The Washington times., 1901-10-13
NATIONAL ANTHEM WANTED.
Americans Are woefuIly Ignorant or
"The Star spangIcd Banner"

| At a dinner of the famous Gridiron
1 Club, Washington. in December ls9S.
! there were present President Mckinley
and all the members of his Cabinet, Pres
| ident Iglesias, of the little Republic of
1 Costa Rica; all the members of the Joint
High Commission, including the late Lord
Herschel, of England; Sir Richard Cart
wright Sir N'ilfrid Laurier. Premier OF
Canada. and other distinguished English
men and Canadians; the gallant General
Lawton, who shed his blood for his
country in the Philippines; that grim old
warrior, General Garcia, who helped so
nobly to free Cuba; Miles. Schley, Scho-
field, Shafter, Sigsbee, and many others
whose names are applauded all over the
land, as well as Senators, Representa-
| tives. diplomats. journalists. and other
public officials. One verse of God Save
the Queen" was given that night in order
to please the British subjects present.
just as the first English speaker was in
troduced. Everybody in the exqUisitely
decorated banquet hall who pretended to
sing at all could help swell the volume of
sound when God Save the Queen" was
started. But no attempt was made dur
ing the evening to sing The Star Span
gled Banner" 1t could not have been
successfully accomplished. because no.
body knew the words, much less the tune,
or rather few We're conversant with
the tune that the rendering would have
been decidedly weak But America
which we sing to the tune of God Save
the Queen" is a comparatively easy one
to master. The school children know it,
and in the churches Of the land hymns
are sung to 1t.
lnasmuch as Senator Clark has more
money than he can reasonably spend,
would 1t not be a good idea for him at
this time to offer a handsome sum
prize to the American who will compose
new national anthem? There might be
two prizes-one for the best lyric and one
for the best music Nearly 100 years have
elapsed since Francis Scott Key gave US
The Star Spangled Banner" Times have
changed. This nation is now a world
pow er Every vestige of bitterness and
strife engendered by the bloodiest and
costliest of civil wars has vanished. The
great and beloved Mckinley brough: that
happy condition about long before he was
shot down by a wrotched and depraved
anarchist 1t would not detract from the
fame or patriotism of Key. In any large
French assemblage the people, old or
young, are able, as rule, to sing with
fervor and effect The Marseillaise," their
inspiring national air And so 1t is with
the Germans. They are entirely familiar
with THE Watch on the Rhine" And
right here II might not be out of place to
urge poets and composers to get to work
at once Let something worthy of the age
be forthcoming. Have it out early enough
to be learned from one end of the land
to the other by the time the gigantic
Worlds Fair opens at st. Louis in 1903 to
commemorate the Louisiana Purchase.
Have the bands play the new national an
them there.
That exposition promises to be the
most stupendous thing of the kind ever
undertaken in America or any other
country. Who can write the proper mu-
sic? 1t must not be so classical that the
populace cannot understand or appreciate
it, Probably John Philip Sousa could |
bring from his master mind just what Is |
needed. And II must not be down on a |
level either with the rag time melo- |
dies, such as Georgia Camp Meeting.
.'NVhistling Rufus" and '' Rastus on Pa |
rade" which Kerry Mills has given us, |
or Dixie" which Dan Emmett wrote |
about fifty years ago, and VINO Is still
living out in Ohio, upwards of eighty |
years of age. These are all popular airs |
The people know them: the boys whistle |
them on the streets. And so they do |
Souaa's thrilling marches and many other
worthy and catchy compositions too nu-
merous to mention.-p Philadelphia Ledger. !