Evening star., 1923-01-09

A five.milion-do dollar monument will
keep alive the memory OF the coup-
try lawyer of. Frederick. Nd. and
later district attorney OF the District
Of Columbia. Few conquerors-few
OF the great of the earth-Are hon.
ored with nohier piles of granite
than the great stone-arch bridge
across the. Potomac. which, by act
of the House, certain to be confirmed
in the Senate. will be officlaiiy known
as "the Key bridge" in memory Of
Francis Scott Key. author OF The
Star spangied Banner"
The bridge was so designated, origi-
nally, because 1t starts its night across
the river from the immediate locality
where Keys home stood, and 1t is q
very great thing that one OF the
grandest monuments In America. next
to Liberty Enlishtsning; the h,.Mss Woriei of
home and freedom rather tnan tne
supposed glories of martial agrees
sion.
o thus be il ever when freemen shall stand
Between their loved bones aad the wars desc
iation.
"
stirring strains which the present
generation has learned to associate
with that song are heard Americans
salute. Why Is not legislation en-
acted making II officially the ma
tionaI hymn? Where IL there a bet
ter national hymn in any nataion?
Is there opposition influence against
its adoption lest we give offense to
England? II that be our attitude.
then let US apologize for the Dec
laration of Independence. The song
expresses no bitterness against the
English as English. but only as In
vadsrs and foes of America. The poet
was not, thinking objectively of Eng
land, but subjectiyely OF our Amer
lean freedom and American homes;
The foe may have been any ma
tionaIity. The character OF foes
would haye been the same.
'1Ts the star spansied hsnaer: o long may 1t
DER the land Of the free and the home of the
Comparatively few Of as ever read
the words of the song to appreciate
Its sentiment and passionate patriot
ism. To hear 1t Fecited by q trained
| reader is as thrilling as anything In
the English language. 1t should be
obligatory for every school child TO
commit il TO memory before he passes
the eighth grade: not merely to sing
| it. but 70 -recite II. Its sentiments
should be taught as fundamental TO
good citizenship. II is infinitely more
inspiring than Rritain's God Save
the King" II is In the same class.
but purer in patriotism than the
! "MarseiIlaise" OF France. Where is
there a national hymn that is its
equal?
Chief Justice Walter l, Mccoy of
the District Supreme Court raises .
voice of warning against the "starv'
ing'' process that Is going on in our
District school in Americanization OF
aliens. what he points out as to the
District of Columbia doubtless ap-
plies with equal force to other states.
Here we have $4,000 foreign born, of
whom 1900 are not naturaiiSed, and
1000 adults are iiliterates. OF these
2,0oo, only 100 attend the American
ization school to overcome their igne-
rance Of English and of American
institutions, and ideals
Until recently there was q section
Of the, District where no English was
spoken. even though peopied by i'm
migrants who had children and
grandchildren born In this country.
They lived for decades under the
sh adow of the Americap Capitol with
out becoming AmericaniEed. If such
has been possible in the very head
quarters of AmericRnisn, what are
the conditions In some of the remote
regions of the west and the siums
OF our great cities? Such colonies"
| OF alien sentiment are propagation
nests for foreign propaganda against
our American institutions and gov
eminent. They should be invaded
and purified with American ozone.
l. why is it, asks Justice Mccoy
that we talk SO much about the ne
eessity of educating the foreigners in
our midst to speak our language and
understand the genius Of our insti,
| tutiens and then do so little to prove
| that we mean what We say-if we
LIDO mean it2 Are We so certain that
Inropaganda from Russia. spread by
| foreigners and by our own traitors
will not yield It's crop?"