A NEW ZEALAND ANTHEM.

Evening Star, Issue 16091, 17 April 1916, Page 1

A NEW ZEALAND ANTHEM.

TO THE EDITOR. < Sir,—Some 10 days a.go or so J saw from ,1 paragraph in" your columns that a i gentleman in. C'hristchurch had offered a < prize of £SO for a New Zealand anthem. 1 which made me wonder what was wrong : 'God Defend New Zea~- ! land,' which was published with a mclo- ' dious tune 40 years ago, that it had not i "caught on"? Possibly a poet and a ' composer, like a, prophet,' have, no honor in 1 their own country, and perhaps the feel- ' ing that the universal British National ! Anthem was sufficient for our require- ' merits had something to do with it; but * 1 am sure that neither Thomas Bracken, ( when ho wrote the splendid words, nor "Mr T. T. Woods, when he composed the taking air, had any idea that their com- ' position should usurp the place of our ' honored National Anthem. Still, I think there is a place for the local anthem, and ' it is a great pity that it has fallen out } of sight. In the last quarter of a. cen- ' tury I have never heard Bracken's an- ; them sung, and only twice have I heard ; the tune rendered—once in the street by - a. German band, and once, recently, by J the orchestra in one of our tea rooms, i Apparently none of our school bands has ■ tho tunc in its repertoire, nor are the < words given in any of our school books; ; yet if we desire to cultivate local patriot- < ism, as well as the larger Imperial patriotism, which I think it will be generally admitted is a good thing to do, I can conceive nothing better calculated to foster that feeling than the singing occasion- ' ally by our school children of Bracken's 1 beautiful anthem.—l am, etc.. 1 Senex. April 17.