Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-07

IA Hquestion has been agitating people
Wv for years, though there has been less
agitation than uncertainty. Opinion was
nearly equally divided between the Star
Epangled Banner and "My County, tbs
of thee" But about a year ago the
secretary Of the navy decreed that the
stirring tune associated with Francis
Scott Keys poem should be played as our
national air by naval bands. The army
had recognized 1t as such long before, and
80 the dirgelike melody to which Rev.
Samuel f. Smith fitted some doggerel
verses ought to be left to British banda
The tune Of America" stately enough
to be beloved of Beethoven and Weber.
is really that Of "God Save the King"
1t was probably composed, and the orig
inal words written, by Henry Carey, who
also produced that other lyric gem,
"Sally In Our Alley" Some believe the
tune to be of Scotch or French origin,
but It belongs to England by right OF
annexation for patriotic purposes, quite
aside from the fact that DIR. John Bull,
another composer of the 18th century,
was long supposed to be the author.
Others, with cogent proof, have credited
It to Lully, and say 1t was composed In
honor of Louis XIV. 1t was hrst per
formed In England in 1740, and has since
been annexed for patriotic songs by
France, Denmark, Russia, Germany and
Austria. In Paris 1t was "Sauvez lie roi;
in London it is God Save the King;" IN
Berlin it Is Hell dir i'm Siegerkran7;' in
Vienna II is 20 du mein Oesterreich." 1t
was used for the Russian national hymn
until Car became weary of listening to
an Imported or stolen tune, and ordered
It's discontnuance.
Samuel Francis Smith was the young
pastor of a Baptist church at Andover,
Mass In the winter of 1S31-32 when he
wrote the words of 'America" In half an
hour having found the air in German
song book. The song was sung In public
for the first tlmeNon July 4. 1882, by the
Sunday school children In Park Street
church. Boston. Edward Everett Hale
has told the story of how he was walk
ing along Park street, boy Of 10. and
went with the crowd into the old church
on that Fourth of July, where he heard
the song sung for the first time. 1t be-
came immensely popular during the Civil
War, and will probably dispute preemt-
nence among our national airs for good
while with '"The Star Spangled Banner"
which by Its stirring music and poetic
words should and will be recognized as
our patriotic song par excellence.
Below Par As Poetry.
The Rev. Mr. Smith. who was a class
mate of oliver Wendell Holmes at Har-
YARD has written many better poems
than America" and few as bad. That
fine missionary hymn, 1.-The morning
light is breaking" came from his pen. 1t
reflects more credit upon that implement
than America, the words of which are
commonplace and often meaningless. MOST
of the verses consist Of reiterattons OF the
statement that the singer Is singing,
which may be necessary to establish the
fact but cannot be considered as either
important or inspiring. Has any one In
singing the words ever pictured to him
self how music could "swell the breeze
or how rocks could their silence break'p
OF what are "all that breathe" to par
take;" how or what does freedom ring;"
and what Is meant by ''like that above"
which sounds like a clause from the specl-
hcations for building barnf There are
not more than four lines In the four
stanzas that can be regarded as poetry
and many cannot even be regarded as
common sense. Moreover the verses
abound with hackneyed words like
'sweet" and "holy," which give the
whole disconnected concoction the general
tone of a trashy camp-meeting hymn.
america is gradually being appraised
at Its true worth, as paragraph shows
which appeared in the Bookman magazine
during the Spanish-American war. we
are glad to note," said the writer, speak
ing of patriotic music in theaters, that
The Star-Spangled Banner is always Sc
lected as the piece de resistance, and that
1t is always accepted as such by the audi
ence, who rise and sing 1t. We are still
more glad that the hybrid fake known as
America is distinctly not accepted as ma
tionel, many of the listeners remaining
seated as they ought to do. There Is no
reason on earth for stealing the English
anthem and calling 1t our own Just be-
cause a certain Mr.. Smith once wrote
some mushy balderdash to its sonorous
music and called the incongruous COM
pound America"
Etory of Keys Great Song.
It may be contended that the music Of
..The Star-Spangled Banner" also is not
American, being originally tho tune Of
"Anacreon in Heaven" song composed
by John Strafford Smith somewhere be-
tween ITO and 1775. Whatever it's origin.
whatever its associations, 1t ''nlls the bilr'
and has found its proper place at last.
Like Handsl's Largo which is the ac-
compartment of a song anything but
sacred in the forgotten opera Of "Xerxes'
like many Of Luthers and Wesley's hymn
tunes, which were taken from very worldly
ditties, tlrb air OF "The Star-Spangled
Banner" has ct .lAst been fttsd to its an--l