The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-06-29
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our school to keep order that afternoon
and to get any work done. .s$ We were
dismissed early II and went out into the
streets, which were seething with 4 A Hex- u
cited masses Of shouting and heeTtng
men. Some wore little strips of 81 RED
cloth as tokens that they had lrsady
enlisted for the defense gof the 5oi idS Shag.
The stars and stripes few from many
q building, but not in any suchSn tJers
as were to be- seen In later years. 5 IIt
was not that the people had not Sthe
will to display the flag, but that IT was fs
not to be had Id sufficient quantities Tor
the purp ose.@ We5were at the close CT q
long period OF free trade. and not
yard OF bunting was made In america.
Small flags of cottOnf stuff could be- had,
but for large flags, of either silk on bslpt-
Ing, we weresd dependent on British man
ufacturers and their ag gents, the import
ers. Even the flag which foated over
the national capitol as we'll as as th y at
which had been hauled down from Fort b
Sumter, was made Of foreign stuff, and
never had been on an American loom.
So the number Of flags Of q good size
were few, and our regiments at tirst
marched under flags woven on foreign
looms. a5 s. ST. S.3s 'ss55 a. n $9 n
Who that lived through those wonder
full years Of the war but remembers the
tense emotions which erwreathed the
flag as the flag never was enwreathed be-
fore? It was the symbol Of all that men
laid down their lives for. and women l'
gave up husbands, sons and lovers LOT.
It was Che sacred thing, demanding the
highest reverence. Men might Jest at
almost anything else, but not at the dag
1T feW from every public edifice; twas
the banner under which social and pub
lie reunions were held: it was Wreathed
about the altar and the cradle. Men
took their sweetteaTts to be their wives
under its folds; the dead were enshroud-
ed in it's colors. How it was borne in ev-
cry battle was telegraphed from the
front: that It waved over a captured fort
or surrendered city was the seal Of
our advance to the final triumph. All
the loyalty which monerchial countries
lavish upon their personal ruler was
layished upon this imp symbol
Of nations inyiolate unity and per
petual LIE. All that oratory and poetry
could elaborate was devoted to glorify it.
Our grandest triumph is that it floats
alone today over a united country, 'is as
dear to the Southern as to the Northern
people and was alone displayed. Oh the
recent Decoration Day exercises, when
the monument to the confederate dead
was dedicated in Chicago. It will nev-
er again be hauled down from any fort
ress on American soil, for the grand
heat OF national patriot otism, which flash
ed into fame in all instant at the news
of an attack upon it, has caught in its
infection our erring brethren OF the
South no less than ourselves. The
flag of our union" which symbolizes at
once the ind estructible unity OF the ma
ton and its complex cflara acter a as as q q
Afslalal system thus stands ss at once 2fof
state rights and for the collective SOW
ereignty Of the American people. Nj II
With us Flag Day is especially a
school day. The children are impress
ed with what the flag stands for by the
voices Of soldiers of the war, who risked
their lives in its defense, but who, in
the true spirit Of the soldier, have no
words Of bitterness for those whom they
met and fought. No breath Of section
Eal bitterness have our boys and girls
heard from them, as they come to the
Gag raisings, in which "Old Glory is
flung to the peaceful breezes. Only our
undivided and indivisible country is
spoken of as the land of self-goyernment
where the people are the government,
and the institutions Of their choice exist
for the common good Of all. VI: s.s .88 II
To the Irish people Old Glory lis sen-
tdeared by associations Of friendly help
and hearty sympathy. One speaker at
Ia recent flag raising told OF his landing
at Queenstown and trying to get his
hand luggage quickly through the Cork
custom house. The first man he saw
at leisure In the force Of officials mere
" opened his gripsack and those Of his
companions and, finding in each a little
American ilag,, closed it with a. snap and
chalked it as passed" They offered
him something for his kind promptness.
but he declined it. "The! flag is enough
for me, was his answer. Another told
of it floating over the great procession
OF the Irish Nationalist in the streets Of
Dublin, along with the green banner Of
old Ireland, but without the British flag,
which sym mbolizes alien rule in Ireland.
Burning with star fires, yet never con
#. suming, Hs.52 l&5s Il 4
Flash it's proud ribbons of lily and rose