The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-02-21
CURRENT COMMENT


Our neighbor, The Virginjsn in a recent edi
. or says of America" the patriotic hymn.
sHat II Is neither national nor patriotic in the
oroadest sense, that it is not an anthem but a
made-to,order conglomeraton of meaningless
words. almost barren of idea and meaning" He
further says: ITO remove the objections to
America 1t would not have to be revamped; it
everything now in it left out" and he then de-
clares that America" was made to order for a
Sunoay-school picnic" Further on in the same
inconsiderate article. in claiming superiority for
the star Spangled Banner Il national hymn,
.h me sl1glnlan ADDS: IT makes no allusion to
,ne mythical land of the pilgrims pride and
INDUCES in no maudlin gush because the pill
g IT, died somewhere within its boundaries"
aHe popular rejection of the 'Star-Spangled
tanner as the national hymn is determined by
sing it. '''''
me only ground for the statement that the
words OF America" were written for Sum
day-school picnic is found in the fact that IL
was ilrst sung at childrens Fourth of July cele-
pra,on. Dufheld, in his English Hymns, gives
national hymn 1t is not intinaated that the
hymn was written for that occasion. But even
sound objection could be raised to the merits
OF the song on the ground of such an origin
Many OF our most cherished hymns arose out of
CIRCUMSTANCES In themselves less important and
inspiring than these
No one, we suppose, would maintain that
America is great poetry. Neither is God Save
the Queen" National hymns in general do not
depend for their hold on the popular heart upon
to popular favor Dr. Samuel Francis Smith s
hymn is at any rate simply, pure and patriotic
characterization of the line
Land where our fathers died.
as maudlin gush or in its intimation that
the hymn is meaningless. 1t is easy to sing to
the tune TO which 1t is ordinarily set This
which our neighbor characterizes as borrowed
music" Is the tune to which the national hymn
or the mother country is set, and there are
many good reasons why this old music, with all
its associations, should be used.
The only sound criticism that have ever
seen against America" a suitable national
hymn is that the line
Land of the pilgrims PRIDE
is sectional rather than national. We sure
however, that as 1t is sung little thought
of sectionalism occurs. The hymn has made its
way steadily and surely into the minds and
hearts or the people There is no surer test of it's
fitness than its manifest acceptability to the
children. An anonymous writer in the Boston
Courier. in September 1885, describes in attrac-
tive verses what Is occurring at the morning
hour in tens of thousands of schools:
Passing the Primary School.
Again each morning pass
The City's streets along,
We hear the voices OF the class
Ring out the nations song.
The small boys treble piping clear,
The bigger boys low grow
And from the boy who has ear
weird discordant howl.
With swelling hearts we hear them sing
MY country, it's of thee
From childish throats the anthem ring
Sweet land of liberty,''
Their little hearts aglow with pride
Each with exultant tongue
Proclaims From every mountain side
Let freedoms song be sung.
Let him who'd criticise the time
Or scout the harmony,
Betake him to some other cline
No patriot Is het
From scenes like these our grandeur springs
And we shall eer be strong,
While DER our land the schooihouse rings
Each day with Freedoms song.
Religious Herald