrorized be-
fore the use made of royal and eccles-
lastlc heritage in the words and the
music OF the "Marseillaise. Never
before had music been used as a weap-
on against the throne or against secu
lar or ecciesiastic aristocracy. Music
had been one OF the most loyal of all
the arts, and now it had become the
ally OF the bloodthirsty revolution.
which did not rest until it had steeped
tho soul Of Paris and OF France in the
blood OF royalty, OF aristocracy. OF
priests and even of its own devout
followers.
No wonder that with the revolution
the "Marseillaise' also was put to
sleep. Ii was tabooed by all govern
mcnt AUTHORITY and in France il was
considered too dangerous a monster to j.
De permitted To be abroad 1t was Y
sung In 1880 and again in 1913 on the
barricades which revolution attempted
TO build In Paris. but it was speedily
suppressed as soon as public order
was restored.
In July, 1870, the "Wacnt am
khelm, song OF German defiance
hurled against Gallo schemes 10 de-
spoil the German people OF the river
Rhine and which had been sung me-
for thirty years without any
- N"N''''A 'AANNit illbub jill trGFm1nv
rise in arms against France. Then
the people OF the latter needed a SIM
liar incentive particularly after the
defeat OF 'he empire. The .Marseil-
laise' was brought out again; its ter
rible appeal To the sons OF France tn.
steep the soil OF their country in me
foreign invaders impure blood" was
sounded once more, but il had 81 no,y
eriul adversary in the German
Nv Wacht am Rheim." which. aside
from the 'Marseillaise. is the onlv
European national song not tainted
with dynas,ic loyalty. 1t succumbed
for time but it proved its old power
OF creating terror during the DAYS OF
the commune. The republic. after the
suppression of the commune, wisely
took the "Marseillaise" into its sarv.
Ice and made it the official French
national hymn.
Since then tho '.Marseillaise" b,.