The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-02-26


with poverty, exalted or debased, he
viii always long and sigh for the Old
Kentucky Home far away, the land OF
the free, the home of the brave.
There the birds sing sweeter songs,
the air seems purer and clearer, the
skies assume a more brilliant and gor-
gious hue, the babbling brooks MUIR
muir more harmoniously, the scenery
appears more varied and inspiring, all
nature itself is more in unison, the
horses are finer and can run more
swiftly, the men are more noble and
knightly, the women are more beauti-
full and queenly, and the spiritus fru-
menti is more palatahle and invigora
ing.
How responsive is the human heart
to the national airs and hymns. The
cold and stony-hearted Russian warns
up and becomes impetuous under the
influence of the Russian National
Hymn.
The vivacious and impulsive French
man, under the inspiration of the
thrilling Marsailes, imagines he is
once more with the Little Corporal
rushing to victory and glory at Aus
terlitz or embracing defeat and death
at Waterloo.
But to us Kentuckians, down in
Dixie, "where the corn tops are rife
and the meadows are in bloom, and
the birds make sweet music all the
day" is given in "Our Old Kentucky
Home" heritage in the wealth of
harmony and sentiment it expresses
that is more precious than diamonds
and gold or prin"ipalities and powers.
Great riches may take to themselves
the wings Of the morning and fly to
the uttermost parts of the earth, prin-
cipalities and powers may weaken and
decay, but as long as language is spo-
ken, as long as the heart can feel, and
as long as the tongue can give express
sion to the feeling, so long will live
the song we love so well.
When success crowns our endeavOrs,
when we have climbed to the heights
of the ladders of fame, "when the sun
shines bright on our Old Kentucky
Home" we love to sing its melOdious
notes, because in them we can best
give utterance to our happiness.
When adversely overtakes us, when
the'heart is bowed down with griefs
and cares and troubles, when "hard
times come knocking at the door,
we turn to it for solace and comfort.
We forget our condition, our sur
rounding; we are boys again on the
old play ground. In our fancy the old
plantation passes in our view, the
"orchard, the meadows and the deep
tangled wildwood and every loved
spot that our infancy knew" Again in
the cleaning we meet the brown
eyed lassie at the garden gate, with
her glowing cheeks and glorious hair.
Again we see the magnificent eyes
looking up so laughingly and yet so
modestly, and the ruby lips half part
ed ever so TREMENDOUSLY. And so on
passes scene after scene, with kaleidi-
scopic variety, soothing the care-worn
heart like the Balm in Gilead.
So inspiring are its notes, so thrill
ing its cadences, so multitudinOus the
feelings it produces, is there any rea-
son why it should not live forever?
Fraught with such wealth of
sentiment, such blending of harmo-
ny, such a world of beauty and pathos,
it is no wonder that the loyal citizen
of Gods Country regard paradise as a
kind of glorified Kentucky Home,
where the angelic chorus is forevar
echoing the refrain:
"Weep no more my ladies,
Oh weep no more to-day;
Wen sing one song for my Old Kentucky IIome'
For my Old Kentucky Home far away"