The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-21
BAL LT|MORE PARTY ENTERTAINED HERE. Dinner Last Night to Help
 Get Acquainted PRESTON IS SPEAKER Outlines Plans for Big Centennial ot Keys Great Song-Leaye
 for Atlanta at
 Midnight
PRESTON IS SPEAKER

Mayor James II. Preston of Baltimore
 and a party of prominent business and professional men of that city were in Birmingham yesterday for the purpose of
 explaining the meaning of the eelebra- ton of the centennial of the making of
 the song, 'The Star-Spangled Banner"
 The Baltimore party was entertained by the Chamber of Commerce. assisted by
 the Rotary club. the camps of Confederate veterans and other organizations, the clos ing feature of the day being dinner
 party at the southern club last night. l There was general meeting yester-
 day afternoon at the Chamber of Com
 merce auditorium when Paschal G.
 Shook. president of the Chamber of Com
 merce welcomed the visitors to Birming ham. Mayor Preston delivered an address
 and invited all Birmingham to be pres ent at the commemoration of the birth | of the Star-Spangled Banner as well as | to help commemorate the battle of North 1 Point and the bombardment of Fort Henry in the harbor of which, while d prisoner. Francis Scott Key composed 1 the immortal anthem.
 The mayor spoke In part as follows; Mayor Preston Speaks | As the mayor of Baltimore. and on behalf of all the people of Baltimore, as well as of the city government, l am here to extend to you cordial invita- 1 tion to visit our city on the occasion of the Star-Spangled Banner celebration to be held during the week of September | 6 to September IS of this year.
 'The celebration will commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the battle of North Point, the bombardment of Fort McHenry and the birthday of our national
 anthem, "Star-Spangled Banner" Every patriotic American will want to come and stand upon the historic ground, where the blood of American patriots was of- fered upon the shrine of liberty for the preservation of American independence: will want to see the old North Point bat | tlefield and Fort McHenry cherished as holy ground in the hearts of all true Americans you will want to see the place on the old North Point road where 1700 raw volunteers, under General Stricken, l met and checked the advance of 5000 | picked veterans of England: the place where two boys, Daniel Wells and Henry | C. McComas, climbed tree and, from that | point of vantage, at the sacrifice of their own lives. met the British commander, 1 General Ross; you will be glad of the op-
 portunity to visit their graves and see
 the monument that has been erected to | their honor and. yourself, pay the tribute l of tear to their heroism
 Your eyes will be delighted to look l upon the spot from which floated the l Star-Spanged Banner over the gallant band, under Colonel Armistead that de- tended Fort McHenry, and to turn from
 that to look at the spot in the Patapsco l river, where Francis Scott Key, a tenn porary prisoner on board the British ship
 Minden, anxiously watched the flag all
 day long on September 13 1874, and all
 during the night following, by the light of l " The rockets red glare-the bombs l bursting in air
 and, as the morning broke and showed him that
 Our flag was still there | his emotions gave birth to the song which | begins with the question:
 early light,
 l What so proudly we hailed at the twi- lights last gleaming
 Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight | Der the ramparts we watched were so 1 gallantly streaming?"
 and concludes with the triumphant an- swer:
 And the Star Spangled Banner in
 triumph shall wave,
 Der the land of the free and the home l of the brave
 | Olu EoTt You will delight to explore the
 mounds and battlements of the old fort.
 situated high up on the bluffs form 1 Ing a beautiful peninsula, washed on
 the north. east and south by the wa | ters of the broad Patapsco You will take time to visit the modest house. 1 50 Albermarle street still standinp where Mrs. Mary PickersgilI made inc Tag that floated over Fort Henry dur ing the bombardment. You will take pleasure in having your memory re- freshed by hearing the story told over again of the gallant defense of Bal
 timore by land and the equally gal lant defense of the fort made on Sen
 tember 12 and 13, 1874, whereby the American volunteer ended the war of 1872 and led to the treaty of peace of December a. 1874, by which Amer lean independence was finally se- cured.
 During all the years that have passed since that memorable time the people of Maryland have paid their tribute to those who (some by the
 sacrifice, and all at the risk of their lives) fought bravely for country and liberty and preserved to us and to all future generations the blessings of freedom in free land We have made
 the anniversary of the battle of North Point holiday and as long as a sur vivor of that battle lived they were the guests of the city at each recur- ring anniversary, and proudly they
 were driven through the streets of the city and honored by the attention and applause of the people. But century has passed and Time with his relent- less scythe has moved down the last of that brave band. The old defend- ers--those who fell in the battle and those who survived-now sleep alike l In the bosom of the soil they risl<ed | their lives to defend and their children and their children's children enjoy the blessings of liberty preserved by their gallant deeds For them
 The muffled drums mad roll has beat l The soldiers last tattoo:
 No more on Iife's parade shall meet The brave and fallen few. 1 On Fame's eternal camping ground l The silent tents are spread But glory guards. with solemn round l the bivouac of the dead Thus has Maryland. at each recur- | ring anniversary, honored the heroes 1 of that struggle. but now We are ap- preaching the one hundredth anniver-
 sary and we are inviting all the peo- pie of the country to join us in q centennial celebration-and liberty loving Americans everywhere will want l to do so. The chief reason therefore, why you will want to come to Bal timore to take part in the 'Star-Span gled Banner eelebration. springs out Of patriotism. You will want to have a share In the tribute to the heroes of that eventful conflict. In addition to