Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-03-12
THE LIVING FLAG"

At the st. Paul Grand Army Encnmp-
ment. rs Seen and Described by n Brat
tIebOro Veteran.
have been asked many times since nv
return from the 30th national encampment
of the Grand Army of the Republic at St.
Paul last September to describe the Living
Flag" which was the great and unique fea-
ture of that memorable occasion, and with
a desire to please as well as instruct the
children of our public schools ask the use
of your columns for this purpose. Object
teaching, ! believe, leaves its lasting i'm
print upon the minds of the young. Often,
as in the case at st. Paul, it stands as Il
beacon light and points the road to knowl-
edge over the wrecks of ignorance and SUI
persttion. The lesson Of patriotism and
LOYALTY to the flag, so well taught in our
public schools, believe should carry with
it the thought that the flag is the ensign of
the whole people, and that politicians who
annex horizontal stripe with the names
Of partisan candidates thereon not only de-
face but insult our ensign. 1t takes an act
of Congress to add a single star to the flag,
and yet custom permits that one year in
four the 14th or horizontal stripe shall be
added. If there is consistency here with
our teaching of the children about the flag
fail to see it.
OF all the object lessons in loyalty and
patriotism that at St. Paul must be regard
ed as the banner lesson. II was the pride
of the public schools OF the city, the acme
of perfection, a lesson thai would do the
u 600, 600 children in the public schools of
the country good to see, and the 100000
teachers would do well to study the lesson
so well impressed upon the minds of all
who saw It,
The Living Flag was composed of 200
boys and girls, ranging from 10 to II years
of age, all dressed in red. white and blue,
all wearing sailor caps, all arranged on an
inclined platform with seats running the
entire length, the first two rows being filled
with those wearing red, the next two with
those dressed IN white, and so on alternate
" until the Is stripes were formed. The
upper left hand corner OF the platform was
| filled with those dressed in blue. In this
! field of blue were arranged - standards
on the tops Of which were placed large
stars of shining metal so arranged as 10 be
seen Just above the heads Of the children,
whether sitting or standing. BY a system
of thorough training the children in the
wide-stretchng, brilliant stripes, and the
| rich field of blue, without the accompani-
ment of any instrument, but at the mere
motion of Prof. Congdon's hand, would
begin singing with sweetness, accuracy and
expression. Full, vet soft, loud and clear yet
| silvery their sweet tones tloated down up
on the delighted veterans. When singing
the chorus they sat quietly, so that the
semblance of great flag was never for a
moment absent. Their voices were above
and apart, so that indeed they seemed to
| ha ai pr
unseen harp Although the parade was
three hours in its passing the brave young
singers sang song after song with unfag-
ging energy-"Rally round the flag, boys
Tramp, tramp, tramp" Marching
through Georgia. THE red, white and
blue" "The battle cry of freedom, 1.-THE
banner of the free, "Just before the bat
tie, mother and other national songs.
To say that the children sang well
would be a mild way to express il, Their
clear young voices not only sent their
notes to the -, 900 marching veterans, but
far out over the dense throng of people
swarming the roofs of buildings, through
windows where vantage points had been
won to see the most remarkable parade
that St. Paul had ever seen or ever will
see. 1t was a scene that told of a country
redeemed, through blood and fire and
grievous wounds, that brought her down
to the very verge of death, and thousands OF
the nations honored defenders were pass
ing in grand review before the Living Flag
of St. Paul.
The sight and sound of those 2200 chill
dren, greeting with patriotic peans the
grzzed veterans marching with reluctant
feet through the dense throng of people
who lined the street, brought tears to eye;
unaccustomed 10 them. 1t was the new
America to the old. "The old order
changeth, yielding place to the new
"And God fuils himself in many ways"
One could not but wonder in what type
and pattern these school children wer'
cast, and looking over the blazing glory o
the Living Flag there could not be seen an!
creed or faction, race nor language thai
ought to divide us. No foreign accen
sounded its alien note in my country
it's of thee" 1t was purely American
This kind of teaching when all shall
know its worth, will Danish war from al
the earth. 1t will bring the great millen
NAL school. Its great command will be
Obey the golden rule. For the benefit o
all who may have IA desire to see pictur,
of the Living Flag, have placed one il
the show window of Clapp n Jones.