The Portland daily press., 1895-07-05
CHILDREN'S CELEBRATION.
Patriotic Speeches and Songs at City
Hall,

lie schoois-There Should Be But One
Flag in Intelligence Makes
Patriots.
The patriotic citizens of Portland
should thank the Women's Council for
their children's exhibition in CITY Hall
yesterday. 1t was not large number
that assembled to listen to the speeches,
mores the pity, for if there is any one
thing tnat Fourth of July means, it
means the recalling to the old, as well as
the young, the facts that give them a
country today. Until very recently it
was the custom to have an oration. a
reading of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence and the singing of patriotic airs,
and this time-honored custom was in
danger of falling into ''innocuous desue-
tude," until the women took, the matter
in hand. All honor to the women. Let
all remember that, from the days of the
Gracchi, it has been due mainly to the
women that we have had men with those
principles instilled into them that have
made our country what it is today.
The center of the hall was occupied
yesterday by the school children, in their
light dresses, each bearing the national
flag, which they waved as they sang,
producing most pleasing effect. The
rear of the stage was draped with the
national colors, with the beautiful ban
ner of the W. c. T. U. in the center.
Over these, and to the front of the plat
form were festoons of red, white and
blue, and potted plants added to the
general effect. These societies were rep
resented on the platform:
Home for Aged Women, Women's Foreign
Missionary Society of Chestnut Street. Samari-
tan Association. Bosworth Relief Corps, Young
Woman'S Christian Association, WomaIl's Aux
lllary OF y Z. M c. A., Equal Suffrage Club, Tenn
porary Home, Friends Foreign Mission w
c. I. u. One Day Club, Second Parish Circle.
There were present also the venerable
Rev. DR.. c. F. Allen and Rev. DR..
Blanchard. Mrs. Augusta M. Hunt,
vice president at large, presided. In the
left gallery Chandler's full band played
delightfully."- for half hour before the
exercises, and gave several numbers dur
ing. the children's hour that were loudly
applauded.
Shortly after II o'clock, Mrs. Hunt
took the rostrum and called Rev DR..
Blanchard, who made a most impressive
and patriotic prayer. Then the children
rose and, waving their flags, recited the
lode to Loyalty" At the close, Mrs.
Hunt delivered short address. She be-
gan by saying that everybody and every
thing has birthday. Every nation
doesn't know when it's birthday comes.
but we know ours dates from july 4.
1776.
In her young days it was called Inde-
pendence Day. The idea of the Wom-
ems Council is to teach the children
what this birthday means. Some time
ago an Englishman came here and asked
us why we made SO much fuss about our
flag. 1t hoated over our schoolhouses,
and children were taught to venerate it,
and she thought if he could have been
here and heard their code to Loyalty''
he would have understood it.
Mrs. Hunt then, beginning with the
time when we had no United States, but
were colonies and used the British flag,
gave running historical account of what
events lead to the revolution and the
adoption of the various flags used as
emblems. from the one used in 1774, a
plain red field with the English, or St.
Georges cross, in the union, to the final
adoption of the Stars and Stripes by act
of Congress in 1918, each flag being
brought forward by girl or boy when
named by the speaker, and unfurled to
the gaze of the audience Then the
speaker referred to the great rebellion of
1860, and told how we welcomed the
'boys in blue' as they marched home
after the four years war without star
erased from our glorious banner and with
the dark blot of slavery forever wiped out
from our country. ''If,'' said she, "you
had seen the bullet holes and the shreds
that remained when those flags were
borne along by the returning regiments,
you would have had some conception of
the word patriotism. You could answer
that Englishman when he asked why
you made such fuss over your flag, that
without it you would not have had
country. You do not want to rest upon
the glory of the past, but by being good
men and women you can make old
Glory even more glorious"
The children then sang finely, ''There
Are Many Flags in Many Lands" Mrs.
Hunt at the close remarked that Hon,
Charles F. Libby had been called away
suddenly on Friday night, but that DR..
Blanchard had kindly consented to make
a brief address. DR.. Blanchard began
by saying that the bells were ringing and
the drums beating Nov. 1, 1765, but with
different feeling and purpose from the
spirit that caused them to ring and beat
today. Now its cause is joy, then it was
sorrow. Then citizens, even the chill
dren, were gathered together in anger.