The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-28
DANA'S DUSTY THIRTY.
Porto Ricnns Cheer American Airs


Porto Ricnns Cheer American Airs
by Wisconsin Woodsnen.
A correspondent of one of the New
York papers. writing from Ponce. Porto
Rico, L. S. A. under date of August l,
tells The following patriotic story:
Heads We're barred for the first time
| last night in Porto Rico out of respect
for Americas national air. While the
/ Third Wisconsin regiment band played
/ The Star SpangIed Banner in the pub
! lie square tLe people Of Ponce had an i'm
/ prassive lesson in American patriotism.
True. hey were able 10 distinguish lit
/ tie difference between the general charac-
/ ter of old Kentucky Home" and the air
which for months past has caused aud
! fences in the United States to rise and
stand in respectful silence while pulses
Quickened and the deepest thrills Of pa
triotsm were experienced. When the Il W
Americans at last nights concert re-
moved their hats while the Badger State
musicians were playing the asst number
OF their first concert in Porto Rico the
great throEg that crowded the plaza grad
uaily caught the spirit; sombreros were
! removed, and soon the immense gathering
! was listening to the stirring strains with
/ the same respect that marks the behavior
! of American audiences during the per
I p0rmance of this piece which for Us is
] surcharged with patriotism.
Never in New York has there been
such an audience; never in New York mas
there been such scene.
/ ''Bronzed. travel stained and coatless.
! the Wisconsin boys tramped from Port
Ponce to the city proper to the stirring
strains of their own music. The road
/ sides were lined with natives, many of
I them former Spanish volunteers who had
/ never before listened TO martial music
/ rendered vi h such dash and precision. A
I mighty procession of men, women and
] children fell in behind the band. and by
/ the time the Wisconsin musicians
I marched into the public square they had
a motley following of thousands. 'The
I Bomberos,' or local fire department Who
! have been acting as an auxiliary police
/ force since the occupation of the city by
/ our soldiers We're there to handle the
1 crowds.
Ponce is behind Northern cities in
! everything except electric lights. Be
meath the glare Of these lights in tie ;,u!,-
/ lie square the music racks were detached
/ from the knapsacks and set up. While
! these preparations were in progress. The
] hremen. conspicuous for their red shirts
/ and cleaning broad-bladed lxes under
] took to manage the struggling and .ieam-
! ing audience. An American bard was a
complete novelty, and as Sunday was a
/ fete day there was little 20 p-:gca; ali Ike
citizens from attending this concert.
ne news that there was to be con-
cert had spread TO the plantations be-
yond the city, and, with the exception of
the few who remained at the farms to
ana the American soldiers guard against
the marauding Spaniards, all had come
xr--.c
In Ponce, but the inhabitants judged
rightly that their red-shirted fremen
could never bring such music out of
| brasses as that produced by the usty-
| lunged boys from the lumber camps of
t the far north Humanity laden OK carts
/ rolled into Ponce for hours.
When Prof. L. G. Dana and his dusty
! thirty opened up with Marching Through
/ Georgia the Bombero musicians here
and there through the crowd saw that
! their past laurels were but a shadow of
a withered vanity. The boys from Mari
nette played as they never played before
AS Tor striking appearances, no brass
| buttoned, begilded and bestrapped band
that has occupied the stage at the Metro
politan ever looked as picturesque as did
the Wisconsin woodmen as they PLAYED
and perspired under the tropical stars.
! Travel stains and CRIME, furnished in
struments and rickety racks made no diff
ference to them.
Perhaps it was because they were play
ing on the soil of the CONQUERED: per
haps because they they were so far
from home, or perhaps 1t was because
they had not heard their national music
! Tor so long. AT any rate. the Americans
! in the audience fairly went wild They
| tossed their hats high and yelled them
selves hoarse at Dixie they sang
America with a volume that caused the
distant hills to send back the echo: they
danced and they pranced over astonished
| Porto Ricans. Altogether they conducted
| themselves in manner that the natives
! still declare must have resulted from ex-
! cessive drinking of 'movi. 1t was moth
| ing but plain, unvarnshed American en-
! thusiasm.
Then, when one of the officers of the
provost guard came to say that taps was
about to be sounded and it would be
necessary to send the citizens to their
| homes, the Americans demanded The
Star Spangled Banner which Prof Dana
had intended should be his closing Num-
Der.
AT the first notes of the grand old air
Americans removed their hats There was
disposition among the natives to chat
ter comments regarding this Then II was
whispered ABOUT mat II was the fayorite
American national song Sombreros.
panamas and every manner of head COW
ering began to come off in all parts of
the crowd. Porto Rican heads bowed
with American heads. When the Bonn
beros' noticed stray Spaniard here and
there who declined to show the respect
which they deemed proper they pulled
his hat from his head. If the Spanard
made resistance they lifted their fire axes
and threatened TO pound respect into his
Uranium.
when the last strains had died away
Porto Ricans and Americans Joined in
three mighty cheers for America. 1t was
a lesson that sank deep in the Porto
Rican mind. and in Ponce hereafter
heads will always be barred during the
playing of The Star Spangled Banner :"
The Eagles Wings Are Wide.
From the Memphis Scimitar1