Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-02-24
OUR PATRIOTIC SONGS
We Are Not as Familiar With
Them as We Should Be.
FEW OF US KNOW THE WORDS

Dixie" ard ~Maryians. Ny Mary
land
Proud rs they are 81 their nation. IL
is n strange fact that Americans are
not 50 familiar with their country's
patriotic airs As are the people of the
foreign lands.
Even when they are stirred To the
point 81 singing by hands they tud IL
hard To rccoglect the words. And II Is
doubtful whether many are aware OF
the bits OF history attached 10 some OF
the lands patriotic airs.
Take Tile Star Spaucied Banner"
for instance How much can you sing
of that song? Yet. II any can L. called
the national anthem. this Is the one.
or course IL Is unfair 20 ourselves TO
say that We cannot sing IL. but IL must
IL admitted that we don't know Ii rs
generally rs we should
Its author. Francis Scott Key. now
lies In cemetery at Frederick. Md.
where an American dag ls always
waving over his grave. Key wrote the
song after an experience be had while
n prisoner aboard British war vessel
While he was aboard the boat Fort
McIIcury. the sole protection Of Bal
tlmore. was bombarded. and the song
tells of HIS satisfaction nj finding the
nag Of his country st!il waving upon
the dawn OF the succeeding morning.
II Is a hymn which al! Americans
can join iu singing because Il breathcs
the spirit 81 the whole land aud has
not one suggestion Of seciioua.ism In
H.
Next as national song comes
America" sometimes known as My
Country. It's OF Thee" Objection IS
frequently raised against this because
the tune was not original II is the
property 81 the British empire * much
rs IL IS 81 the United States. and when
Il is heard from afar one cannot tell
whether the band wants 70 feel the in
SEPARATION tbrt Is In the words OF
"Amcrsca' or I'm God Save the King"
The words OF the song My Country.
IT'S ~ Thee" were written hy Samuel
Francis smith The song was first
sung at sunday school celebration OF
the Fourth 81 July AZ the Park Street
church in Boston. II IS an interesting
fact that one II tire little boys who
helped 20 sing America Tor the Grst
time Is uow the chaplain of the United
States senate. the venerable and rev
ercnd Edward Everett Hale.
Then We have Columbia the Gem
OF the Ocean" which has something
Ike an echo ~ britannia. the Pride
% the Ocean The fmse 81 Yankee
Doodle" Is n gpoI oae. and We al like
10 whistle ar hum 70. but the words
unfortunately are not very good and.
furthermore. 1t has been said did not
mean great deaf nj the time they
were written. At any rate. II has not
the solemn grandeur that The Star
Spanglcd Banner holds.
The origin 81 Yankee Doodle" Is
Surrounded ia the mystery u score Of
conflicting tales. II Is generally
agreed however. that the tune came
from England and the words were in
vented hy The British soldiers to bc
sung In aerisian ~ the raw American
troops who jaiur1 them nj the camp
on thc Hudson below Albany in I1-1r
during the French aud Indian war
Twenty Years later the reJcllisus pn
trir.s played e'YHuEcc Doodle" 81 the
bate IL Lexington. and Il became u.
tr~, national s4a@ of the United states
Philadelphia ha@ considerable Inter
Ct Ia HAL Columbia" II WAS writ
tcn hy Ju-erh usrk.uson 81 this city
although fhc mir wa~ ONE COMPOSED L,
German who was conducting Hn or
chcStn I'm New York Hapglusol
wrote thc words at the time when va
was threatened with France IN lIg>
and for long while IL was the mos
popular Of our patriots songs.
A. for sectional songs. there ara som
which have mighty good tunes. n cas-
in point being Dixie" Although ia.
was the battle hymn OF the Coufcd
eracy. Lincoln enjoyed II immeusel
and on the day of his assassinatio
asked a band 10 play IL for him.
Dixie" however. was written Ion
before ;he civil war and was not II
tended for the use Of the Coufede
aies. II was written In 1859 by DaI
Eel n. Emmett. who was singing wit
BTyant's MINISTRIES In New York. Br.
ants show was dragging. and as fai
ure seemed imminent he asked En-
nett To write a negro walk around
which would stir up some enthusiasm
Dixie" was the result
Its adaptation nearly two years lat
as the war song Of the south was a
accident. Mrs. John Wood was a
pearlng NJ the New Orleans Naricti'
iheater In "pocahontas." on accoul
Of the rising tide Of war zouave Dir
was introduced into the show. The Q
shcstra leader tried over several al
for the march and tnaily hit up
Dixie" The war cloud burst the ne
week. and from New Orleans "Dsxi'
spread nh over the south. at the nor
Fanny J. Crosby. the hymn write
wrote song Tor Dixie" which "
strongly Union IN sentiment but q
other side had prc-eupted the air.