The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1915-12-02
Fostering Hatred
CRIME OF WAR SONGS
IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

patrlctC songs anu iuaIchcS h"'o
played no small part in the history OF
civilization. From a musical stand
foint, patriotic song is not the most
| melodious, and neither is 1t of the
highest order Of music.
+ or course, some peoples or nations
may be inherently more musical than
others, and their national or patri'
otto songs are of higher grade OF
music, For example. take the Ger
man and French airs, Die Wacht am
Rhine" and the "Marseillaise." You
don't have to be a German nor n
Frenchman to appreciate the stir
ring melody and rythm of them.
Since the majority of patriotic songs
are not famous because of their mu'
steal or poetical attractiveness, they
owe their popularity to some incident
or to the time of composition.
I A patriotic song is composed dur,
ing a time of war, reaches the height
of it's fame during war, and is used
mainly to stir the people up with what
we are pleased to call patriotic spir'
it. Then in times of peace what need
have we for them? Isn't there just
a little selfshness and forgetfulness
of humanitariansm in this patriotic
spirit of ours? Isn't it case of Let
ours be the victory, and death to the
enemy?" And yet we preach brother
ly love.
1t is known fact that during war
the march of civilization, or progress,
stands still. The arts and sciences
are temporarily forgotten, except for
an occasional patriotic song that we
can't even call musical, and a poem
that we can't call poetry.
In sharp contrast with other patri'
otto songs stands the "Marseillaise.
1t was composed by French prisoner
in the Bastille. 1t voices the cry of
freedom for all slaves of all times, not
of merely one country or nation. Its
sentiment goes beyond the selfish
boundaries of one people, and calls
on all slaves of all times to arise and
be free. 1t could fittingly be called
an international song.
On the other hand, think of the sen
timent of the British national song
God Save the King" but what about
tha ro.t of Tho xrorld9
Patriotic songs are written in A
time, march time we call it. So you
see that even our school children from
earliest years are fought to connect
patriotism with the idea of militar'
ism-beating drums, waving flags
marching soldiers, proud battleships
and all the pomp and glory of war.
fare.
Here is what Ernest Crosby, poet
and writer, has to say on school chill
dren singing "The Army and Navy
Forever" "Three Cheers for the Red
White and Blue: what should we
think of savage tribes who sang
praises to their boomerangs and toma
hawks? And l am sure we should dis.
approve even of pedagogical mother,
dog who should teach her puppies to
howl in chorus, Three cheers for our
claws, teeth and fangsn"
The first group of men was called
the clan. Then came the city-states
In these first stages the patriotic spir.
it took the form of calls, yells, or tom
toms and cymbals. When these city
states evolved into nations, then came
the patriotic song and march.
When Napoleon's soldiers marched
in snow with bleeding feet and often
wished to stop or turn back, he or.
dered the music to be played to in
flame their patriotic feelings or to
arouse their courage, as we like to
call it. Here we have a striking ex
ample of the prostituting of music for
the ambition of one man. A fact like
this almost tempts US to agree with
- LIT. odHuel WITCH
Patriotism is the last refuge of a
scoundrel" 1t seems a deplorable
fact that music and poetry should
have been used to stimulate men to
the cruel murders of war.
In the natural course of evolution
will come the world-stage or world
unity as the historian Mommson calls
it. The basic reason for this interna
tionalism is economic, that is, indus
trial relations between nations
Steamships, railroads and our enor
nous methods of production and dis
tributlon have helped bring this about
There is type of national song that
aims to laud the peace, prosperity and
beauty of a country. Such a song is
Julia Ward Howe's Battle Hymn of
the Republic" and America" The
melody OF the latter was originally a
German folk song.
Tho snirit of the future DatriOtic