The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-01
''Outrageous
Schools ]

. tnJN 1t'Hi Mif FpltS winch nlUtlt
Jamcs liyicr Randall aMi lis native
state fancd tie World Over 'aiary-
land. Ny Maryland," ouutcly IFS.
,orted, LIS Tor 4cyeiitern wears Decil
more or less ,iiJish, the chiidrnu of
The schools pi sir Eandall's native
state, ana litlc Of n"thing doiic "a
stop H. NvW. hpwcNcr. the ;audait
Lttrrary Meneriai oyiation. pr
wlich Matthew Page Andrcws is
president hss begun crusade
against ;hr Continued usr of whot
hu terms an "uuira seous imitn-
Non- Air. Audrows has wri,tes
Latter On the sunicCt witch II. has
iad ptlntrh ia ppDmhlct rprpi carry
ins tho su-rallcd revised version or
At iiandnl''H poem, ana is nailinG
thom g"ncrnily "Nor the South y COPY
pi tho letter IS rs follows
baltimore Ma oct - 1910
Ms. Virginia Faulkner NcShcrry,
pfrGidcni -Gcncral UnIied DauIhicr.
u Tho Gontcdcracy. Latte Hopk.
Nj dear Mis- Meshcrry
a., TIC nane II me Randall Litcrary-
Memorial Association. ot Maryltnd.
would rrcsoui - the conSidcrjNion of
AmarIcans EencraIig hui 20 tho
Daughters 1T tiic crnfcIcrary IN par
tieuiar. the FoemS OF lanes RYDER
ltaniall. 90" aurcu,c OF Tho Southern
confodrracy
,tl;bcurl! it IS now nearly half a
century after the War Hctwcon tho
states. Snndpu's poems have never
h.en puhiiShrh IN a cvpplctc edition
tn,il this Year During these mtg
years tho taiuc % ono of lis pocins
untatripprd that Of The singer AMI
'iMar,lnnh My Mavyland,H tic noblc~t
iattie-hymn ever composed ~ auS-
languaac bocainc Inc daspair al tnc
best OF tho Northern cards in war.
nnI nov u, ptacr n the heritage nf
ali ps.Ju Immortal american classic.
But Raniali wrote other poems .uilai
IN poetic expression, and Limited in
comparative pcpularity only because
they are poems rather thnU songs or
marches va OF THO south should rs-
prciaily cherish these ana 'esch th,ni
rs part OF tho literature oi dur co'n-
try Although VIC arc constantly tod
ly our Sew England fricuds shat TIC
literature % tho South IS uGglislhc
quantity as compared Witt tn6ir uwn.
an impartial rrVicw demonstrates that
in great crises at lcas,. t3a Soutnalm
genius burst Forth into expression
with Ercaier freedom ana effectiveness.
Tiinrod wrote frs, and most inspir-
ingly III Ills "lthnogcncsis," or the civil
birth OF tho Confcdcracy, Eut a short
time after. Randall wrote with no less
genius and greater IRE III the earliest
conflict Of arms I tho irnpa ssioneH .p-
peal TO My Maryland" Neither poem
has superior OF us kind. ,be lottei.
no equal. i;aidhll also produced thu
rurcst cicgy ~ war In Pelham" and
amongst his other poems wc nce, .nut
read There's Life in the ola Land
Yet" and thc ''Battlc cry Of tho
South TO near the tread ana charge Of
marching mon.
~ he sang at tho beginning. Randall
closed the conflict with his d,rCe Of
Ash Wednesday,. 1867 And IN the sad.
dark days ~ early memorial over
southern defeat. Randairs n.j,.c again
enlightened our literature ~ what
believe contains the most perfect ,rrsc
evoked by tho wal Arlington" In
this connection cannot but touch an
on Ryans> Conquered Banner ne or
the best known of our Southern POEMS
refer to this poem because i;andlll
composed, as ccmplcmcntarv to IL, The
unconquercd Banner" spiritual
glorifyinG OF principles that know no
DEATH" and OF tho eternal justice Of
tho Southern cause.
TO ali these poetic outburts Of
Southern genius during lie tcrriblc
struggle the Northern bartiS couid pro-
ducc in like measure almost nothing
If we review the entire outburst from,
paranhrases IT my Maryland to The
Battle Hymn NJ tile Rerublc.' set to
the music of John Browns Body"
do not mention this in the spirit of
drawing odious comparisons, but 10
emphasize the need Of greater familiar
tty with AMI appreciation of our
Southern poets.
Poetry does not often teach coming
generations the cause OF conflict. yet TO
the student of history there is the
whole Keynote of principle sounded in
single Southern poem. The one start
ling fact that The taxation of the uI,-
yielding and cycr-aS gressivc North
EN- majority III representative leRisla-
ton before the war was for years more
intolcrhbly burdcnsouc TO the South
than all tho taxation proposed by the
non representative British parliament
on the American colonies may he read
between the lines Of Timrod's "Ethno-
genesis"
And again turning tn Randall,
would add that tho Hon. James Bryce,
student Of American history. scholar
and statesman, 10 whom J owe the
earliest announcement in presenting
the poems OF Randall in complete form.
expressed the opinion that At this tin,c
tho country WAS awakening to II moro
general Appreciation of Southern gem
ius in literature; and believe that the
time. is approaching when Southern
poetry. in particular, will be known
MS Inc most distinctly spontaneous in
tho entire ranic Of our national express
sion.
Yet in looking THIS enthusiastically TO
tho future. | must not ignore some
contemporary failure and neglect FOR
seventeen years ,hcrc has bccn gem
cral effort, more or less sanctioned by
state authority. to supplant in tho
schools OF Randails own state the no.
bio words of "My Maryland" with ut
tcrly inanc verses written Ia tho Same
measure aud under the same name
This outrageous imitation hag actually
secured such a hold In the State OF
Maryland chat It has been doomed ,vise
by those now organized 10 oppose the