The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-06-14

| the reading of a circular from Lafay-
cite Post, G. A. r., by w. L. Eaton.
| America" sung rousingly by the
school children accompanied by the
! band. followed, and r. j. Greene came
to the stand to make the presentation
! address.
! He said:
Mr.. Minister of Public instruction.
Teachers and Pupils of the Public Schools
! OF honolulu: | would be glad If I could
help TO impress upon the mind of every
that our American flag is not the proper
OF any man nor of any political party
Neither the President of the United States
nor the members of that great body of
| statesmen composing the councils of the
I patton have the least ownership of one.
thread OF the warp and woof of old
Tag, more than the humbIest citizen of
the Territory of Hawaii.
III every boy and girl in this large as
serlDly could contribute an equal sum of
money, to be expended in building one
great ship, to be launched upon the
ocean. with what care would you choose
your captain and crew to guide your good
ship from ocean to ocean and from port
to port and with what interest, TOO,
would you all watch her coming and go
equally in all of her earnings and her
| losses. and when storms and tempests
swept across the seas with what solicit
ude would await the first tidings regard
ing her safety. This may help you to
realize somewhat readily what i mean nv
equal ownership.
Our Stars and Stripes ranrasent - all
OF us today our ship of State the great
| American Republic. the only Government
on earth based upon the fundamental
cry individual citizen.
The colors of our flag have a language
when mas been officially recognized by
the patriotic valor and devotion of those
nai,s m men VINO gave their lives for the
ICES purity, and the blue the principle Of
Justice; together they stand for liberty
Wen did our patriot fathers know the
tuil meaning, Of that word For them to
10 be freemen meant treason and death,
R Rnt we sba their !, children happily never
oroadest sense, as free as the gentle
rains that fall unobstructed from the
cloud es 10, to refresh the carthage, as free
as the tradewinds that kiss yon noun
tain peak. bringing to us life and health
But there came dark day. The price
nine years ago a few misguided men in
splred not by love of country tore down
their fathers flag and trailed it in the
dust. Because 1t could not shield the
oppressor nor forge more shackles for the
oppressed. Two million six hundred and
h III thousand free men came
70 four the Sea rescue OF our flag. and for
of war, with all of it's attendant horrors.
a war which cost 400 900 loyal lives, made
%V,VO soldiers and sailors cripples for
lie, and left more than a million moth
ers, widows, sisters and orphans to
mourn Tor loved ones who did not re-
turn: but when the smoke Of that great
conhict had cleared away Old Glory
land 'a' 'ioho
As veterans of that war we had the
nonor to bear a humble part in rescuing
our nag, and today we are accorded the
great honor of presenting 1t to the schools
Of Hawaii ~ 'o>i'
In the name of the officers and MEM
ners OF George W. belong Post I pre-
sent the flag to you. 1t Is yours TO love.
70 honor and to defend. I need not add
,,hat you have in this gift a treasure
i,nown, honored-aye, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ne sun SHINES on a race of civilized men
raised be the hand that shall ever dar re
to erase a single stripe or tear from that
constellation one single star.
| 'Tis the emblem of all We arc sworn %
defend: " "
vi h h,rerd,y' progress. law and order com
The cause of our country, of God and
mankind.
Flags Presented.
! On behalf of George w. De Long Post
Grand Army of the Republic, Mr..
/ Greene then presented to E. A. Mott
Smith. representing the Board of Edu-
cation, the flags with which a table
standing near by was loaded-140 of
them in all, flag for every school in
Honolulu, and for most of those all
! about the Islands.