Show S THE 3IARSEILLAISE How Rouget tie Lisle Came to rIo the National Hymn oi France The idea of celebrating liThe Marseil tng arsei aise is a worthy one for it has led French troopsto victory under republics nd under an empire while during the reign of Louis Phillippe it was heard often thus showing that it belongs to all class sIt S s-It me tell of its origin though some of you may already have heard the story France was in danger her people were called to arms and they responded nobly I In the house of the mayor of Strasburg a rienclly dinner iras going on at which men swore to die for liberty against the I allied kings of Europe Some jpne spoke of those heroic songs that stimulate the ardor of the soldier aud lamented because France had not one such Rouget < Lisle an officer of en tineers was at the table i was known he dabbled at poetry and music and the mayor asked him to compose a new march for his fellows He set about the work immediately The night was superb He took down us violm played and sang Air and words came both at the same time the subject transported him I was as i the oul of La Patrie was passing into his own as i through his mouth liberty was uttering her enthuuiasm and her generous gener-ous anger He wrote be sang he improvised provised but it was the soul of France that dictated In thc morning six verses were completed and vibrating with patriotic excitement he read the Var Sonc of the Army of the Rhineits nrst titleto his friends who became Icctrilied by the manly accents The new hymn was sent to Luckner commander of the Army of the Rhine who distributed manuscripts of it throughout Alsace and it was executed on the public square of Strasbnrg Thence it traveled over France and south to Marseilles which town told it to her volunteers and they sang it when they enter d Paris on Aug 10 1792 when they took Tuileries That is how it got the name that will cling to it forever It was played in the army and generals said it was worth 10000 men Copies of The Marseillaise were ordered when requisitions were made out for weapons I The aristocratic captain was desolate at having contributed the part which The Marseillaise had taken in overthrowing overthrow-ing the monarchy for he never intended I his hymn should bea republican anthem Later on when proscribed as a royalist I he was fleeing overthe Alps and heard its strains I What is that hymn called he asked his guide The peasant replied IThe Jlarseil lase and it was thus he first heard the name of his own great composition The Marseillaise became the national na-tional hymn of the firstrepublic and i remained so under the first empire Napoleon Na-poleon had such admiration for the hymn that he prohibited its being performed per-formed exceot on grand occasions just as the ITe Deum is only sung when 1 there has been a brilliant victory At St Helena he said The imperial guard always marches to the tuno of The Marseillaise No wonder theywon battles Forbidden under the Restoration the song came into favor I fa-vor again with Louis Phillippe Because I Be-cause of hearing it sung at Republican manifestations the government of the second empire prohibited its execution but in1870 the dajrwar was declared an I order was issued authorizing its use and the 1 troops went out singing The Mar I cuuc More than this managers of places ot I amusement were invited to perform it and when Mme Mary asse sang it at the Theatre Francaise women went and men were wild with excitement Her wonderful wonder-ful voice aaug the words in a way that raised the morale of the population and provoked them to patriotic enthusiasm Chicago Herald |