Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-29

of once a week And they have lived together very
happily ever since.
II very clear to him that man with his scrupcs
about breaking the law could hope to practise
very successfully he switched over and became
school teacher in the hope of teaching law-ablng
tons to the young He worked away this profession
for two three years without getting into any more
trouble He had few narrow escapes but by keeping
the statute book constantly at his elbow and getting
in new crop of session laws as they'd been
fails fllzeo " TIC o''e'''''' '' S " ~ ' WV
But along in the middle of his third wear of teaching
he got the offer of very much better position that OF
Superintendent of Schools out in pretty good-szed
town in Indiana. 1t wasn't Muncie or Terre Haute;
but it was that sort of place. 1t that the former
Superintendent had got into some sort of row with the
other authorities and had resigned without notice. and
they needed somebody to fill his place Immediately.
Hopkins accepted the position by wire, and got into
the next train with copy of the Indiana Statutes under
his He'd have felt safer with the next crop OF
Session Laws too; but he couldn't get it.
Hopkins reached town on the morning of the twenty
second of February and found big celebration of the
birthday Of the Father of His Country already organized
There to be meeting at the Opera House. attended
by all the school children of the town. well as its
prominent citizens to hear address on George
Washington by very famous EnglShman who hap
pened to be visiting this country at the time think
it was Frederick Harrison but won't be sure
AS it was really school affair." it devolved upon
Hopkins to preside at the meeting The program was
made up of patriotic songs, few speeches by prominent
citizens, and address by the distinguished guest 1t
to be closed, appropriately enough by singing The
StarSpangled Banner" They had leaflets distributed
about the auditorium with all the words of these songs
printed upon them; because, of course, nobody knows
the words of any of our patriotic songs.
As Hopkins got up to request the audience to rise
and unite in singing "The Star Spangled Banner, his
eye fell the third stanza. AS you undoubtedly
unaware it goes like this:
And where is that band who vauntngy
A home and a country should leave more?
Their blood has washed their foul footsteps pollution
No refuge could the hireling and slave
From the of flight the gloom of the grave;
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth
Ger the land of the free and the home of the brave!
1t didn't seem to Hopkins that singing such lines as
these very pretty way of repaying the conpl
that the distinguished Englshman presence and
his address had bestowed on Washngtons memory. So
he cleared his throat and announced:
1--WE will sing the first two and last stanzas, emitting
the third stanza."
He never knew, poor man. what he had DONE till the
day. Then they summoned him before the School
Board and brutally broke the truth to him. 1t
only against the law to sing three stanzas of "The Star
Spanged Banner, emitting the third, 1t his par
ticular duty Superintendent of Schools enforce
that particular statute They regretted take such
a course, they said; but it clearly their sworn
duty to ask for his resignation at once. Fortunately
for him. no penalty was prescribed in the statute. He
would therefore, escape with serious conse-
quence to himself than the loss of his job.
Hopkins good deal staggered by this blow. They
had to show him the statute before he could bring him
1909 Even then he could hardly believe it. and he ex-