The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-01-11
LATEST ATTACK ON
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Andrew Carnegie and Dependents
on his Bounteous Benefactlons
Want it Changed.
In the Star Spangled Banner is a
Stanza Very Obnoxious to Our
British Cousins.
The Words Constantly Remind the
Anglomaniacs of the Barbarity
of Anglo-Saxons.


'Thc Star Spangled Banner is not
acceptable to those Who would like to
see the realization OF Andrew Car
negic's dream of IL reunited America
and England, with the Declaration of
Independence laid away on the shelf
as Il back number, says the n. y.
Irish World.
In the National Anthem there arc
embodied some ugly facts our Anglo
men would have us forget. Already
they have taken the first step towards
burying them in oblivion. Some time
ago they revised the text Of The Star
Spangled Bannel'' American boys a.ld
girls were made familiar with in their
school books. The reviscrs went about
their Work in /. sccrctiNc manner
which betrayed 4 consciousness of the
storm of indignation they would have
evoked if they had proclaimed openly
the motives actuating them il cmaS-
culating lines that have helped to keep
alive the spirit of American patriotism
ever since they We're given to the
world almost IL hundred years ago.
When its nlutilntors had finished, it
was found that they had either omit
ted all together the third star1za OF
THE Star spansled Banner'' or fed
substituted a lame and ilnpotent sub
stitutc for it.
Why tho third sta:1za was especially
distastefu to them can easily be en-
from the pen OF Francis Scott Key,
the English had applied the torch to
Washington. After pcrpetrating that
savage act they moved upon Balti-
! more, threatening TO lay that fair city
in ashes. If Fort McIIcnry. during
the bombardn1ent, Of which "Thc Star
Spangled Banner" was composed, had
| rot Withstood their assault, they
| would have attempted to put their
threats into effect. Keeping this in
| mind, We can understand better the
| significance of these words:
"And where is that band who vaunt-
Il ingly sworc,
| Mid the havoc Of war and battles
co;lfuson,
! a homo and a country they'd leave us
no more?
Their blood has wiped out their foul
footsteps pollution:
No refuge could save the lirclins and
slave
From the terror OF flight or the gloom
| of the grave.
And the Star Spanslel Banner in
triumph shall wave
o'cr tho land Of tho free and the
| home Of the bravc.'
1t is easy to divine the motive
prompting our Anglo Alaniacs in their
! opposition to tho retention of this
stanza. 1t is altogether too realistic.
The contemporaries of Francis Scott
Key were aware that it recorded we'll
known facts which our twentieth cen
tIry Tories would have the American
people forget. The view they take OF
f; it was voiced last Thanksgiving Day
by sclf-c3iled Anglo Maniac resid
ing iii London. His objections to il
arc thus stated in a. special catlegran7
to the Montreal Star: "Ihc feature OF
the Thanksgiving dinner of the Amer.
ican Society at the Savoy was al at.
tack by the chairman, Mr.. Walter
Blaclman, on the suitability of "The
Star Spanslcd Banner" as the Amer.
ican National Anthem"
Among the "dcfects enumerated
was the following: "The words were
fraught with uncharitablcness." The
! Observation-Disclosures consists in recalliu,
what the English actually did on Am.
erican soil a hundred years ago. Ii
this connection we recall a story tolc
by James G. Blaine. The great Am.
erican. whilst visiting London, hap
pencd on one occasion to be in thu
society of Englishmcn, who were dis
cussing the character of Napoleon.
The latter was depicted by them a!
a vcritable fend in human shape. Af.
ter listening to the anti Napoleon
diatribes for some time, Mr.. Blain.
quietly remarked that whilst Eapo'