The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-05
PATRIOTIC SERVICES.
At the Chestnut Street M. e. Churcb--Ad-
dress by Rev. DR.. Parsons.

Red, white and blue encircled the
pillars and festooned the walls of the
vestry of the Methodist Episcopal church
yesterday afternoon and the usual Sunday
school service were varied by interesting
ana patriotic exercises appropriate to
Independence Day" The following was
the order of exercises
Recitation-An Grafton, Clyde Fraser
Solo-If l We're Voice,
Miss Gertrude Card
| Flag Exercise Miss Moody's Class
Recitation-A Hero, Eddie Frimmingham
The Rotations and solo were very
creditable and the flag exercise notable
feature which carried home to the little.
ones the fact that the red in the flag was
typical of love the white of purity and the
blue of loyalty.
| Rev. DR.. Parsons followed in brief
address rejoicing in the fact that he was
an American and after dwelling upon the
inspiration which comes from the day
then introduced the Hon. John W. Vroo-
man of New York who referred to his love
OF children and illustrated his great re-
gard for Dr. Parsons by the story of the
lrishman who in preparing for his funeral
gave directions that he should be buried
equally distant from the remains of his
two former wives if anything with little
leaning towards Kitty--so with him while
he loved all Methodist preachers he had a
little stronger leaning than otherwise to
wards his old friend DR.. Parsons. He
told the children that over the capitol at
Washington the same old flag had foated
for fifty years. 1t required of course
patching now and then piece here and
there So should it be with their char
acters, old habits, if bad should make
way for good ones. He asked: Do know
who made the first flag? Betsey Ross
Where did it float? Fort Stanwix, Oneida
county, New York. How was it made?
A wife tore up her red petticoat, hus-
band his blue shirt, and the white was
similarly provided from a tattered gari
ment. And yet this flag was sufficiently
inspiring to it's followers to cause the
British General Herkimer to strike his
colors and beat hasty retreat. Proutler
to Mr.. Vrooman than any parchment
from college, state or nation WAS the
Grand Army badge which he wore, and
he wished no higher title than that of a
Christian gentleman.
| At three o'clock DIR. Parsons preached
an able sermon, taking his text fr I'M End
Samuel, 7th chapter. and 2Sd verse "And
what one nation in the earth is like thy
people" He said: Millions of people con-
vene in their places of worship today. This
is fitting, for one singularity of our great
ness as q nation is in surface area In ex-
tent there are 1900, 900 of square miles,
more than all Europe, there is a shore
line exceeding the circumference of the
earth $4,000 miles; there is system of
river navigation twice the circumference
of the earth; a domain greater than
Alexander's when he thought he had con-
quered the world; equal to Rome's, when
the Caesars sat on the throne and that
Imperial power swayed sceptre from the
Persian gulf to the Western ocean, from
the wall of Antonius to the mountains of
| the Moon, and yet our inheritance is a
grander one our resources, our territory
our variety of climates are unparalleled.
California skies are brighter than Italy $,
there are no more healthful breezes than
Florida's. Geographically the United
States of America is in the belt Of Empire
between the 30th and Goth degrees Of
North Latitude. There the great nations
of the past have existed and all the great
nations of the present dwell. This might
be contracted by ten degrees more and yet
be more specially true. Our population is
increasing too rapidly, 1t has always
doubled every 20 to 30 years. If that
should continue, we would have 100000,
600 on this continent in the year 200}g
Mr.. Gladstone says that number will
probably speak the English language, but
the speaker suggested that at about that
time, it would be good time to change
the name to the American language
Foreigners coming here may speak their
native languages but their children and
children's children must speak the Ameri-
can language. There is no room on this
continent for anybody but Americans
Tides have been flowing westward
western supremacy is sure to come,
The centre of population in 1900 was
on line running north and south
through Washington, D. c., now the
centre is on line running north and
south near Indianapolis, Ind. The
speaker said: IT feel like throwing my hat
and cheering for brave old Abram Hewitt,
who when mayor of New York de-
clared that no green flag could float from
the public buildings in that great city on
st. Patrick's day, for John A. Wise
of Virginia, when he said that the Con-
federate flag was out of place in any
parade of loyal soldiers and citizens, and
for the police of Chicago when they
swooped down on the Anarchistic as
semblies and confiscated the red flag of
wrack and ruin. Oh, yes one language
and one flag, one speech and Old Glory,
these are good enough for us and they
must be for all who come here
Patriotic Services.
| TLaro xx-ara rarvices Of n Dafriotio No t,,,o