The San Francisco call., 1897-01-18

following officers selected: Organizer, A.
c. Hawkins; recording secretary, Mrs. d.
Grebs: financial secretary, +. Grebs;
treasurer, John II. Eustice.
In the formation OF the new section
there is a little feature that is not gener-
ally known even in soc allst circles. IL
is well known that a large number OF stu
dents at the Leland Stanford Jr. Unlver-
sity and some of the professors too are So
cialists or have socialistic tendencies. The
Berkeley students, at least many OF them,
have been making inquiries into the un-
deriving principles OF the issue and nave
been much impressed. 1t is not always
policy to openly declare the nature OF
ones convictions, even to friends How
ever, the new section was created as much
for the benefit of the Berkeley students as
for any class and the people who may fig
ure most prominently in the Berkeley
section may not be The only ones who are
deeply interested m its welfare. Ihls
prom Ises to be the liveliest section IN the
State.
As stated in the foregoing, the lectures
of the American Branch of this CITY are
largely attended and last evenings enter
tainment was as 1ully attended as anv
preceding. The hall was not large
enough TO accom- odate all who desired
to be present w. w. Wilkins presided.
There was a little change III the pro-
gramme T. Nj. Anthony was expected
to speak on Progress" He was absent,
but mis- place vas ably filled by 6. B. Ben
ham, whose subject was the "Red Flag.
Among the unlnformed the red flag or
banner is believed to be the blem OF
anarchy, riots, disorder and bloodshed,
but il any who listened to Mr.. Benham en-
tertained such notions they were unde-
ceived be fore the address was half over.
The address showed careful preparation,
familiarity with ancient and modern his
tory and logical reasoning. Mr.. Benham,
in substance, stated that the red-fAg
origin is last in antiquity. 1t Vas the flag
of ancient Tunis, Tripoll, Turkey and
other countries. Tho>e who recognized
the sun as the mainstay of life saw in the
flames of fire its counterpart on earth, and
sun and flames were symbolized by
flaming banner.
In Psychological lore the goddesses
Ceres, Minerva, Pomona and Pruserpine,
who presided over the food products of the
flaming red. This color was adopted by
the agricul tural Iaborers, and later by all
those who toiled for their bread.
As contrast the azure and white were
adopted by those who did not labor and
who exalted themselves by pretense of
uperIority-the azure, the grandeur of
the blue skies, the white 10 show that no
SOIL came from the grim nanQS OF IaDor.
Among the toilers of ancient Athens,
Roms and other places were labor COM
munes, also represented by the flaming
flag.
Coming down to more modern dates,
Mr.. Benham called the attention of his
audience to the fact that in 1775, during
the War of the Revolution, General Put
nam raised red flag on Prospect Hill,
Mass. 1t was then regarded by the colo
nies as an EN- blem of liberty. The same
belief caused red banner to be placed
on Bunker Hill after that great victory
was won. While working in the same
great cause Pulaski was presented with
crimson banner by the nuns of a convent
at Baltimore.
The Commune of Paris recognized the
flaming banner in the same way.
$50 we see, said the speaker, "that it
really stands for everything that is good,
the fellowship of man, the industries OF
the world and the hope of the oppressed
and the downtrodden, and it stands
against everything that is bad, the op-
preston and slavery of mankind. 1t is
row the emblem of the emancipation of
the world"