HH பட V. Less fortunate as we are than British subjects and French citizens, in having no national hymn, the history of theirs is not very encouraging to an attempt to obtain one deliberately. But in that need of one which was felt just after the breaking out of our great pro-slavery insurrection, a number of gentlemen were requested to act as a committee to offer a prize for the words and music of a hymn which, in their judgment, might be to us something like what the British and French hymns are to those nations. It has been said that this committee was self-appointed; but that was not the case. The notion of thus calling for a national hymn, I know did not even originate with any member of the committee, but with an intelligent gentleman whose warm patriotic feeling led him to be active in the matter. At first it was proposed to place the matter in the hands of three gentlemen, one from New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, respectively; but the inconvenience of this plan soon became apparent, and the New York committee was appointed. All who were asked heartily consented to serve; but not one of them expressed any confidence in the success of the undertaking. Yet as there was a great desire expressed for the hymn on all sides, and as the occasion was propitious for its production, they wil lingly said Yes, instead of No. They felt much like the Bowery boy who, being cut short in a hard life by sore disease, which quickly brought him to death's door, was informed by his physician that medicine could do nothing for him. "What's my chances, doctor?" "Not worth speaking of." in twenty?" "Oh, no." "In thirty ?" "Fifty?" "I think not." "A hundred ?" perhaps there may be one in a hundred." say, then, doctor," pulling him close down, and whispering with feeble earnestness in his ear, "jess you go in like h― on that one chance." The doctor "went in," and the patient recovered. The chance that there was, the members of the committee did not feel at liberty to refuse. 66 "One "No." "Well, "I There was special reason, too, at the time of the appointment of the committee, for the hope that it might accomplish its object. The excited feeling of the country vented itself in verse to a most remarkable extent. Newspapers which undertook to gather these effusions of popular sentiment together from various quarters, filled column after column with them, and sometimes page after page. The greater part of these verses was unmitigated nonsense, it is true; much of the residue was commonplace; but really spirited and well-written compositions appeared with sufficient frequency, considering what a very rare production good lyric poetry is, to give color to the hope that from some poet of reputation, or from some other who had his reputation to make, the wished-for song would come. The following verses were written about that time. The reader will remember how intently the whole country had watched Fort Sumter through four long months (it seems as if it had been four years, and had happened twenty years ago!) and with what intense feeling they learned that Major Anderson had struck his flag when the fort became untenable, and had evacuated, not surrendered, the post, raising his flag again and saluting it; and this happening on Saturday, how on Monday morning the eye could hardly turn, north of the Potomac, without being gladdened by the sight of the American flag,-how dear to us, we of this generation never knew till then! THE FLAG. BY HORATIO WOODMAN. Why flashed that flag on Monday morn Across the startled sky? Why leapt the blood to every cheek, The tears to every eye? The hero in our four months' woe, The mind of Cromwell claimed his own, Through hearts unconscious of the fire, The seeds of Milton's lofty thoughts. All hopeless of the spring, Broke forth in joy, as through them glowed Old Greece was young, and Homer true, And Dante's burning page And kindled holy rage. God's Gospel cheered the sacred cause, In stern, prophetic strain, Which makes His Right our covenant, Oh, sad for him whose light went out Who could not live to feel his kin To every noble name; And sadder still to miss the joy From all that makes life low. BOSTON, April, 1861. A condition of the general mind which brought forth on the spur of the occasion a lyric so vigorous, so inspiring, so vividly expressive of the sentiment that stirred the heart of the nation, was surely one from which another, breathing the same spirit in like stirring accents, and of general application, might reasonably be hoped. And so the committee cast out its net, and waited patiently for the dawning. Not only, however, was all not to be fish that came to that net, but, like the cat-fishing negro who rejected with aus· tere self-denial the bass which he found upon his hook, because "when he fished for bass, he fished for bass, but when he fished for catty, he fished for catty," the committee would have what it sought or nothing, no matter how much better fish insisted upon swallowing the bait; and as to getting its "catty," it had the gravest doubts. The prize was therefore not offered for the best hymn that should be written, but for the hymn needed, and if that, in the judgment of the committee, did not come, no matter how much superior "an article" of another style were offered, all were to be rejected.* It is worth while to state The following are the call and the conditions of competition published by the committee: A NATIONAL HYMN. In obedience to the request of many citizens, who have observed the tendency to give poetic expression to the emotion which stirs the heart of the nation, the gentlemen whose names are undersigned have consented to act as a Committee to award a prize of Five Hundred Dollars for a National Hymn, set to music (either original or selected), upon the following conditions: 1. The Hymn is to be purely patriotic, adapted to the whole country-not a war-song, or only appropriate to the present moment. 2. It must consist of not less than sixteen lines, and is not to exceed forty, exclusive of a chorus or burden, which is essential. 3. It should be of the simplest form and most marked rhythm; the words easy to be retained by the popular memory, and the melody and harmony such as may be readily sung by ordinary voices. 4. For the words and music (whether the latter be original, or selected and adapted) from the same hand, which the Committee would prefer, Five Hundred Dollars, or a gold medal of that value, will be awarded. For the Hymn alone, or for the music alone (if original), Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars, or a gold medal of that value. 5. The Committee retain the copyright of both words and music of the Hymn to which the prize is awarded; and reserve the right of rejecting all contributions, whatever their merit, should none of them be deemed suitable. 6. The profits of the sale of the Hymn are to be devoted to the Patriotic Fund. |