Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-11-09
The Marietta Daily Leader.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER ., 1900.
OUR FLAG
How Welcome a Sight II Is After a Long
Absence.

How many people fully realize what
the flag of their country means to
them? How many know the place it
actually holds in their affections? 1t
may be safely said that the number
is very small. One has to be away
from home to get the full meaning of
it. Here, where the flag is every
where, it is treated more or less light
ly; indeed, the average man gives 1t
no thought at all. A traveller, Morgan
Williams, of Chicago, recently dis
coursed entertainingly on this subject.
1t was Just after the reliefof the lega-
tions at Peking.
81 can at least partially appreciate
the thrill that the first sight of the
Stars and Stripes floating over the re-
lieving force gave the Americans who
had been waiting so long for succor,"
he said. "Of course, l never was
hemmed in for weeks by a cruel horde
as they were, and the flag could not
have the same significance for me, but
l had been for year without the
sight of it and when my gaze first
rested on it had to gulp down some
thing that rose in my throat. When
left home had about the same rever-
ence for it that the average American
has, and while was travelling l really
hadn't given it much thought. l had
no special longing to see it; at least
no such idea had been formulated in
my mind. Nor had l been especially
homesick. OF course a man who has
been long away wants to get back to
his native country, but was used to
travelling and took my enforced alb
sence philosophically.
On this occasion l had been in Afri-
ca, not in the wilds, you understand,
but still far enough away from the
usual course of travel so that my eyes
had at no time lighted on the flag that
previously had ben most familiar to
me. 1t SO happened that did not see
1t until reached Paris on my way
home. l saw other flags, but not the
Stars and Stripes, and, as l said before,
l was not looking for it and was not
conscious of any anxiety to see it. |
knew that / wanted to get back to the
United States. Then suddenly one
day the old flag met my gaze. There
was some sort of American celebration
in PARIS, and the Red, White and
Blue was waving from a window. L
stood stock still for minute, when a
lump rose in my throat; then jumped
into the street, threw my hat up in the
air and gave a wild Western yell that
must have made the natives think
was crazy. 1t was only a piece of
bunting, of course, but 1 never saw
anything before or since that so thrill
ed me. l simply couldn't help yelling,
and it was immaterial to me how big
a fool I seemed to make of myself so
long as l gave that flag one good rous-
ing cheer.
That's why l say that the man who
has never been awey from the flag is
unable to appreciate what it means to
him or the affection thathe really feels
for it, One must see it in a foreign
land to gain any conception of the
hold it has on his heart And if the
mere sight of it so affected me under
these circumstances what must
glimpse of it at the head of a relief
column have meant to the Americans
in Peking? 1t was more than the mere
assurance of relief, and | venture to
say that the best of them never will be
able to put their feelings into words
There are some emotions that are be-
yond description, and principly among
them are those inspired in the breast
of true patriot by the first glimpse of
the flag of his country after he has
been a long time without seeing it or
when it comes as a banner of hope in
time of danger and privation."