The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-05-30
SPIRIT STILL There
French Patriotism Defies Hun
FrightfuIness.
Refugee Gives Thrilling, Account of
Children in Devastated Town Sing
ing the "MarseiIIaise" Despite
Orders Forbidding II.

There are many persons, by nc
means all of whom are French, who.
think. that the Marseillaise is the very
finest of all war songs. Certainly it is
a great song of freedom as well as of
France, and is associated historically
with the progress of liberty among the
nations. Youthful America used it be-
fore the Star Spangled Banner had been
composed newborn free Russia still
sings il, scarcely less often than it's.
own lev national hymn. 1t binds to-
gether in the memory of Frenchmen
a hundred thrilling scenes of their
cOuntry'S history and to this rosary
of patriotism new jewels are added as
the great war goes forward. 1t is not
easy to read unmOved the narrative of
how, although sternly prescribed, it
was sung recently in one of the invad-
ed districts. A refugee told the story
to the American novelist, Mrs. Dorothy
Garfield Fisher:
We have tried u best to keep the.
life of French children what it ought
to be. l remember last year Aunt
Louise taught q group of children in
gu part of the town to sing the Mar
seillaise. The studio of my cousin
Jean is at the back of the house and
high up; and so she thought the chill
dren's voices could not be heard from
the street. The mayor heard of what
she was doing, and sent word that he
should like to hear them sing. The
news spread rapidly. When he ar
rived with the city council, coming in
one by one, as if merely to make a CALL
they found the big studio full to over
flowing with their fellow citizens-the.
old men and women who are the fell
low citizens left there. Two or three
hundred Of them were there-the most
representative people of the town, all
in black, all so silent, so old and so
sad. The children were quite abaShed
by such an audience and filed up on
the little platform s~hyly--Our poor,
thin, shabby, white-faced children, 90
or go of them.
There was a pause. The children
were half afraid TO begin; the rest of
us were thinking ~uneasily that we
were running a great risk. Suppose
the Children's voices should be heard
In the street, after all. Suppose the
German police should enter and find
us assembled thus. 1t would mean hOr-
rors and miseries for every family rep
resented. The mayor stood near he
children to give them the signal to be-
gin-and dared not. We were silent,
u hearts beating fast.
Tha, Ill ,k n,,a0 Al. IgAAl
all began In their high, sweet treble
those words that mean France, that.
mean liberty, that mean life itself to,
us:
"Allons, enfants de la patrie," they
sang, fitting their heads back like lit
tie birds; and all the other children
followed: Against us floats the red
flag of tyranny! !" We were on our feet.
in an instant. 1t was the first time any
of us had heard it sung since-since,
our men marched away. / began to-
tremble all over, so that / could hardly
stand. Everyone stared up at the chill
dren; everyone's face was dead white
to the lips. The children sans on-sang
the chorus, sang the second stanza.
When they began the ~stanza. "Sucred
love of our fatherland, sustain our
avenging arms" the mayors old face.
grew livid. He whirled about to the
audience, his white hair like a lions
name, and with a gesture swept us all
into the song: Liberty, our adored
liberty, fight for thy defenders"
There were three hundred voices
shouting 1t out, the tears streaming
down our cheeks. If a regiment Of
German guards had marched into the
room we would not have turned our
heads. Nothing could have stopped us
then. We were only a crowd Of old
men and defenseless women and chill
dren, but we were all that was left of
France I'm our French town. - Youths
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