Show SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT by F A WALKER AN OLD COLLEGE SONG the world war was going WHILE on objection was made to the singing 0 yale s famous song bright college year to the tune of the wacht am bhela in fact the class of 1889 went so tar as to offer a prize for a new air to be fitted to the old words when the matter was brought to the attention of the alumni advisory board that body suggested that the corporation decline gratefully the of fer of ninety nine and this advice was taken it Is easy to understand why yale men should not care to sever such a link with the past the song would hardly be recognizable if set to new music besides it would be difficult to get a substitute but the real explanation Is still more lo 10 the point since the declaration of the arm latice there has been a watch on the rhine kept by americans and american flags haye been flying from the castles overlooking the haunts of the rhine maidens of ancient legends so it will be natural to think of the new watch instead of the first one whenever yale men gather together tor any sort of celebration As a matter of fact the wacht am rhean dd not become popular in germany until some time after the close of the franco prussian war it did not represent the spirit of the armies that had been led by the old king and by von moltke it was on the other hand an ex pres slon of the new spirit that was to bring about in 1914 the invasion of belgium and abe fighting which should end in the argonne forest and belleau wood A precedent for retaining the air Is also to be found in the case of america which la sung to the air of god save the king that tell into unpopularity in america round about the time of the boston tea party and the pulling down of the statue of george in at bowling green in new york the late king edward always a warm friend of the republic was in favor of letting this country have the exclusive use of the air of my coun try als of thee he did not care for the sentiments expressed in at least one of the verses of the national an them that was always played when be appeared in public in fact it was said that he wished to have doctor watts stirring hymn Q god our help in ages past sub tor it on formal occasions but owing to the conservatism af pf the public this was never done per haps they associated the familiar air so much with the long reign of vie toria that they did not care to change by mcclur newspaper syndicate n |