Show SPEAKING PEAKING of singing did it ever occur to you how imperfectly our national songs are known even among our own people We heard America sung the other morning The first verse was sung by every everyone one in the room and was very very well rendered The second verse was sung by about half dozen half of those a present occasionally occasionally occasionally occa occa- joining in The third verse was sung by the three persons who had hada a book containing the words before them The is still story is fresh in our minds of a certain gentleman's gentleman journey from New York ro to Liverpool The cabin passengers had the habit of assembling after dinner on pleasant evenings to while the time away by singing Nearly every nationality was represented and so the most popular hymns of a large number of countries were heard Everyone was proud of the country he represented and prided himself upon his country's national songs The Englishmen the Frenchmen French French- men the Germans all sang their songs and sang them well but among the large number of Americans on board there was not one who could carry The he Star Spangled Banner or America entirely through without a break The American would be highly indignant if he were accused of having less patriotism or loyalty for country than the Englishman or the Frenchman French French- man or the German and yet this inexcusable inexcusable inexcusable inex inex- ignorance of our most popular national hymns remains |