The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-12-23

! as the name OF the Great Republic. That
proposed name was simply Columbia
Probably but few persons now Twins
arc aware OF the energetic, widespread
| and persistent efforts that were made II
| the latter part OF the Revolution and FOR
| twenty years aftcrward TO induce the
world to call our country columbia.
For all the objections which ! have cited
~ now made against Of polysyllabic title
United States of America were then
felt. and for the first twenty or thirty
years after the Declaration OF 1ndcpend-
ence. II was seriously determined by q
multitude OF influential persons that TINS
nation should bear the simple name OF
Columbia, and that We. the good people
thereof. should he stamped. ana ldbclled
and hcraldcd throughout the world, not
as Americans but as Columbians
Into the advocacy of this name wa
summoned the magic OF poetry-such
poetry, alas. as was then TO be had ~
these parts. For example. that once
renowned bard Ca famous president Oh
Yale College. whom sidney smith al,
ward facetiousy described as "a Mr.
Dwight. who wrote some poems, ana ms
baptismal name was Timothy ; gave ms
help to the movement. even during Inc
war. by his sonorous hymn. beginning:
columbia. Columbia. TO glory arise
The queen Of the world. and the child OF
the skies"
In the same spirit-poetc as well as pa
triotic--twenty years later, Joseph Hop
kinson. gave the world his famous lyric
Hail. Columbia. happy land
a song received with such enthusiasm
that ii used to be called our national lyric.
THE WORD COLUMBIA.
Moreover in the very year. 11S1, IN
which the young republic was FORMING
It's new Constitution, there sailed out OF
the harbor of Boston the noble snip cum
mandcd by Captain Gray, which frst car
ried our national flag. clear arolhu ,, lnr
globe. and IL IS significant OF thc Nisoi
of this movement for the proposed hIs
tional name that this ship was user
named the Columbia, as II II were htolu-
ed. while introducing TO the antipOdes our
new flag. IL were intended 10 tedch ln'H'
also 10 call MS by our new name.
So great was the Vigor OF TINS move
uout that i'm 11gi as soon as the nauolal
government had got well under way uluIl
its new Constitution, II set apart Il s nIai
domain ON the Potomac for ndtoHdi
capitaE and I'm giving a special name
To this district as the particular ~.
dence of the national government, 'nSs
Significantly called II the Di ~ t 81
lumbia" j. e.. the capital OF the H"''0''
which was to bc called by that name
Finally an these efforts for the auop-
ton of the name Columbia nave pecH ir
nccted on the FACT, that N. 49,, ,,i' rpennered
country is now fairly dotted ana pepl,,ia, -
with that word. for not only Il lne ,ssa,oitic
est river that cmpties INTO my "o,,,a
Ocean called Columbia. put 'he 49,.
Columbia now dcSlkHdi'H a. - .itP.s
counties. eighteen townships loul 49,
IA eeveptacn villages IN our ."uN'i
Ana vet the most significant fact ABOUT
,bts carly movement Is that, with an 'his
etrupcle for the word Columbia uuri's
the first twenty or thirty years Vi tno
life Of the republic. and notwlths'dhu',is
all the wise and just things that can ne
said i'm favor of IT, the woru 'o'u '''',
does not seem to become our nauoh"l
,,o,oc ovcept i'm old fashioned wooden
noetr, and i'm patriotic oratory, equally
r,oodcn. the world. which in matters Oh
,hts LIND refuses to be dictated TO- does
not continuously take this name upon
it's tongue i'm speaking OF us hopou5
anvwhero i'm all the world knows OF US
or thinks of Us, or speaks OF u.s. dS
columbians: and at last. while we nave
bccn hesitating over the business III 'nlS
futile way the name Columbia mas Dc,"
nuietIv and effcctually Appropriated -
another nation-thc gallant httle Iepup-
lie In eoutb Amcrica-"the United states
of columbia" so that the name Is no
ioroor available for our exclusive use
an any terms. except possibly by our
favorite national method for creating
barmonv-the method Of swallowlhs uoWh
that little South American repuplc.
name and all - ,.o.,.
earnest effort on behalf OF the name
Columbia had become fallure' as ""9
seen TO be the case a good many Years
400 a notable effort on behalf OF an
otbor pome was made: and this effort
roocbed formidable proportions. haNlhE
hoen started by the most FASCINATING
nrose writer then among MS, by WASH
inoton Irving. First let me cite 10 you
w. worry words i'm which Irving pieaue-
for new national name ..
"yvc want a national name. we want
81 poeticallv. and we want II pohticaiiy'
WIN the poetical necessity OF the case
Tshall NOT trouble myself. | leave II 10
o,,r noots 20 tell how they MANAGE 70
etoor that collocation OF WORDS 'he nv
states Of America. down the sW''''i-
tide of song. and to float the whole I'll
upon the sea Of heroic poesy' am ~"
enoalking Of the mere purposes OF COM
- no How Is a citizen Of this repub-
lio "a designate himself? ! want my own
neculiar national name 10 rally under
,,.ort an appellation that shall tel nj
orce and m a way not 10 be mistaken.
at belone TO this very portion OF
America geographical and political 10
which II is my pride and happiness 10 ne-
long. that am OF the Anglo-SaNon race
uhich founded this Anglo Saxon empire
IN the wilderness. Such an appreciation
would have magic in IT, II wouh DIE"
every part of the Confederacy tosether'
as with a keystone: II would be pass
mort 10 the citizen of the republic
throughout the world
ALLEGHANIA SUGGESTED.
Having thus asserted the need and the
value of a national name that should be
all our own. Irving then proceeded TO
suggest the name which. as he thought
would completely satisfy all the condl-
tions 1--WE have it i'm our power said
he "to furnish ourselves with such ma
tional apnellation. from one of the grand
and eternal features of our country: from
that noble chain of mountains which
formed its backbone and ran through the
old Confederacy. when II first declared
our national independence. | allude TO
the appalachian orr Allegheny mountains.
We might do this without any very in
convenient change i'm our present titles
We might still use the phrase THE
United States -Substituting Alleshania
in place Of America
Now this plausible suggestion of Wash
ington IrVing's had some rather notable
consequences. one was that IT attracted
the attention Of powerful organization
devoted TO the interests Of our national
history-the New York Historical Society
IL was i'm the year 1876. in the midst of the
excitements connected with the anncXa-
ton of Texas that some Of the younger
and more aggressive members of that
society took up this subject; and for
time they devoted themselves with no
little energy to the task of trying TO per-
suade the United States of America to
turn itself into the United States Of Al
leghania.
For example. they got the society and
the whole country to draw a series Of re-