Show I I Oil SAY CAN YOU SEE I Do You ou Know the National Anthem By BYRON BYROS BYRD It Isn't a moment too soon to begin begin begin be be- gin thinking about the Fourth of July In fact it wouldn't hurt to think a little bit about Labor day One good reason for an early start is the Star Spangled Banner With the world in the shape its it's in it behooves us to approach ap our national anthem anthem anthem anth anth- em with at least a modicum mod icum of familiarity Most often we attack Mr Keys Key's poem as though it possessed pos but five words We begin resolutely with Oh say can you see and then never complete the question See what Our only reply is a mumble And as for the melody we weare weare weare are downright anarchistic We mouth along in our ow tl o independent fashion throwing in a note here tossing in another there until finally the anthem begins begins be be- gins to take on the appear appear- ance anee of Fort McHenry after the British fleet finished its bombard bombard- ment The Star Spangled Banner is a good song if you can sing it By Dy beginning our practice now we should be able to sing it by Independence day And while were we're about it it wouldn't do any harm to brush up upon upon upon on My Country of Thee So many Americans now go go to Canada for winter sports and fishing that a disturbing minority of our good citizens citizens citi citi- zens acm end up My Country of Thee with God Save the King Now as friendly as are the relations rela existing between England and America and as much as the American Amen Ameri can people wish Mr and Mrs George VI a long happy and distinguished dis career the fact remains re xe- mains that terminating My Country Coun try of Thee with God Save the King is A case could be made for it being also but being an is bad enough and should be sufficient to bring about a speedy end to the whole business Other Good Reasons There are other reasons for thinking thinking think think- ing about the Fourth of July early For one thing there is no discipline no efficient preparation Our children children children chil chil- dren arent aren't certain if It the Fourth of July is in commemoration of the Whiskey Rebellion or of the charge up San Juan hill and we elders on the other hand are utterly helpless when ne of the youngsters asks why James Jamea Buchanan was chosen to deliver deliver deliver de de- de- de liver the message to Garcia or who helped the Green Mountain Boys take the Louisiana Purchase from the Indians A touch of American history therefore would not be amiss between now and Independence ence day Then there is the picnic Typical of American fiddle brainIness we I find that in our hurry we packed our basket with one small bottle of ketchup one Jar of dry mustard mustard mus tard one diaper a tangerine paper napkins 4 pounds of potato pota po po- ta tato to chips and a box of paper clips As for the beverage we discover that the babbling babbling babbling bab bab- bling brook which looked so inviting from the road is little more than a drainage system of a nearby farmyard farmyard farm farm- yard and since we neglected to bring bringa a supply of typhoid antitoxin we face an afternoon of steaming coffee although although al al- al though the heat is driving the mercury mercury mercury mer mer- cury through the rivets of the thermometer ther then and the humidity Is causing causing caus caus- ing the cuffs cutIs of our trousers to rollup roll rollup rollup up like rugs Beware the Firecracker There is still another phase of an American picnic that is especially exasperating That is the matter of athletic equipment Whenever we select a shaded fir-shaded spot along the rocky shore of a mountain lake we find we have packed our tennis racket rack et catchers catcher's mask and hockey stick On the other uther hand when our choice Is a small grove beside a thistle thistle- dappled field we lift the lid of the rumble seat to discover that a last last- minute impulse caused us to pack our outboard motor and a take apart billiard cue we bought one time for forno forno forno no accountable reason in a boardwalk board walk auction house in Atlantic City America someone has said is the home of the free and the land of the brave This is a good point But Dut too often olen many young Ameri Amen cans take advantage tage of their freedom freedom free free- dom to exploit their bravery This Is distressingly true during the firecracker season when our children c celebrate e I e bra t e th the e Fourth of July that July that is from May 1 until October 31 The least our public public pub pub- lic lie officials could do is pass a law prohibiting children under nine months of age from purchasing and setting ofT off fireworks unless accompanied nied by bya a Saint Bernard Dernard dog equipped with a fire extinguisher Aside from the fact that generation generation genera genera- tion after generation is growing up with only three fingers to a hand and only one ear to a head the setting setting setting set set- ting oft off of fireworks by children too young to walk constitutes a fire haz haz- ard and It is easier than one imagines for a baby's burning dress to ignite the curtains The foregoing are examples of what occurs a holiday holi holl day to catch us unawares like an checking account Lets Let's not put of off thinking about the Fourth of July another moment |