The record-union., 1897-09-22

that part of the song:
I'm Dixie land I'll take my stand!
And live and die i'll Dixiel'
Everybody went wild with enthusiasm,
and the singers were encored wildly
and written copies of the song were
demanded. 1t was sung on the streets,
in parlors, and became at once the
Marrseillaise of the South. Emmett
found himself in trouble over his song,
as it was declared to be ''secesh," al
though it had been written two years
before the war. Since then the song
has been claimed by other writers, and
it has been published with alien names
attached, but Emmett placed his seal
upon it when he sung it as his COM
position at a benefit given to him at
HoOper's Theater, when John McCuI-
lough, Joe Emmett and other distin-
guished artists assisted and 81 900 was
taken in at the door,
Few would recognize in 1.-The Bonn
bardment of Fort McHenry' our ma
tional hymn, "The Star-Spangled Ban
ner" Historians, in commenting upon
this spirited song, have called attention
to the fact that it commentaries a
single episode in the history of the
country, and is set to a foreign air,
yet has filled 50,000,OO0 American
hearts with patriotic emotion Strang-
er still, it was first sung on the streets
of Baltimore by a lad of II years in
1914, on the second day after the bonn
bardment of Fort McHenry. Francis
Scott Key, who wrote the words had
gone the day previous to Admiral
Cockburn in charge of the British fleet
at the mouth Of the Potomac, to ask
for the release of his friend Dr. Beanes
of Baltimore, who was a prisoner of
war, on board the Minden, and in sight
of Fort McHenry, which was under fire
from the British troops, the Minden lay,
with Mr. Key and his friend on board
When the British retreated and Key
saw that the American flag was still
flying at the fort, he wrote his poem,
finishing it as the 18th dawned. A
relative to whom he read it was so
pleased with it that he took it at once
to the printing office of Captain Edes,
whose apprentice put it into type. An
other hoy, James Lawrence, sung it be-
fore the office door, and before night
printed copies We're distributed all over
the town.
The hoy who sung it also adopted the
tune of it. He sung it for eighty years,
as boy and man, and declared that he
never sung the doxology with greater
zeal. He died at the age of 96, and
to his last hour would call for his fa-
vorite tune. The first copies We're
printed on single sheets with a border,
a fashion that still obtains in Eastern
towns.
A grandson of Francis Scott Key is a
resident of Chicago to-day, and pre-
serves many tokens of interest and
mementoes of his patriotic relative
Mrs. Virginia Key, a daughter in-law
is also living on the North Side, at a
very advanced age, but with unimpair-
ed faculties. She has the story of THE
Star-Spangled Banner" as told to her
many times from it's composers lips.
And among her treasures are hymns
written by him, which she valued more
than his patriotic song. Mr.. Key never
made any money by his fame, but had
the satisfaction of knowing that it was
the watchword of a nation, soldiers had
sung it at the bivouac fires, and it had
been regarded as the most precious
relic OF war.
1t has been recorded that nearly all
our popular songs have been placed
before the people by actors and adopt
ed from the stage. This is true of
Home, Sweet Home" Dixie" Hail
Columbia" but not "The Star-Span-
gled Fanner," although we are told
as a fact that it was first sung on the
stage of the Holliday-street Theater.
But the relatives of the writer. as
well as his own accounts. give a hum
bier origin to the songs popularity
That it was soon transferred to the
board is easily true.
Hail Columbia" was written by Jo-
seph Hopkins Of Philadelphia in 1898.
who composed it especially for a young
actor who wanted some words to the
air of 'The Presidents March" He
thought it would insure him a large
audience at his benefit. The actor-a
young man named Fox-tried it to a
harpsichord accompaniment, and at
once announced it to the public by
placarding the city. The night came,
the theater was crowded. and the actor
sung it eight times, and when respond
ing to the ninth encore was Joined by
the audience in the chorus in a hub
bub OF the widest enthusiasm.