Music: Ready Cohan

George M. Cohan, veteran song-&-dance man, dramatist and Broadway's darling, has always been "regular." When it comes to patriotism he is not only regular but ready. Long before the World War he warmed up with such rousing ditties as I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy and You're a Grand Old Flag. When the War really gave him something to pitch to, Tunesmith Cohan wrote its U. S. theme song. Over There sold around 2,000,000 copies.

Last week Tunesmith Cohan tried his aging right arm again. Before 1,500 approving members of the American Newspaper Publishers' Association in Manhattan, he sang his latest marching song. Its title: We Must Be Ready. Sample lines:

Uncle Sam is not the kind That's looking for a fuss; But if they should feel inclined To take a shot at us— Talk about your rallying Should the bugle blow, No delay or dallying, Bang! And off we'd go! We must be ready. It's well to be ready. You never can tell—you never can tell In a fight, what they might prepare to do. They might compel us to yell, "We dare you to." And so we must get busy. . . .