lieiifir of Kevieivs, 1112119. 



975 



THE FIRST SliXGING OP THE MARSEILLAISE. 



[Painting by Pi7s. 



AUSTRALIA'S NATIONAL SONG (?). 



V'ast the heritagfe we hold, 

 League on endless leajfue unrolled, 

 Splashed \vi:h sun and wattle-ffold, 



God's demesne,* Australia I 



Great our opportunity, 

 (xreater must our courag-e be: 

 For our race we hold in fee 



God's demesne, Australia. 



Sons of those who won the sea. 

 Of Imperial blood are we; 

 (Hir> the countrv of the free- 



God's demesne, Australia! 



The Musical Association of New 

 South Wales offered a prize of i^ioo 

 for the verses adjudged the best in an 

 Australian National Song Competition. 

 The adjudicators, Prof. M. W. MacCal- 

 lum (Sydney University), Prof. T. G. 

 Tucker (Melbourne LIniversity), and W. 

 Arundel Orchard, Mus. Bac, awarded 

 the prize to Mr. Arthur II. Adams, of 

 Sydney, for the above lines. It is 



*Note. — In the above form the verses were 

 accepted, but the Council of the Musical 

 Association of New South Wales, with the 

 approval of the author (Arthur H. Adams), 

 sanctions the employment of the optional 

 word " domain," if more familiar. 



Fredom for our onward stride ! 



Wide our continent, and wide 



Are the faiths and hopes that g:uide 



God's demesne, Australia 



Though begirt with guardian seas. 

 Not in careless, slothful ease 



Shall we shield thy liberties- 



God's demesne, Australia I 



Loyals scions of our race. 



Ready chance and change to face. 



We shall die, but ne'er disgrace 



God's demesne, Australia. 



doubtful whether Mr. Adams' effort will 

 ever become the popular national song 

 here. To judge b\' the criticisms, there 

 is little chance of this ever happening. 

 The literary qualit)' is certainly not 

 high, but there are many national an- 

 thems with less claim to literary excel- 

 lence., -The really vital thing is the 

 nuisical setting, and to set Mr. Adams' 

 Inies to music is likely to prove a dif- 

 ficult task. Mrs. Georgetta Peterson 

 gives a si)lendid statement of the musi- 

 cal imyiossibilities of the would-be an- 

 them in the " Argus " of November 25th. 

 -She is an authority on the subiect, hav- 



