Show fa m W 49 I 1 pl nw wit V by ELMO SCOTT WATSON there was un nn im belled on the wall of a AX modest brick house in philadelphia a bronze tablet which tells the passerby passer by that nail hall columbia was composed here by joseph I 1 hopkinson lopkin sort on april 22 the unveiling was done by a little girl martha hop kinson ahoi n hathus thus honored the memory of her great great grand father a nan man whose name Is known to comparatively few americans yet francis hopkinson and joseph hopkinson offer an example of famous father worthy son scarcely paralleled in all american history it Is eminently fitting that their names should be recalled as independence day approaches for they contributed materially to the foundation of our republic and the establishment of the national tradition francis hopkinson was born in philadelphia in 1737 the son of an englishman who served several years as a judge of the admiralty and a member of the provincial council hopkinson was the first scholar entered at the university of pennsylvania then the college of philadelphia and was graduated with sith its first class ue ile studied law and was admitted to the bar in after serving as secretary to a conference between the provincial authorities and the chiefs of several indian nations and as librarian find and secretary of the philadelphia library he went to england in and became an intimate friend of lord benjamin west and john penn upon his return to this country he be resumed his bis law practice kept store for awhile and became a member of two societies which united in 1709 to become the famous Arne american rican philosophical society in 1772 lie he was appointed inspector of the customs at rew new castle but was removed because of his radical ideas lie ile fiat n ct moved to bordentown Borden Bor denton town N NJ J and was was a member of 0 the provincial council of that colony from 1774 to 1770 in the latter lot year lie he was elected to the continental tin congress froin new ne 1 s jersey I 1 ey and became one oas of anil americas 1 1 1 ell immortals m in when ile he signed the declaration of independence historians now seem to agree generally that the betsy ross legend of the origin of the lag flag can be accepted only with reservations she may have made the first flag so faras the actual cutting and sewing of it was concerned but she was nottie designer the evidence as to who actually was Is at best incomplete but such evidence as exists points strongly cofran to francis hopkinson it is known known that he was wag greatly interested in the heraldic art am especially a as it applied to seals flags and coins it Is known that in june 1777 he vas as chalman chairman of the navy board acting under the marine committee of the continental congress and that the file famous flag resolution of june 11 fl 1777 establishing the design of the national flag is hiis its presented to congress con gless among the bustness business of the marine committee cut but the strongest evi debee Is coni con I 1 bained in the words of hopkinson hlin film which are on records record on may hay 25 1780 2780 he be wrote to the hoard board of admiralty ralty saying it liswith great pleasure that I 1 understand my last device deice of a seal for the board bard of bf admiralty has met with mith your hondours honours Ho Ilo approbation this seal which V alb wa was s adopted opted may 4 1780 had 13 red and white stripes in a later letter lie he asked for compensation for or ills his services ces itemizing a list of desir lip that t lie he ably had prepared prep ired adiong A niong was the flag of the united states of america and a great seal for the united states of america with a reverse but even though it may not be ble to establish his right to that distinction lie he showed his versatility in other ways which entitle film to re remembrance As early as 1771 1774 hopkinson had won a name tor for himself by publishing an allegory in which m blob be recounts recount recounted 6 the wrongs ot of the colonies onies and this Js Is said to have done much to fan the spirit of aps revolution in all who read it throughout the revolution he continued to use his gifts as a writer in a series of satires directed at the british which were published in the newspapers of the day and and attracted widespread attention aa arr J some of 0 them even being attributed to benjamin franklin the most famous of all of hop kIn sons writings was the battle of the kegs based on an incident which took place during the british occupation of philadelphia A certain david bushnell Bus bnell had invented a turtle shaped one man submarine which he proposed to use in attaching bombs and time tillie fuses to the bottoms of british vessels in the delaware river tests of this submarine however were not very successful so the ingenious bushnell next nest conceived the idea of loading a number of kegs bilth alth powder and putting them in the river to float down and explode against the ships when they touched them most of them blew up when they struck lee ice cakes in the river but one did actually destroy a BrItis li boat this was mas enough however to throw tile the british into a panic and they began bombarding every floating object in the river both the guns on the ships and soldiers on tile the wharves keeping up an incessant tire fire tor for hours when hopkinson heard of this incident he was so amus amused ed that lie he wrote a poem called the battle of the kes kegs it immediately became the most popular soldier son song of the war and soldiers san sang it to a variation of the tune of yankee doodle during the remainder of the conflict it reads as follows fo lows THE BATTLE OF THE gallants attend and hear bear a friend tri trill 1 I 1 forth barmon harmonious lous ditty st strange ran re things III tell that late befell in philadelphia city early day Rs as poets pay just when the sun eun was rising A soldier stood blood on log of wood and saw a sight surprising aa A in amaze tie he stood to gaze 0 o the truth cant be denied sirs mrs ile he spied a score of kegs or more come floating down dox n the tide sirs airs A pallor too in jerkin blue the strange appearance viewing first damned his eyes in treat surprise then said some misch mis chiefs brewing the kegs now hold the rebel bold packed up like pickled herring A and nd come down to attack the town in this new way of ferrying the soldier flew the sailor too loo and beaded almost to death sirs airs wore out ih their ir shoes t to 0 spread the news and ran till out ot of breath ears now up and down throughout the town most frantic scene were acted and some ran here and some ran there like men almot distracted S some botne firs fire cried which some denied B but ut sald said the earth had bad quaked and girls and boys with hideous noise ron ran through the town half naked sir william he snug as a flea lay all this time a snoring nor dreamed of harm as he be lay warm in bed with mrs loring row N ow in a fright he starts upright awaked by ucb such a clatter he rubs both eyes yes and boldly cries tor for gods coils sake bake the matter maLter at his bedside lie is then espied filled I 1 sir erskine at command sirs upon one toot he had a boot and t other in ills hand sirs airs A arise sir erskine cries the rebels mores morell the pity phy without a boat are all afloat arid and ranged bedoe the city the motley crew in vessels new with satan for or their guide tile packed up in bags or wooden kegs keb s come driving down tho tide asir therefore prepare tor for blondy wart war those kegs must all bt be routed or surely burely wo we despised shall he be and british courage doubted the royal band now ready stand all ranged in dead array sire with stomachs stout to isee ie it 11 out and make a bloody day elra airs the cannons roar from shore to shore hore the small arms make a rattle since warlee gan im sure no man eer saw a so a battle the rebels sales isles the rebel dales with rebel trees surrounded tile the distant woods the hills bills and floods with rebel echoes sounded the och fish below swum swam to and fro attacked from roni every quarter why sure bure thought they the devila devil to pay longst folks folio above the water the kegs said tho strongly made mad of rebel staves and hoops sirs sire could not oppose the powerful loea foes the conquering british troops sirs from morn to night these men of 0 might displayed amazing courage and when the sun un was fairly down returned to sup their porridge A hundred men with each a pen or more upon my word sirs airs it Is most true would be too few their valor to record sirs airs such teats feats did they perform that day upon those wicked kegs sire airs that years to come if they get home make their boasts and brags braes firs airs in hopkinson published a group of seven songs sones which he be dedicated to his excellency george washington whether or not this had anything to do with his appointment as united states district judge in pennsylvania Is a matter for conjecture at any rate in 1790 Was liln ton barned him for that position ile he did not live long to enjoy the new lionor however for lie he died of a stroke of apoplexy on mily liny 0 1791 ills his son joseph hopkinson born in philadelphia la november Noi Xo ember 12 1770 followed closely in his fathers footsteps graduated from the Un hersity of Pennsy hanla in he also studied law and began practice in easton pa in 1701 but lie he soon returned to philadelphia and rapidly rose to a position of prominence at the bar lie ile was elected to congress in 1814 and at the close of ills term moved to bordentown Borden town where chere lie he remained until IS he then resumed tile practice of law and in 1828 president john quincy adams appointed him judge of the united states court for the eastern district of pennsylvania the same office held by his grandfather thomas hopkinson under the british crown hopkinson died in philadelphia january 15 1842 in addition to his distinction as a jurist hopkinson was for many years president predent of the philadelphia academy of fine arts which he helped found and vice president of the american philosophical society which his father had bad helped establish ile he was a ariter of wide renown on legal educational cat ional and ethical subjects but heis he Is best remembered for the patriotic song which lie wrote in 1708 conflicting stories are told as to tile tha reason for hopkinson writing hall columbia according to one version lie he wrote it in honor of president john adams because of adams protest the shameful attempt it f the french government to exact bribes from american ministers sent to france to make a treaty which would sli looth out the difficult difficulties es between that keoun try and the united states another version Is that it was written in order to get up an american spirit which should be independent of and above the interests passions arid and molicy of both borth belligerents in the threatened war between france arid and great britain whatever tile the motive back of it it seems pretty definitely established that fiat philadelphia theaters went to alop anson n und arid tried with mith alls help to put words to a piece of music called the presidents march blitch hecl was an atran arrangement ran gement of an old german folk song fox had bad been unable to find word that would adequately express the na nai i lional feeling but HopkIn hopkinson bon and ills hla wife m wrote rote such a song bong and mrs hop flop unson aitt placed ed it on the clavichord fox sang the song in the theater advertising ver it as the new federal song and it gained instant popularity it win was not cot known as kiall Colum columbia bla however er until it was first sung sing in a new york theater some time later but for the next 16 years until fran els cis scott keys star spangled bannet banner swept the country it was regard od ed as tile only national song SOBS vf f till tb new republic a 0 1330 1930 warn newspaper union |