Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-06-22

Just read on his medal my country of thee
1t seems rather coincident that
" America, the national song of the
United States should be sung to the
same tune as, s'God Save The King,
the national song of England.
America is proud of her songs and
why shouldn't she be? The United
States being the largest, the grandest,
the most advanced of the comparatively
few republics of the world, what is
more natural than, it should produce
the greatest number of songs of free
dom?
"a song that moves a Nations heart,
Is in itself deed
The success Of a persons life does
not depend upon the abundance that
he possesses, but upon the work he
does, in what he has accomplished for
the benefit of eithei his naticn or it's
citizens. Therefore a man that has
benefited his nation either by means of
a national song or by fighting in the
BATTLES front has made a grand success
of life. The majority of the authors of
the songs of Old Glory, did not shine
| in society or occupy the Presidents
chair, but were following their humble
calling of life. The performance of
great deed is not always attended by
the beat of drum and the blowing of
trumpets, but it is sometimes completed
in a lowly cottage amidst want and
suffering.
After all there is nothing like brisk
rousing patriotic song to knit together
the hearts of men.
Who has not heard Yankee Doodle?"
Even those who have no ear for music
can distinguish this rattling tune. The
origin of Yankee Doodle has been at
tributed to the following incident: In
the summer of IT'S the British army
lay encamped on the east bank of the
Hudson river little south of the city
of Albany awaiting reinforcements of
militia from the eastern states, previous
to marching upon Ticonderoga. During
the month of June these raw recruits
pany, each man differently armed.
Their ridiculous appearance furnished
much amusement to the British officers.
An English surgeon composed the tune
of, yankee Doodle" and arranged it
to words which were dedicated to the
new recruits. The joke took, and so
J the tune was handed down. But as q
reply to the taunts and ridicule leveled
at the Americans in the British ver-
sions of Yankee Doodle the former
played the tune at the battle of Lexing-
ton and again at the surrender of Bur-
goyne.
u Among the minor songs Of freedom
are Hail Columbia and Red, White
and Blue, The former was written by
Joseph Hopkinson during the Revo-
lutionary period of our. history. The
; latter was written by David Shaw and
is tribute to the stars and stripes.
J The songs of the Revolution and of the
J Civil War are numerous but they ac-
, complished their mission and have al
most died out of the minds of the
, public.
!, The influence of national songs is
! hard to estimate but the reason that
they have such great influence over
the people is thus expressed by Lowell:
When deed is done for Freedom, through the
broad earth's aching breast
Runs thrill OF Joy prophetic. trembling on from
| east to west,
And the slave where'er he covers, feels the soul
within him climb
To the very verge OF manhood las the energy SUBJ
| lime
OF a century bursts full.blossomed on the thorny
stem OF time