Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-01
BY GEORGE M. CONAN.
Told to Charles Brewer Farmer.

n n
of those button up-the- back mo-
tor cars In 1905, stopped for a drink
OF water at G. A. r. home.
Hey. bub! Come here!"
I heard those words shouted at me as |
I raised a gourd to my lips. Looking |
over the rim / saw an old veteran sit |
ting alone under crabapple tree. One !
leg stuck straight out before hint |
was wood-one sleeve was empty. His |
lone hand was appraised and his trigger |
finger was crooked at me.
When I went over to humor him his |
hand shot out and seized my coat He |
dragged himself up and peered closely |
at my face.
''Jes' a young un; that's all you be-"
he muttered, half to himself. Then
squirting again at me, he cackled
why, bub. you look real young-like,
jes as I did before Gettysburg, when I
had all my bones. IL kinda want to
show you something. Mebbe then you'll
know what a great country we fought
for. Bub, follow me!'
He started toward the main building
of the home. followed him.
He took me into the cool and silent
trophy room, where mementos of 81
were kept.
Right here, jes' help me open this !
case, bub," he said, as he dumped his
way to a corner where a huge box
stood. We tugged at the handle and the
door opened. He reached within, and
Help me take 1t out. bub: 1t mustn't
touch the floor. lists sort of sacred"
Together we lifted out one Of the
regimental colors carried by Grants
armies.
''Lookit! See those holes!" Lovingly
his trembling hand careSsed the folds
~ k0f Frio at
Gettysburg son. I WIZ color bearer of
my regiment when Pickett'S charge be-
gan. I was still color bearer, son, when
Pickett failed. But I-I-well, the flag
and me got hit a bit. That's why me
and thiS-this grand old rag-live at
the home now"
H. turned dimming eyes on me as he
whispered:
Il don't regret nothin-the arm, the
ley; don't need EN-, noways. Besides"
he turned his gaze to the colors again
and whispered: You're grand old
ragl"
What a theme for a martial songl
That thought flashed into my head.
Never had 1 heard any one speak as
reverently as that old veteran had of
the red. white and blue.
While riding back to Broadway I
turned that theme over in my mind
We had a puncture, of course. I think
1t was the third one Of the day. but 1t
wasn't my time to pump up the tire; so
I sat on rock. took pencil and en-
velope from my pocket, and began scrib-
bling. At the top Of that envelope l
wrote:
You're grand old rag
Underneath 1t I penned the chorus to
tune had been making up and hum
ming TO myself during the last 10 miles.
Here were the words:
You're . high nying Hag.
I1 The . home an q The free al and e. brave
Under tiista red. white and blue.
Who're there's never q boast or bras;
But should aud ACQUAINTANCE De FORGOT,
Keep your eve ON the srand old ragl
When we got back into town I rushed
to a piano and tried out the lifting tune
that had come into my head on that
ride. The words Of the chorus fit beau
tifully Then wrote the first verse.
Here 1t is, as wrote It then:
There's a feeling comes o stealing
when I'm listening to the music of = mil
Any tune aSs1 ike s'i Yankee Doodle
Simply sets me on my nocdle. A.. - ana
Way Down South in the Land OF Cotton"
"f H1rTsh. human wei III Join ne Jubilee,
And that's COINS some. for the Yankees by
Red. White and blue. am for YOU.
Honest, you're q erand old rag.
But wait-in a few months time I
produced one of my musical shows,
George Washington, jr." Remember
it? One scene, you know. was laid at
Mount Vernon, before the home of
George Washington. The stage buSi-
ness called for a group of United States
Senators to visit the tomb, and lay
wreath of flowers there. Then the or
chestra would strike up. would place
a flag on my shoulder and sing, You're
a grand old rag"
That production made a smashing hit
on the road. and We came into the
Herald Square Theater, New York City.
on Lincoln'S birthday in 1906. expecting
to kill EN- dead" Now. here's an in
teresting little Sidelight.
When sending out tickets to Manhat
tanS drama critics for our first per-
Torrance ON Broadway the theater man
agement purpoSely failed TO send the
customary two seats on the aisle, down
front" to a certain critic on weekly
journal.
A week later his paper began q saw
age attack ON me, personally, the inno-
cent party. 1t seems, according to that
journal, that / was doing things that
no American should do. And before I
knew it. 1t was said was calling the
Stars and Stripes IAN old rag"-So
spread the lie.
tried TO protest, but you can't very
well down q lie that speeds on wings
One great newspaper in an Eastern
city--where George Washington. Jr,,"
was yet TO play-publiShed a terrible
cartoon; figure Symbolical of Uncle
Sam pointing a Scorning finger at me,
cartoon read; That's the mani"
There was q lot printed under that
picture, too--a lot that wasn't true,
But this was only the beginning OF
the trouble, One night, Just before cur
tain time, lean and hungry CaSSiuS
came back to my dressing room, Seems
that he was from Washington" II
was to me to explain 10 the White
House what I meant by insulting the
flag"
told him of my chance visit to the
and Of the old chap who had lovingly
caressed the tattered folds of the flag
that he had held aloft at Gettysburg,
Don't YOU see, man, that it's conf
plment that I'm paying to our fiag?;
that 1t would be sickly Sentimentality
to say, You're a grand old fiag?' that
1t would be a Stilted phrase"
He shifted and hlurted out;
Il demand the name of the G. A. r.
veteran who you say insulted our flag
Just as you insult IL each night"
Forget It," sighed, IN explain to !
Washington"
Did say that all this took place in
the social dark ages of America. when
the amusement interests of the Nation
had no standing whatsoever? sent a
close friend to Washington to explain,
/ Couldn't co myself without closing my