By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

Baseball fans have no doubt noticed a new practice at many ballparks of not only playing the national anthem before each game, but also "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch. That reminds me of the ongoing debate, begun long before the most recent patriotic surge, over whether "The Star-Spangled Banner" should be replaced by "God Bless America" as the official national anthem.

The most popular argument in favor of a change is that "The Star-Spangled Banner" is simply too difficult to sing. That alone, in my mind, is not reason enough to replace the existing anthem. There is the question of historical significance.

Nearly every good song has an interesting story behind it, a story profound and moving enough (or funny enough, as the case may be) to inspire a musical tribute. "God Bless America" was written by one of our nation's greatest song writers, while the author of "The Star-Spangled Banner" would be a total unknown except for that single composition. But a study of the events leading up to their creation deserves another look.

According to the Smithsonian Institution's Web site, the original version of "God Bless America" was written by Irving Berlin during the summer of 1918 for a Ziegfeld-style revue. "Make her victorious on land and foam, God Bless America..." ran the original lyric. However, Berlin decided that the solemn tone of "God Bless America" was somewhat out of keeping with the more comedic elements of the show and the song was laid aside.

In the fall of 1938, as war was again threatening Europe, Berlin decided to write a "peace" song. He recalled his "God Bless America" from 20 years earlier and made some alterations to reflect the different state of the world. Singer Kate Smith introduced the revised "God Bless America" during her radio broadcast on Armistice Day, 1938. The song was an immediate sensation; the sheet music was in great demand. Berlin soon established the God Bless America Fund, dedicating the royalties to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America.

The Star-Spangled Banner was inspired by an important battle in the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key spent a rainy night as a prisoner on a British ship in the harbor near Fort McHenry in Maryland as the British fleet shelled the fort mercilessly. He was a lawyer who had agreed to try to negotiate the release of an American doctor taken prisoner by the British.

When the American forces successfully defended the fort, its commander lowered the storm flag that flew during the rain-soaked bombardment and raised a larger, dry flag with 15 stripes and 15 stars on the morning of Sept. 14, 1814.

Upon seeing that flag from eight miles offshore, he knew that the fort had not surrendered. He took a letter from his pocket and began to compose a poem on the back of it. Its original title was "The Defense of Fort McHenry," and it was sung to the tune of a popular English song, "To Anacreon in Heaven."

In 1931, following a 20-year effort during which more than 40 bills and joint resolutions were introduced in Congress, was a law finally signed proclaiming "The Star Spangled Banner" to be the national anthem of the United States.

That flag was donated to the Smithsonian nearly 100 years ago and remains there today, undergoing restoration. It measures 30 by 34 feet, and each star is 26 inches across.

When one tries to place oneself at that scene with Key, watching the nation under attack and his own personal freedom at risk, the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" have significantly more weight than they do in a stadium before Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. So we have two wonderful songs, but one has something more, and that's why it's the official song of this country.

In light of recent events and their direct effect on so many families, allow me to share my favorite song story of all.

In the nineteenth century, Horatio G. Spafford waited for the arrival of his wife and two daughters, who were crossing the Atlantic Ocean by ship. He received word that the ship had sunk, and agonized for many hours without word of his family's condition.

Finally, he received a telegram from his wife. It contained only two words: "Safe, alone." He knew instantly that his precious little girls were lost at sea, never to return. In this time of utter desolation, he sat down and penned these words:

When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrow like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.

His personal tragedy became an anthem sung in thousands of churches every week, more than one hundred years after it was composed. May the families of our most recent fallen heroes find comfort in these words as well.

[Monroe Roark can be reached at mroark@TheCitizenNews.com.]

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