Show OF WHAT 1 ARE WE THINKING in by GEORGE BARR mccutcheon of 01 the what Is in the mind of the lie american citizen while the star spangled banner Is being pla played yedo ot of what are we thinking are arc we thinking of the flag and all that it stands for or are our minds otherwise engaged of course it Is reasonably certain that we are thinking of something but have our thoughts the slightest connection with the message our flag Is carrying to the enemy we obediently arise with the first sonorous note of the anthem and we remain standing till the end we have learned or we are arc learning to face the music more or less at attention and we are developing the conviction that it Is an offense to chatter while the strains of 0 our war song perhaps our death song fill our ears but are wa thinking of the star spangled banner or are we silently urging the musicians to hurry up and be done with it so that we may resume oil an interrupted occupation are we impatiently waiting to take up tip a broken conversation a game of bridge the telling of a story the rending reading of a new newspaper shaper the liberal art of criticizing the war department the navy or the administration or what Is infinitely more incompatible exploiting the hateful efficiency of tile the foe pay respect to the flag wo we sit in public places and we arise because we are in public places we suspend for tile moment our physical interests find and we look about us see if other people are doing the samp some of us pet get up grudgingly and stand as wo we happen to have been sitting pitting with our backs to the music same of us ns go on knitting others of 1 us cOntil continue lue to keep heep our bands in our and our cigars in oil our mouths others think that nothing mole Is required of thein than lie file lomei lowering jug of the voice to an andl undertone artone others consider a bland cpr corpion pion or of resignation to be and some fall into 1110 ill an attitude of tol tolerant ernnt there Is 11 little or no evidence 3 of exaltation no ign of nn an thrill no suggestion of a profound emotion cin em otien the beautiful in of nf tho thought ugilt that aurise aUri sd tile ali Is jacking ilie rull full livar tod d en aaion that gholi fies itule is als alstot tnt even the fervor of leip 1 he w ii z N fibril iced in guttural gutti iral Is sauly sadly wanting i c taw nio most st the most inot ino t art proal in III the voila lie aio totally eaid of innig dining the rendition of 1 aur ur war song ui u i I 1 ap not ti biln ln or cr even een pray as the french the english and the germans think and pray while their song of hope Is being sounded the star spangled banner Is our battle song it goes into the thick of tile the fight with our flag and our boys it emphasizes our hopes our alma aims our longings and of what are we thinking we who stay at home while its strains are falling failing upon our ea ears rs I 1 are we so to speak playing the game beginning of our prayer why we one and all great and small think alike for as long as five minutes in each lay day let there be but one thought one prayer while the hymn is ringing rangin from one end of this great land to the other othe r let this be the beginning of our prayer the instant the band strikes up the star spangled banner god be with our flag and our soldiers and our arms wherever they may be and let this be the end of our devout intensified prayer fils as the last note dies away god give us victory 1 not perfunctorily not as a matter of duty but with our hearts in it our nerves aquiver ulver our eyes glowing with the fire of enthusiasm one thought one prayer in a him hundred million minds every heart full every mind intent as we face the enemy for after all this star spangled banner of ours is facing the foe in a faron far off on land and there is no other direction in which we lye may look our men go with the banner to the music of guns we stand at home and face not the guns but a group of fiddlers fidd lers our thoughts our prayers nevertheless should be the same as theirs our silent prayer however brief should be for victory let us always utter it one and all while the star spangled banner Is being played god give us victory |