The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-04-28
aTHE STAR SPANGLED BANNER
A Demand That It sc Printed In Phil In
Text Docks.

To TIE EDITOR or THE sUE-Su. on
Senator Pages bill TO prevent the abrldS.
ment or emasculatlon Of The Star spanRlod
Banner in the public schools OF this State G
says: III the bill should become a law It would
eliminate a large number OF standard read.
crs, speakers and reference books now In use
in our schools. Yes. there would be a large
number. | charge that there is not a sing
one OF those books In which The Star Span
gled Banner" il printed as written by Francis
Scott Key. Why not eliminate them9 This
putting Of dollars against the patriotism Of
our children Is cowHrdly and mercenary.
We should eliminate this spurious American
ism and cultivate the Americanism Of Wash
ington, jefferson. JACKSON and Lincoln. II
Is 10 our shame that we have allowed minds
trained a. Ia that OF &C. TO unpopularize our
great national song, until to-day scarcely a
true copy Of II Is TO be found In our pub
lished music.
The suggestion that II would be a little
embarrassing to ask an Englishman to Join
US in singing the verses Ia absurd. Why nsk
him to Sing Il? Have we not a sufficient
number Of Americans to sing IL? We used
to have them. Why worry about the Eng.
llshman. He has his God Save the King
and il suits him. What IL needed Ia that our
children should be taught our national song
as the children OF other countries are taught
TO sing theirs. Our association has failed 10
find a single true copy Of Keys song In our
public schools, and but few Of them In our
public Libraries.
Banner" Is a very difficult sonR 10 sing we'll
ia an ignorant error In some cases and mall.
cious in others. A short time ago at one Of
our public school free lectures the speaker
..Il = saTha gtaE GnanNlnA Rappar' a. IA hova
song TO sing, and we don't sing H., shortly
after the same speaker said. Rule Britain.
MIA Ia the %greateat PATRIOTIC song ever COM
posed 1t Il much more diticplt 70 sing than
was sung. and sung with q gusto that would
very properly bring an EnRlishman 10 his
feet. hat on and heels together. Such lnc-
dents account for our national song not being
| a popular one. Those who love and respect h
| do not find II a hard song. 10 sing. Nor do
those who know when, why ana how n was
written. but Il IL hard TO sing by those who
hate IL for what Il stands for and by those
upine creatures who apologize for American
democracy, traditions and institutions.
FOo'sore and weary soldiers In our civil
war found no difficulty IT, slnging II n
would be- sung down the line. rolling - :
wave to the end. and sometimes come back
az a challenge and test Of spirit from TIE
other end, There we're rOne then 10 say II
any apologies for hurting the feelings Of some
outsider. Now hero at home. IN times n
peace. our educators do not teach il 10 ou-
children. They simply don't want 10 tesch
il. They want "America' sg6stittlcd as oW
wrote america" for a Sunday school fe'r-
val he boldly set II 10. the music OF God Save
the King" lie. could not with such a rom.
bination lay claim to popular patriotism.
When Kew wrote his immortal song he vrot.
il to the then popular martial air Of "Adsm'
! and Liberty"
Il may be that senator Pages bill will not
-, IL a., 10 mill ha tho TnuFfh lima fkat
J we have failed to get such a law In this State
The State Of Indiana passed II at the frst
session ID was offered. THOMAS r. TUITR.
Secretary Andrew Jackson Branch Of the
National Star Spangled Banner ASso-
' citation.
I NV YORK. April p,