THE HOUSE (132 SPRUCE ST., PHILADELPHIA), IN WHICH "HAIL COLUMBIA" WAS WRITTEN. THE OLD CHESTNUT ST. THEATRE, PHILADELPHIA, WHERE "HAIL COLUMBIA 99 WAS FIRST SUNG. CHAPTER IV. THE FIRST ORIGINAL AMERICAN SONG "HAIL COLUMBIA.' T is one of the curiosities of history that the first American song of a national character was written for the purpose of drawing a large house to a theatrical performance in Philadelphia in order to save a young singer and actor from pecuniary embarrassment. Mr. S. J. Adair Fitz-Gerald, in his interesting "Stories of Famous Song," says: "There is no romance whatever attached to the origin of 'Hail Columbia.'" It is evident that he said this because he did not understand the story of the stormy times in which this song was written. England and France were involved in a quarrel, and war between the two countries was imminent. In 1794 the United States had concluded the Jay treaty with Great Britain, which was assailed with furious denunciations by the Repub licans, who later became known as Democrats. The treaty was thought by them to be too friendly to England, as it pledged the United States not to interfere in behalf of France when a crisis was reached by the two nations. The Federalists, belonging to the administration party, gave the treaty their hearty approval, and many of them were so bitter in their hatred of France that any insult whatever from that power was enough to rouse them to advocate war. This feeling of bitterness between the Federalists and Democrats continued until 1798, when, during the height of the popular fury against France, the Federal Congress passed the famous alien and sedition acts, by which aliens were rendered liable to summary banishment from the United States at the discretion of the president. This made the breach between the factions wider than ever. Party spirit ran high. Resentfulness and hate were engendered on all hands. Mr. Motley, in his brilliant history of William the Silent, tells us that a little dog saved the Dutch Republic; and it can be said that a song, more than any other agency, incited national pride, allayed party passion, and averted a serious entanglement in the European conflict. It was during this reign of partisanship that a theater was opened in Philadelphia, and a benefit was to be given to a young man, Gilbert Fox by name, who had some talent as a singer. But the warlike condition of things threw discouragement on the undertaking. The singer was somewhat acquainted with Joseph Hopkinson, who was then a young lawyer, and calling upon him one Saturday afternoon in April, 1798, he earnestly pleaded with him to furnish a patriotic song which could be sung to the tune then known as the "President's March," composed in 1789 by a German professor in Philadelphia, named Phylo, alias Feyles, alias Thyla, alias Phyla, alias Roth, and was first played at Trenton when Washington was on his way to New York to be inaugurated president. Mr. Hopkinson's sympathy for the young man induced him to write the words now recognized as "Hail Columbia." The two stanzas which were more frequently used than any others, are the following: Hail, Columbia! happy land! Hail, ye heroes, heav'n born band! Who fought and bled in Freedom's cause, And when the storm of war was gone, CHORUS: Firm, united, let us be, And every scheme of bondage fail. The song packed the house. It was called for again and again during the same performance, and at the finalé the audience rose and lustily joined in the chorus, and the public heart was so profoundly touched by its patriotic sentiment that England and France sank before "Hail Columbia." The song evoked such universal interest that within a few nights after it was first given, President Adams and the heads of all the governmental departments attended the theatre to hear the new-born song, and the enthusiasm was so intense that the singer was called out time and again. Congress was in session at the time, and when thousands of people assembled on the streets in the evenings, congressmen joined them in singing |