Evening star., 1937-07-04

Germany. Hitler's Horst
Vessel SonQ' is q national
anthem.
. were then hopeful OF regaining their
national independence. During the
World War the name Of Josef Pill
sudski, nation builder, was substituted
for that OF the nineteenth century
general. and Polands future dictator
! was urged to lead his legions to the
siege OF Warsaw. Although that city
| is now the capital OF Poland reborn,
| the anthem is still the same
Polish Socialists have often ex-
pressed disapproval Of what they call
the aggressive spirit of the anthem
1t has also incurred the hostility Of
| part OF the clergy. which would like
| to have It's place taken by religious
hymn OF great antiquity, sung in the
! historic Wavel Castle of the city Of
Cracow at the coronation of Poland's 5
kings centuries ago.
Two for CzechosIovakia.
| Czechoslovakia, another new"
country, could not make up her mind
about two anthems, so both of them
have been adopted, one for the Czechs
and the other for the Slovaks. The
Czech one started its career on the
stage. sung by blind beggar. Where
Is My Home?" Because OF it's origin.
it still has some opposition, and not
long ago Czech newspaper of Prague
offered prize for suitable substitute.
In mountainous Slovakia. occupying
the eastern part OF the republic, the
native inhabitants prefer their own
revolutionary song: Above the Tatra
lightning flashes" 1t is nearly q
century old. with colorful past as q
bootleg" anthem when Slovakia wa
under Hungarian rule.
The national anthem of Bulgaria
in the very heart of the troublesome
Balkans, is addressed to the national
river known to the ancients as the
Hebrus. The Bulgarians may have
selected 1t As safe subject of patri-
otic sentiment In a part of the world
where there is too much aggressive
patrioteering already.
Norway's national anthem is also de.
voted to nature, but in a more amiable
mood: Yes. We love with fond devo.
ton Norway's mountain domes." The
national anthem OF the neighborins
Scandinavian country. Sweden. wa.
written by teacher OF the "Nightin
gale OF the North. Jenny Lind: Prom
Swedish hearts a song did rise" Den.
mark, the third Of the Scandinavian
lands. painted vivid picture: "Kins
Christian stood before the mast"
Scattered Sentiments.
The smaller countries of Europe.
east express multitude Of sentiments
The Hungarian anthem is God Bles.
the Hungarian" The Rumanian an.
them asks Heavens protection for the
King. and the Yugoslav Kingdom :.
anthem, "Boei Pravda,' asks divin.
aid for the country.
Europes unsettled state is reflected
IN the anthems of the five small coun.
tries IN the northeast. along the Baltic
Sea. The most diminutive OF them all
the Free City Of Danzig. has defied the
League OF Nations, which is supposed
to see that she behaves. by adoptins
the German Fascist Horst Wesse
Song as her own. On solemn occa
sions the bands also play "Deutsch.
land. Deutschland Ueber Allies" as 8
defiant reminder that whatever tht
rest OF the world may think, Danzie
considers herself part Of Germany.
Although Lithuania has a semi.
Fascist dictatorship, she still clings
to her revolutionary anthem, the sing
ing OF which was very serious ofYense
when this Baltic country still be.
longed to the Cars OF all the Russias
Her eastern neighbor, Latvia. ha,
adopted religious anthem: God bless
our fatherland. fair on the Baltic
strand, God bless our Latvia, hence
forth, evermore." Latvia's small
neighbor, Estonia. has q harmless little
anthem: "Where'er 1 60. by land OF
sea, find no land so dear to me-"
Finland Defiant.
The northernmost Baltic country
Finland, has retained defiant
anthem for the singing of which many
OF her sons were sent to prison in pre-
war Russia, when she was part OF the
Slavic Empire: THE bloom is shroudeo
now in night, but dawn will come
again" Its text was written about q
century ago by the poet. j. L. Rune
berg, and it has the unusual distinc-
tion OF having inspired IL composers
the version of one Of whom, Frederic
Pacius, being most frequently heard.
Another anthem has an odd dis
tinction, and that Is God Save the
King Of England and America" OF
the United States. In Germany 1t Is
known as Hell Dir i'm Siegeskranz n
This tune has been adopted by about
IL countries.
The battle Of the national anthems
Is . symptom Of the unsettled stats
OF Europe. For the first time in mans
history, the battle raging Is not so
much for nAtionalistic reasons as for
class antagonisms. It is not the Ger
mans who hate the Russians, but the
Nazis who hate the Communists. Nor
are Germany and France getting
ready for . nationalistic war So
much IS French Left Wing followers
and German Fascists are accumulat-
ing sufficient hatred for the explosion,
to occur. The problem Is that Of the
"lnternationale" on the one side and
the Horst Vessel Song" on the other