The Washington herald., 1908-01-13
SAVES NATIONS AIRS
President Requests They BE
Combined in Report.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS- TASK
Mr.. ROoseveIt's Action Prompted by
SehOOI-teaeheP of 81. PauI-The
work Is Now in PrOgress-Brief
History of the Nations War Tunes.
LaureIs Are Sometimes Obscure.

All those glorious songs that have
lcheered the armies Of this nation In de-
feat, that have heightened the glow of a
thousand victories gained in Virginia,
in Pennsylvania, In Cuba, IN the far-on
IOrienti songs that have been written by
men and women who have. it may almost
be said, been inspired in their writing.
are TO he combined on request of PresI-
dent Roosevelt in some authoritative
report
The Library of Congress, acting at
the direction Of the President, who re-
Gently received request from teacher
OF music in the public schools Of St Paul.
that such complete edition of all the
nations songs might be made upon COM
petent authority will undertake this
work, which, it is said. cannot be light
Already the authorities Of the Library
are working upon this vast subject which
viii offer many difficulties TO those who
seek to solve it. for even in our brief his
tory reddened with several wars, there
these patriotic airs which have become
national"
Sources of the Songs.
The sources of many Of these songs are
obscure Not so obscure, perhaps. rs are
the original notes of the song or the
words which were first sung 10 those
notes
The Library Of Congress viii investigate
/ the sources of all these national airs. will
consider the real first wording and the
/ original music Of each and viii report as
/ soon as the Investigations are complete
either to the President or to some Federal
/ body. possibly Congress
| After this report is made, it is under
/ stood, some authoritative action will be
/ taken by those who are qualified 90 take
/ it. looking 70 authentic versions Of all
/ these songs and airs. What authority
will finally pass upon these questions has
not yet been determined. and VIII not
/ possibly. be determined for some time.
The report. it is understood, Will not
be published as authoritative. but it is
probable that after the findings are finally
passed upon some parts Of il VIII be
made public In considering the many
songs which have become national IN
character. the authorities Of the Library
viii have a big task to work out The
origin of several Of the most popular OF
the nations airs is still involved Ia doubt,
not alone as to the author, but also as
to the original words. and as to the
first music % which those words were
sung
If a man were permitted 20 make all
the ballads, ne might not care who
should make the laws of a nation, said a
Scotch poet This nation, with its wars
with England, fits war between the
States. its conflicts with Indians. and
with the natives Of the Orient has been
called often 20 produce makers Of bal
lads, and never have they failed to sp-
pear. apparently
In the Days of Yankee Doodle,
From the sklrling pipe Of Yankee
Doodle" played upon a fife and drum to
the majestic strains Of "The Battle Hymn
of the Republic" which sounds Ike the
breathing of "a mighty organ played by
some giant hand. the United States has
embodied in its war songs the spirit of
a people ready to fight, but yet willing
to remain at peace with all the world
Around the origin of Yankee Doodle"
there is some obscurity. One authority
on Revolutionary days has said that
/ Nancy Dawson. a tune sung by Crom-
wells soldiers in the English civii war.
was the forerunner of the first American
battle tune or song. The Roundheads of
Charles 1, it is said, used to bestow the
epithet Of ''Nankey" on the followers OF
the great Puritan leader.
From England skipping a few years
ana few thousand miles on this quest
for truth, It is asCertained that one Jona-
than Hastings. a resident Of Cambridge
Mass, in 17l5. used such terms as a
Yankee good horse" &c. The students of
Harvard, who We're not mollycoddles, at
least in those days got 10 calling JOna-
than Yankee Jonathan" This word soon
sprang through the well-known influence
Of "Havuud" TO all New Englanders. but
it is not definitely known whether the
phrase really originated in Spain. Hun
gary. or Holland.
In 1755 when Gen. Braddock came over
to this country to whip a few Indians OF
Frenchmen, without the aid OF the con
tinental militia. some of his facetious
officers brought over the tune Of Yankee
Doodle with them. and gave it to the
American militia to play on their martial
instruments, consisting of a fife and a
drum.
The Original Lines.
The militia, after helping Braddock out
Of a nice hole at Fort Duquesne. kent
the tune In 1850. when Gen. Cornwaiis
marched out Of Yorktown, Va. with the
defeat of England perched upon his half
furled banners, he strode between the ND
drawn ranks Of the American army. while
the bands" played the despised tune of
Yankee Doodle" The words as sung
first in this country run about thusly:
Father and I went down 20 camp
Along with Capn Good'n,
And there we the men and boys
As thick as hasty puddin'-
Hail Columbia" was written by Joseph
Hopkinson, Of Philadelphia, for a singer
by the name Of Gilbert Fox. At the time.
1913. the relations between the young
nation of the United States and France
and England-then embroiled in war
were not good Party lines had been
drawn strictly, and feeling ran high.
After the song was sung by Fox in
Philadelphia theater. the nation was
aroused. President Adams, a few nights
later, attended to hear the song rendered.
Cabinet officers. COngressmen. and other
officials mingled with the people in sing
ing the second great rational air of this
new country, and the threatened trouble
with France and England If {s cold v.,oe