The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-25

There have been other verses written,
Out they have never come into general
use. In 1851 Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote
a verse, which opened with these lines;
When our land IS illumined with Liberty s
smile,
If foes from within strike a blow at her
glory:
Down, down down with the traitor that dares
The flag Of her stars and the page of
her story.
The story as to how the words were
dlIted 70 music is related by Chief Justice
Ianey brOther-in-law Of Key.
-, key read the words aloud once. twice,
three times, until the persons present
were electrified by its pathetic eloquence
An idea seized Ferdinand Durang, who
was present. Hunting up a volume of Old
lIute music he impatiently whistled
sratcnes Of tune after tune as they caught
MS eye. One called tAnacreon in Heaven
struck his fancy and riveted his atten-
uon- Note after note fell from his puck
ered lips, until with a leap and a shout he
exclaimed, Boys, I've hit it, and, fitting
the tune to the words, there rang out Tor
me flrst time the song Of The Star Span
gled Banner
Durang was born in Harrisburg. Pa
Iils rather was Frenchman and fair
The tune "Anacreon in Heaven was
composed by John Stafford Smith be-
tween 40 and 1775 to the words by Ralph
4D-AAAAilSDAs president or the AnaGEEOIlC
society, which held its meetings at the
Crown and Anchor tavern, Strand, Lon
don
The father Of Francis Scott Key was
a Revolutionary soldier by the name of
John Ross Key, and lived on farm in
Fredericks county, Maryland, where young
Key was born in August of the year 1850.
he was educated to the law and after be-
ing admitted to the bar he began prac-
uclng in Georgetown. Nd. He quickly
made q reputation for being a hard stu
dent and eloquent speaker. 1t is said that
President Andrew Jackson valued his Opin-
ion so highly that no matter of impOr-
tance was acted upon by him without first
having had a consultation with young
Key who was at that time only about 81.
Key wrote many other poems, and his
book Of verse published in 1856, a num-
Der Of years after his death, which Oc-
CURED in 1913. contains some good ones.
His remains were first placed in the
Howard vault in GreeumOunt cemetery,
Baltimore, but subsequently they were
removed to Mount Olivet cemetery, near
Frederick, Nd.
Eighty-nine years after the siege OF
Baltimore, Sept u, 1914. ''The Star Span
gled Banner" was made the national an
them by order of the United States navy
department, principally through the in
strumentality and persistent effort Of sew
eraI Philadelphia women. The navy de-
partmeat order directed that whenever the
anthem is played all officers and men
shall stand at attention, unless they be
engaged on duty which will not permit
them to do so. Previous to this order the
fleets of other nations had heard Amer
lea The Star Spangled Banner" Dix
lie" and many others without knowing
which really was recognized as the ma
tional anthem by this country
France had its 'Marsellaise.' - England
its God Save the King" and Germany
its "Wacht am Rhein," but the Ameri-
can sailor had no official anthem which
he could sing and know he was voicing
the words dearest to his countrymen.
Hence forth he may demand that proper
respect be shown not only to the Ameri-
can flag itself, but also to Francis Scott
Keys Star Spangled Banner"