Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-05-10
Bs,chec on the American Flag.


. " EsErE
Bsecher on the American Flag.
Henry Ward Beech preach d a charac.
T. riStic : rn"n on Sunday last, which is thus
sketchc,l in tn, Tribune OF Monday:-
Mr.. B 1ech r took his text from tn. Goth
psalm, 4th verse: Thou hast given ban
nor to them that fear thee. that it may be
displayed because Of the truth From the
earliest times nations had gone forth to war
under some banner 1t was used probably
at first as a ralying signal to direct men in
the confusion of the conflict, that the leader
might gather about him his followers when
he was lost to their sight. 1t acquired pecu-
liar significance from the purpose of houses
or governm ,ntS that adopted it. At length,
rs consolidated prnments drank up les
ser ind prndent authorit s, banners became
significant chiefly as r, pr senting nations. -
No civilized nation hut had its banner \
thoughtful man when he saw a natio al flag
saw symbolizcd tn" nation it belonged to-
When the French tricolor rolled out to tn g.
Wind. he saw France; when the new found
fisg of Italy was unGi,rl:d, he saw..reSurrcc
sd Italy; and so Of 9TH RS. This / nion has
Il banner, too.
Until recently, whenever ii STRAINED abovc
men saw daylight bursting upon their eyes.
For until lately the American flag has been
the symbol OF liberty. not any flag upon the
globe has had such an GRAND. The stars
upon it were to the pining nations like the
fright morning stars. and the stripes upon
il wyrc beams Of morninr light Wherever
il goes men behold in it, Sacrytl cm,lazonry
10 signal Of imperial auth rity, hut they see
the signals Of light; it is the banner fd,wn; !;
and the poor oppressed conscript. the trod
d.n- .own crcatur Of foreign 4, ,spotism. sees
in the American flag that very promise OF
God-"Tha pcoplc that sat in darkness saw
great light. and 20 tn m which sat in the val
ley Of ,leatl, light is sprung up" Durir.
the colonial period th,rc had been TO Amer
lean flag but each State that chose had a
separate significant banner But in III.
within ftw days from one year aft.r the
Declaration Of Independence. and two years
or more after the war began, upon the l4th
of .Junr. the States assembled, and ordained
and established the glorious flag. we now sus
tain. The men who devised it were men
who had tax, n their lives i'm their hands, and
cons; Grated all their worldly possessions for
the doctrines of p rsonal liberty That flag
means LeXinyton--it means Bunker Hill-it
means the whole glorious Revolutionary War
1t means all that the Declaration Of Indepen-
d"ncc means.-all that the Constitution me ans.
Not symbol of authority of the ruler was
allowed to 90 on it. 1t was ordained for the
people by the paople that it meant and that
it means, and by the blessing Of God, that il
shall mean to the end Of time. For God Al
mighty be thanked, that when base, dcgcn-
crate men d sire to set up oppression at war
with all the instincts Of American liberty,
the could not do it nndcr our flag. They
must have another flag for such work.
thank them that they took another flag to do
the devils work. Applause-s,ipprcsscd |
II ever the sentiment of the text has been
fulfilled, it has been in our glorious bann,r
Thon hast given banner to them that
fear them, Hat IL may he displayed:." and
displayed it shall be from the Atlantic wave
clear across, with eagle flight, to the Pacific
that banner shall wave meaning all that il
ever meant From the North where SHOWS
and ice stand solitary, clear to the Gulf and
tropics. that banner has waved and shall
wave forever. Irrcprcssible aprlausc.l Mr..
Beccher said he knew it was hard to restrain
some expression when men were full of feel.
wait till his sermon was done without inscr-
ting any punctuation marks of even enthu.
siasm. Not because he thought Sunday too
good day. but it was not their way. They
came OF silent stock, with feelings running
IN deep but quiet channel. Under this
banner moved Washington. he and his ar
mics; before il Burgoyne laid down his arms;
it waved over West Point, over Fort Mont,
gomery--and over ano.hcr Montgomery il
shall yet wave. 1t chcercd our army, driven
out from around New York, in their solitary
pilsrmage, through New Jersey, and at Val
" Forge. 1t crossed the waters roaring with
ice at Trenton, and when its stars cleaned in
the cold morning with victory, a new day
dawned on this country. When South Caro-
lima, in tn revolutionary struggle, forgot
courage and personal liberty, and yielded up
the State, the only one Of all that gave aelhe.
sion to the British Government, then it was
that this banner led on the Virginia forces
that conquered both the British and the Caro-
lima armies, and drought back the State. Alas |!
that the head should bccom. the tail. Alas !!
that Virginia should be dragged about the
reb ] camp at the tail Of South Carolina.
Now this flag is on trial II has been con-
demned. In the Confederate States. a Door
forgery mas been run up to stand in place Of
the old Revolutionary historic flag. in Ken.
lucky. Missouri, and the other middle States.
it is at halfmast, uncertain whether ii shall
come down. would they were cold or hot
/" So because thou art not cold or hot, I will
spcw thee out Of my mouth" We do not
believe IN hormaphroditc patriotism. These
middle States, these cnnuchs, it is little mat.
ter how they 90. unless they quickly 20
right. It was this Gag that was fired into ut
Sunpter; that flag which Russia could not
daunt. nor France intimidate, nor England
conquer, has gone down amid the treachcry
OF our own States Do you know that men