The Washington times., 1905-04-09
Star-Spangled Banner

action Of their parents and grandparents
the cause of the Union would be greatly
served.
The United Confederate Veterans. the
Southern organization which corre-
spends to the G.. A. B.. has committee
on history whose duty it IS to see that
no erroneous or misleading statements
creep into the school books used in the
Southern public schools 1t complained
of the Holmes version of the poem. and
the New Orleans school beard in Febru-
arr 1893, took up the matter and notified
the American Book Company that the
poem would nave 20 be restored to its
original form If the books OF that COM
pany were to be used n the public
schools of this city. The Louisiana
State Board of Education followed suit
The publishing house excused itself, de-
claring that it had been misled in the
matter, having taken the song as it
found it in the Dixon musical readers.
The Objectionable volumes were with
drawn, and new edition Of the poem as
Key wrote it was published at an ex-
pense Of some S5.oa0 or 5000. Louisiana
was the only State raising the protest,
but as the United Confederate Veterans
had notified the organization in other
Southern States. 1t was Inevitable that
they also would protest against the
| change
The enascula ton of the poem to
which the Sun correspondent calls at
tention followed in large part from the
action taken in Louisiana Attention
having been called to the fact that the
second and third verses published in
many of the readers were bogus. hay-
ing been interpolated by DR.. Holmes,
| these verses were dropped, buI the orig.
ina1 third verse for which they had been
substituted was not restored.
1t may be mentioned that the his
toricaI committee OF the Confederate
Veterans has done great deal In the
way of eliminating additions made to
our national songs and poems, most OF
them having been similarly treated with
THE Star-Spangied Banner TO addi-
tfons and changes during the exciting
and bitter period of the civil war and
reconstruction.
| Here is one of the verses objected to
BIZ the Louisiana board of education:
When our land is illumined by Liberty's $
! smile,
/ If a foe from within strike a blow at
her glory.
! Down, down with the traitor that dares
to defile
The flag of her stars and the page Of
her story,
| Ry the miIliorys unclaimed, who our
! birthright have gained.
] We will keep her bright blazon forever
unstained,
And the Star SpanSled Banner forever
shall wave
Der the land of the free and the home
of the brave
! 1t will be seen that the poem, IN
! stead of striking ut England and the
( New England opponents of the war OF
1872 is turned so Us to strike at the
foes from within" the Southern people,
and it is declared that the American
cause will be upheld by the millions
! unclaimed who our nirthright have
gained" in other words, the enfran-
chised negroes. In objeetfng to these
verses the history committee OF the
Louisiana division of the United Confed-
| crate Veterans noted:
aside from the bad faith displayed in
inserting these verses in Keys poem
there was an utter lack of sound sense
and good judgment i'll referring In tie
interpolated verse tc the negroes as the
millions unclaimed who. would hell
keep the bright blazon of the Star
Suangled Banner unstained' nearly fitS
wears before the Emancipation Procla-
| cation cf I,ircOlr-