The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-03-16

~ All tldoGNo VI iuI .ilinu hh'N
there is no song moro dear than The
Wearing of the Green" On st Pat
rick's Day. March IL. the day of the
Shamrock, on the buttonholc nearest
the heart. Is carried the national EN-
bIem. and on the lips OF all true
Irishmen, at some time during the
dav. are repeated the words oi the
song as tho late Irish actor. Dion
Boucicault arranged them from a
song OF probably several generations
earlier, tho author OF the original OF
which no one has ever been able 10
learn.
A song ls the song of nation only
when II is a song men sing when
they face death, or for the singing
OF which they arc willing TO risk I'M
prisonmcnt There is no method in
the musical madness of fighting men.
This has been demonstrated in the
spirited French @Marsclllnise" in II
lifting Quickstep. musically worthless
and lifted with any words such as
Yankee Doodle" and Dixie" or in
a solemn hymn such as Elm FcStc
Burg"
In the trenches of the CrImea the
song wns Annie Laurie In toe
trenches OF Cuba II was "A Hot Time
IN the Old Town Tonight There
was no moro reason for the lads from
Kent and Yorkshire TO choose II
Scotch love SONG for their hymn be-
fore action than for Yankee boys 10
discard their national airs Tor rag
time tune-but they did
So there can be no argument why
hishmen from one end OF the world
TO the other arc stirred by The
Wearing OF the Green" as they are
by no other earthly sounds. rich ms
their Mother Land is in rival melo
dies.
II has proud history-thls Old
song which once brought forth
royal prescript against its being sung
in the British domains. Long be
lore that eventtul singing II sent
men TO the scaffold because II sym
bolfzcd patriotism that was the
assurance OF death. Prison was the
penalty. down almost to the present
day Yet men never cease to sing
Il.
Tho roigin of Tho Wearing of the
Green is not easy TO trace The
wel-known Welsh chronicles Of the
Eisteddfod furnish clew TO the
genealogy OF most Of the old songs
o. England and Scotland. as we'll rs
those Of Wales. But the beginnings
o. Irish melodies are LOST in the haze
of traditions that merge into folk
lore
Antiquarions are Of the opinion
that al first the tune was q keen
g.t
Of the ROYAL houses of the Island be-
fore the DAYS OF Cromwell Cor
tain II is that II was a song OF the
camp when James made his hopeless
stand But the words arc lost aud
1, is not until 1Ii5 that II is found
linked with stanzas t0at begin
The pixies must stand together
When tho moon is on the green
The present woTds-thc present
song, In fact-may however, be lc-
credited to Dion Boucicault. tho ac-
tor. Tho words nre his. written 10
the ancient melody and introduced
ny him close To fifty years ago in
the popular irish play "Arrah M
Pogue." They are sung by Shaun
the Post.
1t WAS on the evening OF Morcn
- 1860. that The Wearing of tho
Green" In It's present form was first
srns The play Was produced at
The Princess Theater, London. soon
after CleTkenwell prison was blown mn
by the Foninns There was 4 storm
Of indignation on Londcn, and Rouci
oaults English associates and adm,5'
ors advised him not TO sing IL. but
sing it nc would and did. and 1t IL
most caused a riot.
II resulted in tho Cabinet Minis
tors OF tho late Queen Victoria Is
suing an cdict prohibiting the sing
iuG OF tho song in the British domin-
ions. aud for years. although IL tnrlll
ed the hear, OF every Irishman II
WAS nevcr heard in public in EuS
land
II Boucicault could have lived until
the Queen madc her last visit 10 The
Emerald Isle when she consented
10 the wearing OF tho shamrock. he
would have seen. as tho royol party
landed from her Majesty's yacht, the
Dragons Fusilicrs. and LaOcerS
drawn up In full uniform 10 salute
their ruler. 4 spriC OF shamrock was
on every breast, and the Queen WAS
greeted by the same old song The
Wearing of the Green"
In those intervening years tho air.
that seems TO hold all tho pathos
OF Ireland has been sung from the
cabins OF Galway TO the camps ot
Irish regiments. fighting Eugiand's
battles from the Cape to Atgnanis-
ton. Kipling has told in "Namgay
Doola" how it had reached 10 the
mountains Of Thlbiet
Lovers Of research OF this charac-
ter have found that there Was an
old Revolutionary street ballad IN
Ireland, in which conversation was
ir.nOs,.nh hntn.enn RnnAnnrfc and IN