The National tribune., 1895-05-02
THE RELIEF CORPS.
Gleanings from National Headquar-
terS---NoteS from Departments.
THE PATRIOTIC PROBLEM.

Line Upon Line and Precept Upon Precept
Get the Flag in the Schools, Then Get IT
| Your Teaching-Sketches and Portraits o
Patriotic Presidents-A Comrades Ringing
| Plea for United Loyal Womanhood Under
the Banner of the Only Official Auxiliary
of the Grand Army of the Republic.
| THE PATRIOTIC PROBLEM.
| Again and again and again it seems necessary
to explain what is meant by the flag salute, and
how it is but the beginning of a great movement
to make homogeneous American citizenship
out of the alien and indifferent elements within
our vast and rapidly developing country.
In some places objection has been made to
| the American patriotic salute because of its
| recognition of cardinal Americanism: "We
give our heads and our hearts to God and our
| country. One country, one language, one
flag"
One complaint is that this introduces religion
into the schools. Well. If there is any Christian,
evangelical or liberal, or any Jew, or any
| simple deist, or anyone else, who believes that
there is ruling intelligence anywhere in this
vast universe who objects TO recognition of this
intelligence in saluting the flag of his country,
let him say so. 1t is the flag salute we want,
anu IL thS III oSHooi III bhO Souhiiy
want this, or any other salute with God ="
left out. there is no objection to their having
it. Let it be a salute to "Old Glory" and the
work of teaching patriotism through symbols
is begun.
Another objection is to the clause "One
language" that many public schools are teach
ing German as part OF the school course, and
that Germans will resent movement TO nave
instruction in the German language thrown
out of their schools
Now, no one actively interested In this move
ment has ever had the most remote idea OF
entering any school and prescribing what and
what not they should teach
As we'll say that. this phrase zone language"
was aimed at the study of Latin as that 1t IS
aimed at the study of German. What is meant is
that the English language, which is the Ian
guage OF law and literature in this country, shall
be taught in every school in the United States,
and that every foreign born boy aud girl shall
attend schools where they shall be taught to read
aud write and speak the language of the country
in which they have found their homes and in
whose counsels they are to have part.
Is not the English language taught In all the
schools in this country? someone asks. No, it
is not. Col. Balch, who originated the Amer
lean Patriotic Salute after a personal inspec-
ton Of the tenement quarters OF New York
City, said: Many of the schools are made up
exclusively of children of the same nationality
and faith, in which foreign language is the
language of the school,"
Again, Col. Balch. said: "Until / had made
a personal investigation of this subject my i'm
preston had always been, and this view is,
think, shared by the great body OF educated
citizens, that the public school system reaches
down to the very. foundations of the social
structure. and affords theneans OF giving every
child an elementary EDUCATION, no matter how
obscure or poor its parents may be.
,a &c sI,.t q, sob eva
tenn. and while it may be true in rural districts
in towns where sociabdistnctions are not so
sharply drawn as I'M CITIES, it is not the case
in this metropolis. as the most skeptical would
be promptly convinced after visiting this class
of schools The pupils in tire public
schools, as body. come from the great middle
class of our citizens"
Some years since the Captain of Police in
one of the wards of New York City reported
that out of IL. 600 children between the ages Of
five and 16, but 1000 attended school. Chill
dren's Aid Schools, Kindergartens, and other
agencies have greatly REDUCED the per centage
Of children outside the schools and it is in these
that the flag salute and its attendant teachings
is accomplishing such great good.
Centuries ago Ricbelieu made the language of
France homogeneous by founding the French
University. The great Bismarck saw that the
united German provinces and the reconquered
Alsace would never be nationalzed until the
German language was taught in every school
and every child found place in the schools.
The United States will never reach its high
est development until every citizen read
the Declaration of Independence. the Constitu-
tion of the Nation and the Constitution of the
State that has made him an eector, in the Ian
guage of the country to which he owes alegi-
ance. Therefore. in anticipation of this happy
day, every patriot, be he American born or for
eign born. ought and can unite in salutng his
flag in saying One language"
This is particularly true of the brave German
patriots who signed their citizenship with their
best blood upon many sanguine battlefield,
following the flashing splendor of Old Glory,
leading on the van. And some of our strongest
support comes from these men.
OUR FLAG.
When DER each schoohouse In our land
Our starry flag is streaming.
Let all our youth full understand
'Tis streaming DER "a mighty land
And has n sacred meaning.
Though costly silk. though battered rag,
1t must be always freedoms flag.
How vast the territorial length
And breadth OF freedoms countryi
Our Stars and Stripes do represent
Its great, united. growing strength
And pure enlightened liberty.
Though costly silk though battered rag,
We love our glorious countrys flag.
Stars for each State on azure lie,
White the hue OF heaven;
Red stripes for bloody victories dye
White waves; our martyred fathers cry,
Keep pure what we have given.
Though sken fold. though faded rag
Revere your blood bought freedom flag"
On this high pinnacle upreared
Wen still keep fresh thy story.
So long reheRrsed, and so endeared,
The power OF all thy foes unfeared-
Well worship thee. Old Glory;
And dare the world thee down 10 drag,
For o, thou art our country's fagl
M. U. Vose, In Boston Traveller.
THE GRANITE STATE PRESIDENT.
Department President II. Lizzie Foster, Mil |
ford, N. H., comes of the sterling Scotch-Ir |
ancestry which has formed the rugged bedrock |
of the strong social fabric reared by the Revolu-
tionary sires and danes of the old Granite State |
The names of her ancestors are illustrious in
the struggles for civil and religious liberty in
both Scotland and America.
William Wallace and John Burns were among |
the founders of Milford, and from the time they
set foot upon New Hampshire soil. early in tho |