Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-02

"a T no time so much as upon In
IN dependence day are the pa
~ triotic songs Of this country
y sung. and upon the coming
Fourth of July, which finds the United
States on the brink of war, the words
and the tunes of the national songs
will mean more to every American than
ever before.
Pealizing that as time goes on MS
tory, which may be probed for truth
now, IN another generation would De
too far removed from the links of liv-
ing memory to certify accuracy. many
men are giving time and effort to ex-
tracing the real historic facts from
the maze of fiction surrounding the
origin Of many of this country's ma
tional songs, which have become an i'm
portant part of her integral life.
No man has given more time and
more effort. nor sifted facts more thor-
ouzhly TO get at the true history OF our
national songs. than has Mr.. o. q I.
Sonneck chief Of the division OF music
OF the Library of Congress. and he has
embodied these facts in reports pub
hsned by the government in book form,
which save them for all time. =.
Unless he has traced a matter to the
bedrock of certainty. a report with Mr..
sonneck is never complete. and call
al his once in the music division of
the library found him with his latest
published reports on the national songs
on the bookcase al his side. and all
heavily interviewed with penned and
penciIed annotatfons which bring evil
Il q ba Ff0s 70 Nj
Sonneck permitted a recent caller to
CLEAN from these documental data re-
garding this country's national songs
ard supplemented them with some ad-
dltionaI verbal information.
Almost every one knows how the stir
ring words rushed from the heart and
hand of Francis Scott Key on the early
morning Of September II. 1914, when the
English were bombarding Fort McHenry
Fewer. perhaps. know that ne totted down
the first rough draft Of the song on the
back Of letter as he sailed up the Pa
sapsco on one of the enemys vessels that
early morning. when he saw through the
dawns early light that our nag was stiil
there" He completed this draft upon the
American boat which brought him TO
Baltimore that evening. and later that
night. in his hotel in Baltimore. he made
clean copy OF those jottings, and this
first fair copy Of the words is still in ex-
istence and may yet be seen at the Wal
ters gallery in Baltimore
Francis Scott Key did not sign this
after years. when II had become famous.
he made copies of the poem. which he
signed and presented to friends. but the
authorship OF the star Spangled Banner
was not revealed until it had attained a
national reputation 1t, however, gained
this honor in a very short time
On the morning after his arrival In
Baltimore Key took his poem to his friend
and relative. Judge Joseph Hopper Mich
olson. for his critical opinion upon II.
This was evidently favorable. for it was
Immediately printed and its first appear
ance in public was in the form of sheet.
or broadside, which was distributed
through the streets on the day after 1t
was written. Its first dated appearance
was in the Baltimore Patriot OF Septem-
Der 20. 1914. Next day II appeared in
exactly the same form in the Baltimore
American. and then, in single sheets and
in newspapers. il spread from Baltimore
TO other cities. until IL had become a
popular patriotic song throughout the
country.
In its original printed form it bore the