President Harding Dedicates Memorial to Francis Scott Key

1922

MEMORIAL TO SONG WRITER

PRESIDENT PAYS TBIBUTE TO FRANCIS SCOTT KEY.

Dedication at Baltimore in Honor of Author of "Star-Spangled Banner" — Greeted by Enthusiastic Crowd.

BALTIMORE, June 14.—A national memorial to Francis Scott Key, author of the "Star-Spangled Banner," was dedicated by President Harding today on the site of Fort McHenry, where, in 1814, hung the flag to which the anthem was written during an attack by a British fleet. Referring to the inspiring words and their prayer that victory "ever may be justified when liberty is imperiled," the president declared that "to give ringing voice" to such an aspiration was "one of the greatest services which any man could do for the young republic."

Lowering skies and occasional rain greeted the presidential party as it arrived by automobile from Washington, but did not dampen the enthusiasm of the greeting by the people who lined the route of a pageant procession — which proceeded the unveiling and in which the president rode. Thousands of massed and uniformed school children sang and waved flags in tumultuous greeting. The dedication was the center of the nation's Flag day celebration as Mr. Harding appealed for more of the spirit of Francis Scott Key to be instilled into Americans of today.

"The outstanding and the reassuring thought of today," he added, "is the supreme exaltation of Key in the hour of great trial to reveal the soul of a patriot in the night of surpassing anxiety and devotion to duty."

Visits Wounded Soldiers.

The president was taken into the old "Star" bastion of the fortress, on which the famous attack of 1814 centered and, with Mrs. Harding, inspected the post hospital, where 300 wounded of the world war are still under care, before going to the speaker's stand, erected under the colossal statue in bronze by Charles H. Niehaus to commemorate the battle and song alike.

"Don't any of you hesitate in taking shelter," the president told his audience when a burst of rain broke as he began speaking, "but I'm a Baptist myself." The audience cheered.

"I ask you in fancy to turn your gaze back to the flag which inspired the immortal words of Key," the president said before beginning his prepared speech. "As I stand here I can see its folds. There were only fifteen stars in it then. Then look at old glory before you with its forty eight stars symbolizing forty-eight unified states and consider that it is hardly more than a century since fifteen filled its field.

"I ask you, in the face of that, what are the limitless possibilities of our republic of tomorrow. You in Baltimore are making a fine contribution in your monumental city, for it is the finest thing to preserve the heritage of the founding fathers. You'll never have an Americanism go wrong that cherishes the traditions and memories of the sacrifice that has prepared for it."

From the fortress ground, the president's party went to the home of Senator France, where a brief reception to the public was held. He returned to Washington this evening.

Address of the President.

President Harding, in dedicating the memorial, spoke as follows:

"My Fellow Americans: The shrines of American patriotism not only reflect the duality of its gratitude, but they are ever refreshing and inspiring. We are assembled today to rededicate one of these sacred shrines. We are met to commemorate a historic victory in arms, when the young republic was first asserting its national rights against an armed foe. And we are met to commemorate a very unique achievement in the literature of national inspiration. Here the patriotic sons of the early republic crushed one of the most ambitious invasions ever aimed against our nation. Here during the rage of combat was born the swelling anthem of American patriotism.

"It is wholly fitting that flag day should be chosen for this commemoration and rededication, because our hymn of patriotism is in apostrophe to the flag we love. Yea, it is apostrophe and invocation as well, born of a patriotic and poetic soul in the travail of a sublimely heroic night.

"To one who has a bent for such oddities, there will be found much of absorbing interest in the study of those songs of patriotism which at different eras have enjoyed popularity. The civil war brought a generous contribution of songs, good, bad or indifferent, but all aiding to fire the national spirit. Once they were on millions of tongues, sung in every assembly; yet one will have difficulty finding anybody of the present generation who is familiar with more than a line or two from any of them. I must, of course, except 'Dixie,' which in the years since Appomattox, has been claimed like every good thing that the south possessed, as part of the common heritage of the entire people."

—The Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, Nebraska, June 15, 1922, page 2.