Middletown transcript., 1898-06-04


The land of our fathers, their millions would
fail;
Whilst memory dwells on the deeds of their
fame,
The war cry OF victory, washington's name
To repel every foe from our shore would
invoke.
Columbia's bold yeomanry, firm as heroak." )"
"Union and Liberty" was sung all
over the country:
"I.et England exult in her castles Of wood,
And shake every port in the east with hei
thunder;
Let her quench her ambition with oceans oi
blood,
Her huge lion may roar
With her name bathed in gore,
Still Americas eagle triumphant shall soar.'
But Of all the war songs our fathers
sang, "The Star Spangled Banner" has
probably taken the deepest and strong
est hold on the national affection. The
older the nation grows the more popu-
lar this song becomes. SO that to-day
it is undoubtedly in more favor than
either Yankee Doodle" or America. .
Many competent experts on national
hymns and music have declared that
'tThe Star Spangled Bsnner'' is, par
excellence, the American national song.
1t is all American. There is not q
line in it which is borrowed from any
other nation. 1t Is as purely Ameri'
can as the "Marsellaiseo is French
or as "Rule Britannia" is English,
Like 1.-THE MarseIlaise," it was born
in the inspiration OF battle hour. Il
was pitched to the keynote of a SCREEN
ing she'll, written in the very heart OF
a fight. Il may almost be said to have
written itself out of the circumstances
that surrounded the writer. It was a
literal photograph in verse Of the
scene in which his eyes were looking
as he peDned its immortal lines.
The story of its production is as ro-
mantle as anything in the history of
war literature. Francis Scott Key, the
son Of John Ross Key, revolutionary
officer, had gone on board the British
admiral's flag ship, the Surprise, in
Chesapeake Bay, under flag Of truce,
in order to try to save friend, DIR.
Beanes, on September IL, 1914. The
British feet under admiral Cockburn,
began the bonbardment Of the Balti-
more forts on that day, and he declined
to allow Key to depart. The bonn
bardment went on far into the night,
and when the morning came, young
Key strained bis eyes to see whether
Fort McHenry had been surrendered.
Suddenly rift appeared in the smoke
and mist enveloping the fort, and
through it Key saw that the flag was
still waving over it. Instantly the
great song was born. He sat right
down on the deck of the British ad-
miral's flagship and began writing:
oh, say, can you see b. the dawn's early
light,
What so proudly we haiPd at the twilight's
last cleaning"
The song became Immediately popu-
lar, and within week was being sung
in all the American camps and at the
theatres, as we'll. Key wrote many
other poems. and they were published
in volume in 1856, thirteen years af-
ter his death. He was "a years Of age
when he wrote the "Star Spangled
Banner" and though all his other
verses are forgotten. this one will keep
his memory green as long as our re-
public lasts. He was Luried in the
little cemetery at Frederick, Md, and
star-spangled banner is appropriately
kept waving over his grave all the
year round, as fast as one flag fades,
it is replaced by new one.
A SONG OF THE SEA.
"Truxton's Song" was sung al
through the navy from commodore
down to cabin boy. 1t commemorated
the splendid victory of that old sea
warrior over the French in 1899, but
was not written until 1913. 1t began
''When Freedom, fair Freedom, her banner
displayed,
Defying each foe who her rights would invade
| Columbiais brave sons swore those rights to
maintain,
And DER ocean and earth to establish hel
reign,
United they cry
While the standard shall fly,
Resolved, firm and steady,
We always are ready
To fight and to conquer, to conquer or die"
Another of the ringing war songs ol
that period, recalling the victory of tht
Constellation over the French frigatt
Insurgente, was immensely popular
1t opened with the invitation to
"Come allye Yankee sailors, with swords ant
pixies advance,
'Tis time to try your courage and humbl,
naughty France,
The sons of France our seas invade,
Destroy our commerce and our trade,
'Tis time this reck'ning should be paid,
To brave Yankee boys"
Commodore Decatur's victory OF
the frigate United States over the
Macedonian was the subject of another
deserved poetic eulngy of the Yankee
boys, part of which ran as follows:
'sMy boys, the proud st. Georges cross, the
stripes above it wave.
And busy are our generous tars the con
quered foe to save.
Our captain cries, give me your hand
Then Of the ship who took command
But brave Yankee boys ?"
Perry was not forgotten by the popu-
lar poets. One Of them sang Of him
and his Lake Erie achievement in this
strain:
"We gave them broadside, our cannon tc
try,
well done,' says brave Perry, for quarter
they'll cry; -
Shoot well home, my brave boys, they shortly
shall see
That brave as they are, still drawer are we.' >
The victory of Hull over Davis pro-
dnnad opofhor onio of tho xuor wh;ch