Evening star., 1940-06-14
A Toast to the FLAG
Patriotic Campaign in World War
Led Daily to Write Famous Poem
Shortly after America entered the

Shortly after America entered the
World War, John ]. DAILY, now a
member OF The Star editorial stan,
wrote the famous poem, "A Toast
to the Flag" as part of a patriotic
campaign then being conducted in
a city where So different nationafi-
ties nved-New Britain, Conn. Mr..
DAILY was then an editorial writer
on the New Britain Herald.
Each day at the head of the edi-
torial column, under the American
flag, was printed some outstanding
bit of American uterature-a quota
ton from history books, such as
Patrick Henry's famous words, the
sentiment of Stephen Decatur, or
something from the writings of
Washington, Jefferson and other
patriots.
As Flag Day approached, Mr. DAILY
searched for a toast to the flag to
use, but the library failed to disclose
any such tribute. Finally he wrote
his own and he says now it came
to him as If in a dream" Next
morning he handed the copy in, a
three-stanza verse-and it took its
place under the masthead.
Poem Widely Reprinted.
Immediately, the poem was re-
printed by Hartford Comm papers
and then by the old Tribune in New
York. The Boston Post spread the
poem across the top of the front
page. From then on it went like
wild-f1re across the country and was
taken up by a patriotic society
known as THE Vigilantes." Made
up of prominent authors, such as
Rupert Hughes, Amy Lowell, Booth
Harrington and others, the Vigi-
lantes saw that "A Toast to the
Flag" was printed in every news
paper-weekly and daily-in the
United States.
Because of the short lines and the
unusual rhyming scheme, musicians
found the poem difficult to set to
music-but more than half a hun
dred compositions have been formed
around it. Irony of it all is the fact
that the great march king, John
Philip Sousa. tried and failed. His
setting for "A Toast to the Flag
was rejected by the presser Music
Co., in Philadelphia, the firm that
published all his famous marches.
It was the first rejection slip that
John Philip Sousa ever got; but, for
tunately, he never knew it-for the
rejection was sent to Mr.. DAILY, as a
gesture, with the editors comment,
Not up to the Sousa standard"
Plagiarists got in their work on
"A Toast to the Flag" and it was
stolen many times. One Kentucky
orator used it so many times, in
patriotic addresses. that he believed
1t was his own-and when he died
his family had it carved on his
tombstone, with the credit of au-
thorship. It has appeared in more
than 100000 school books, is in
30-odd anthologies, notably Edwin
Markham's anthology of American
verse, and it is painted in a scroll
on the walls of the Chicago Public
Library.
School Teacher Copyrighted It.
A Los Angeles school teacher was
the first to put it in an anthology
and, innocenty. caused Mr.. DAILY
lot OF trouble. In the heat of
newspaper work Mr.. Daily never
had the poem copyrighted, nor did
he care; for he entered the United
States Army shortly after it was
published, as a buck private in
the rear ranks. When the school
teacher In Los Angeles asked per-
mission to reprint the poem in
her book she had it copyrighted
IN her own name. Later, Mr.. DAILY
had an offer from q publish
ing house to have the poem lead
q book Of his verse; but it could
not be published because he did
not own the copyright. After many