The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-05-31

just been given some wonderful elixir
CT life And how the old boys did
cheer Uncle Billy as they called
that old grizzled soldier. Sherman
Some OF them would cali out 20 him.
I vas With yo1 On the march TO the
sea" Or I vas with you AT Reszea
O. L vas with ron ar Atlanta" much
70 the delight OF the General. ani
more than once did he dof his ha1
TO the men in the ranks who would
call out some familiar greeting Ike
this
But speaking Of Dixie | believe
1t will in time become the greatest
fayorite Of the people as the national
air OF America There Is q swagger
and swing 10 it that none Of Sha
other OF the so-called national airs
have Marching Through Georgia. ;"
while q great marching piece. brings
back too many bitter memories TO the
Southern man 10 render him capable
OF ever learning TO like the selection.
Dixie" has not this objection II
brings no unpleasantness 10 the North
ern man In fact il was first played
and sung in the North before the var
and was taken up as the national air
OF the South after the civil war be-
gan
Through the efforts OF two or three
| other newspaper men and myself we
arranged with the band at the Ma
| tional Republican convention az ST.
Louis in 1896 that il should play Dix
| ie" on the second morning of the con-
yention, while the crowd was assem-
bling Later the leader weakened. be
/ ing afraid of it Dixie" had never
been played in National Republican
| convention. and it was feared that
it might be Kissed. | entreated with
| the leader that morning telling him
| that st. Louis was a Southern city
| that the majority of the spectators
were residents of that city, and once
he started playing Dixie" it would
| bring forth such a round of applause
| that it would become contagious and
before the band could finish playing
the crowd would be cheering. Still
the leader hesitated,, and / went d0wI
stairs to get some of the other cor
| respondents to join me in agar
urging the band-leader to play Dix
ie" As started down stairs the
band began to play Marching
Through Georgia" and the crowd be
gan to cheer Hurrying over to Nc
Bryde of the Cincinnati Enquirer
asked him to go up to the music gal
lery with me to try to get the bant
to play Dixie" We reached the
gallery just as the band stopped play
ing Marching Through Georgia" anC
l 10 Loo 7 nvn1oir11
ed:
| Now play Dixie The crowd ha:
cheered itself almost hoarse owe
| Marching through Georgia and if yol
give them Dixie now right on top o
il. it will make a great hit
The leader seemed to think there
was some truth in what said and or
dered the band to play Dixie" The
sweet strains had hardly reached the
outermost walls of that great conven
ton hall before the applause began
swelling larger and larger. until cheers
began and in less than two minute!
men were standing on chairs all oyel
the hall swinging their hats ant
shouting at the top of their voices. Il
was great stroke. Every one recog
nized the force of it and the effect was
like bringing about reunion of fam
Nv that has been estranged. 1t seem
ed to put every one in a good humol
and comment ran around the conven
ton hall about the band playing dix
ie." And more than once in that cam
paign of 1896 saw bands marching il
Republican procession in the nortl
playing Dixie" as though it had be
longed to them of right ever since i
was composed. Later the Spanish wa
settled it that Dixie" was a nationa
air and it is probably played as freel!
in the northern states today as in tn,
southern.
But l am Distressing. There is some
thing ennobling and inspiring in tn,
observation of Memorial Day. I trus
the time will never come when it viii
be observed simply as holiday:
day for races and games and for am
usement. How sweet to retain on
day in all the year for honoring tn,
dead; for holding sweet memories. TO
thinking of those gone before Hold
ing no bitterness in life, but uniting
with our fellows in honoring men VIII
fought for their country. to
Cover them over with beautiful
/. n0uorC