The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-04-30
THE SCHOOL HOUSE FLAG.

PROMOTES Patriotism.
The organized .'school house flag
movement" has been in progress during
the greater part of four years In that
short time the seed sown in one earnest
suggestion has borne fruit in school after
school, in town after town, in state after
state.
Though there are still many schools
which are not as yet provided with the
flag, the time does not seem far distant
when no public school shall be too poor,
too remote or too indifferent to have the
stars and stripes floating above its roof.
Sufficient time has passed since the
movement began to make it possible to
judge the results of the unfurling of the
flag above SO many schools.
Has the proceeding had real mean
ing to the scholars? Has it stirred up in
the breasts of boys and girls the hope of
living to be brave men and good women?
Has it begun to serve with the chill
dren of the millions from abroad who
inherit no love for our country as SYM
Dol around which Will grow up thor.
oughly American feeling?
Has it stimulated a love of the study
OF history, and given children a new
idea Of the significance IF law and order
with freedom, 50 that they themselves
become orderly and subject to whole
some discipline?
The writer has seen large number of
letters from teachers "5ughout the
country, over whose s the flag has
been raised, which al. Ii these very
questions.
The flag has come to mean some
thing" writes one teacher in Minnesota.
whereas before it was meaningless
piece of CLOTH" II can see," writes
another teacher from Missouri, ''quite a
change in the children's feelings toward
the flag. Now they seem to think that
it is their hag--an effect that never
could have been produced by talking"
Many other teachers report distinct
growth of real patriotism. In school
in Maine, almost every day after flag
raising one could hear the children
cheering the old flag"
Even the little children count the
stars in the blue field of their flag, and
learn what they mean. The older pupils
ransack the books of the history of the
flag itself, and in so doing are impressed
with new idea Of it's story and of its
relation to their own condition and priv
ileges.
In this way the school house flag, seen
SO often and SO constantly present in the
pupils thoughts, has a marked influence.
as several teachers report, upon foreign
born children and the children of foreign
born parents. One teacher from the
west writes:
''Eighty-six per cent. of my scholars
were either born in other countries or
are the children Of foreign born parents.
The effect of the flag upon my school has
been to make every one of my pupils en-
thusiastic Americans. IL for any rea-
son the flag is not raised for day, they
clamor for its raising. No more enthu-
siastic or patriotic set of children can be
found in the United States than those of
my school"
These children begin to feel for Ameri-
ca the same patriotic devotion which
their fathers were taught from the
cradle to manhood, in song and in story,
to feel toward the lands from which
they came.
The flag increases the children's inter-
est in the school, and this must react
upon conduct. Many teachers testify to
this. One in Connecticut says, II notice
it is easier to govern the children since
the flag was raised" Another in Massa-
chusetts says, sit has been grand step
in our school toward making brave,
manly boys and womanly girls"
1t has been proposed that the raising
of the flag be one of the exercises in all
the public school celebrations ON Column
bus Day. This arrangement will slim
ulate all the schools which have not vet
raised the colors to obtain flag before
that date.
The executive committee of the ma
tional Columbian public school celebra-
ton have taken a good step in ANNOUNCE
ing that any school writing to their
chairman in Boston will be given ,,rac-
teal suggestions and material aid on
how to procure flag. Not one nnblic
school in America ought to allow itseIf
to be without the stars and strines on
this memorable occasion.