The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-07-30
Patriotic Sentiment.

President Roosevelt Suggests
the Adoption Of Mrs. Julia
Ward Howe's Battle Hymn
of the Republic" as a Ma
tionaI Hymn = Refers to
Countrywide Popularity of
Dixie" Which is Far and
Away One of the Most
Stirring Airs and Best Mill
tary Tunes, Exciting Most
Enthusiasm Amongst Amer
leans Everywhere.
President Roosevelt. in the August
number OF Uncle Remus s-The Home
Magazine, brings an interesting
proposition before the public. He
suggests the adoption of the words
of Mrs. Julia Ward Howe's BATTLE
Hymn of the Republic" as u national
hymn. In this article the President
/ refers to the countrywide popularity
of Dixie" which was the battle
song OF the Confederacy. In his let
ter to the editor of the magazine,
the President says:
THE WHITE HOUSE, June 10. 'OS.
DEAR UNCLE REMUs:.
Here is something in which would
like to get the assistance of Mr.. Billy
Sanders, the Sage of Shady Dale, and
of all the readers of Uncle Remus's-
The Home Magazine, and of all who
think as the editors of Uncle RemuS's
The Home Magazine evidently do
| think
Last Saturday, in the late after
noon, when it had grown little
cool, | was riding with two of my
aides, Capt. Fitzhugh Lee and Capt.
Archie Butt, OF your own State
and my mothers State of Georgia.
The mare | was on, by the way, was
named Georgia, and good mare
she is, too, we'll behaved, and a good
Jumper. We were taking our horses
out to exercise them over some jumps.
We had just been listening to the
really superb singing of the men $
chorus of the Arion Singing Society,
an organiza ton of citizens of German
birth or parentage, who were about
to go abroad to appear at certain
courts and elsewhere in Europe. and
who had wished to sing in the White
House as a farewell before starting
!on their foreign journey. Among
other things they had, at my request,
sung Dixie" (as well as "The Old
Kentucky Home" and "The Suwanee
River."0
While riding we were talking of the
fact that 'Dixie" was far and away
the best tune land the best military
tune that we knew. not even except
ing Garry Owen,") and that it had
won it's way until it was the tune
which would bring everybody to his
feet with a yell in any audience in
any part of the country, and we were
bemOaning the fact that there never
had been any words which were in
any way adequate to the tune, and
dwelling on the further fact that it
was such a fine battle tune-the best
battle tune of our army.
Captain Butt then added that just
as Dixie" stood alone among tunes,
SO we had in Julia Ward Howe's
great "Battle Hymn of the Republic
the very finest and noblest battle
hymn possessed by any Nation of the
world, a hymn that in loftiness OF
thought and expression, in both
words and tune, lent itself to choral
singing as no other battle hymn did
in any country; and he added that
there was not a sectional line in the
hymn, not a word that could awaken
n single unpleasant thought in the
mind of any American, no matter
where he lived and no matter on
which side he or his father had
fought in the great war.
| told him | entirely agreed with
him, and that, just as ''Dixie" was
becoming the tune which when played
excited the most enthusiasm among
Americans everywhere, so | hoped
that sooner or later all Americans
would grow to- realize that in this
Battle Hymn OF the Republic We
had what really ought to be "A great
, national treasure, something that
all Americans wouid grow to know
intimately. SO that in any audience
anywhere in the land when the tune
was started most of the audience
should be able to join in singing tn,
words.
We then grew TO wondering ii thi.
good result would ever be achieved
and We thought it would be wortl
! iii" =" unite tn Won
, We know that amy such movement
can come, If at all, only because OF .
genuine popular feeling, and will
, small regard to the opinion OF any
on" man or any particular set o
men; and it can only come slowly il
. any event, but We thought it might
| be helped on little If what We haC
, to say WAS published in your maya
zine. Faithfully yours.
o THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Mr.. Joel Chandler Harris.