Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1876-07-08
OUR CORRESPONDENCE.
Ecce INSANE.

Mr.. Editor This morning while
strolling through your mountain city,
amid the pealing of the many bells
and the booming of the cannon, my
attention being equally divided be-
tween admiring the multitudious flags
of different sizes and nationalities that
were everywhere given to the breeze,
and endeavoring to keep from falling
over the urchins that ran around me, l
thought with pride that our own red,
white and blue was by far the hand
soonest of all the baners had seen.
And, bubbling and seething over with
patriotic emotion, as l walked |
drought is there a man living who
would not willingly shed his hearts
blood in its defense So thinking |
approached your suburbs; "see,' said
I as I noticed banner floating from
a mansion near by, chow proudly it
spread itself; see purity embodied in
its spotless white; love in its red !;
truth in it's blue !" But glanced
again; Oh, ye heavens the blue
wasn't therel What flag is this ?
where am L? have I, like Milton or
Dante, been carried away in trance
to some celestial body? Am gazing
on the national banner of the moon?
Shall see Mar warriors gather round
their standard? No, all around me is
familiar; am still on the earth. To
what nation does this beautiful, this
magnificent banner belong? 0, for
the pencil of an Angelo, for the pen OF
a Milton, to describe this banner !
How magnifcently grand, how in
tsnsely beautiful! How -! but
language fails me. l will try to de-
scribe it. 1t had thirteen stripes,
alternate white and brown, the latter
two inches broad; the white stripes
about four. Where the blue ground
of our flag is, was white field sur
rounded by a narrow blue border
thickly studded with white stars. In
the middle of this white field is a large
bell surrounded by small flags, and
circling this, thirteen red stars.
After recovering somewhat from my
fit of exstacy at the sighto this unique
work Of art, how commonplace seemed
the stars and stripes l had euloglsed
50 copiously but moment before !
This glorious banner, thought |, shall
henceforth be mine though it be
thrown to the breeze in the neither
most parts of the earth! | will fight,
aye, die if need be, alone under its
benign shadow! Filled with this new
devotion l fastened to my lodgings
to find to what nation this banner be-
longed. Alas, I could find nothing
like it. Has the giant mind that con-
ceived this flag seen the necessity OF a
reform in banners as well as govern
ment? and with the heroic devotion
to principle which characterized a
Calico or Fulton, will he stand I'M
daunted the gibes and jeers Of the
present generation, that posterity may
arise and call him blessed? Would
that this man had lived in the days
when our forefathers scratched their
patriotic heads sore trying to work
out design for national flag? My
word for it they would have jumped
at this flag as eagerly a. hungry
minnow for the fat fly. Think YOU
that under the shadow Of such flag
we would have seen corruption IN
office stalking at noon-day? | trow
not. Under its benign influence we
would become modern Arcadia
while it's great designer would stand
side by side with our beloved Wash
ington-"First in the hearts of his
countrymen.
AN ADMIRER.