The Norfolk weekly news., 1899-12-14
FLAGS OVER SCHOOLS.
Intelligence and Free Industries
go Hand in Hand.
AN IDEA THAT Is APPROPRIATE

It ia Especially Fitting that the stars and
stripes should Float over the school
Houses of the Landau Interesting
Correspondence.
Mr.. {. w. CRuM. County Superin-
tendcnt of Public lnstruction..-Dra
Sir: The undersigned have been ap
pointed by commit ee of the w. X
c. OF Norfolk to communicate with
you in regard to placing flags on the
country school houses of our county.
The city schools are all we'll provided
background.
We approve and appreciate the ef-
fort of the county superin tendent in
sending out appropriate programs for
Lincoln. Washington, and Memorial
day exercises, and we wish to do all
we can in our power to assist in the
good work. We very much desire to
have flags raised on all the school
houses in our county on or before
Lincoln day, and we ask your coopera-
tion, and believing a request from you
to school boards will be of more force
than one from us, we beg to ask you
to send out suct. We pledge our
selves to make all flags, and if any
district is not financially able, we will
furnish such flag free of charge, if
the district officers will put up flag
pole and arrange for the necessary
facilities for raisieg the flag by the
18th of February, 1900, VII you be SO
kind as to correspond with the COM
mittee on the subject and make any
suggestions you may deem proper to
further this work, We shall be glad
to hear fl ON you at your earliest con-
venience.
Mrs. A. o. SHORT,
MRS RosINBAUM, C,,,
Mrs. CHILDs.
Mrs. MORROW,
MADISON, Nov. %, 1s99.-Mrs. o. A.
Short, Chairman of Committee on
Flags of the w. r. c., Norfolk, Nebr
My Dear Madam and COMMITTEES:
Your communication regarding the
matter of placing flags on all school
houses in this county is received and
in reply to same ! desire to express
my appreciation of your care and
though tfulness in this important ma t.
ter, and pledge to you my hearty Co
operation in the attempt to carry
your plans into effect.
The founders of this nation under.
stood the principle that ignorance and
free institutions never had and never
can exist toge ther, and they laid
down, and established well, the doc
trine that the preservation and per-
petuation of our free institutions, and.
indeed, of our freedom in it's broad
sence, depends upon the diffusion of
education among the people.
The public schools thus being the
bulwark of the nation. it is especially
fitting that the flag should float over
these institutions. No people on
earth have more or better reason for
honoring their flag than do we. The
effect of the principles for which our
flag stands upon the nations of the
world for good is second in ,mpor-
tance only to the birth and life of the
Christ. have often thought that we
may be sometimes inclined to give too
much prominence to theshag and not
enough to the principles OF govern
ment of which the flag is the mblem
1t is stated that certain idolitrous
peoples once worshipped the true
God, and that they prepared an image
to symbolic certain of his attributes;
gradually they lost sight CT the Truth
and worshipped the stone and the
wood. If, as has been said, Eternal
vigilance is the price of liberty" then
it is important that every patriotic
American understand and emphasize
the principles for which our flag
stands, lest in years to come we should
forget the grand truths which the
flag symbolizes, and should blindly
worship piece of tricolored cloth,
after the principles of government for
which it stands-"A government of,
by and for the people"-had ceased to
exist in everything but name.
So, in connection with the flag ]
would have every boy and girl taught
a broad and grand patriotism founded
i n prir ciple rather than in sentiment
Every pnpil should know what the
stars and bars stand for We need to
teach that loyalty to the flag means
that we must be true to our country
and keep good faith with all na.ions.
All should know of the eternal princi-
pies of justice, righteousness and
truth in government, symbolized by
the flag. Right rather than might
should be the main ingredient of our