Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-13
"DLD GLORY"
10000 Children Do Honor to
the Flag
IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
CELEBRATION HAS A PARTIC-
ULAR LOCAL SIGNIFICANCE
Orators Furnished by the Grand Army
of the Republic-The History
Of the Flag.
IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

OF the Flag.
About 10000 young Americans assembled
in 100 local school buildings today helped
fulfill the purpose Of the American public
school system as a nursery of patriotism.
Everywhere within the District Of Column
bia these school children united in exercises
commemorative of the adoption OF the stars
and stripes as the emblem Of American
ideals and the standard of American
armies. reciting in essays and songs the
history Of the flag, and listening to ad-
dresses on the achievements for which that
flag now stands
This celebration in the District Of Column
bia was due in part to the interest of those
patriotic organizations which have chapters
In Washington But 1t rested primarily on
the action of the various school authorities
the board Of education, the superintendent
and the supervising principals Of the
eleven school divisions To both the mem
bers of the patriotic societies and the off,
Gals of the public schools the institutions
of general education which are maintained
by the state and are one of it's most char
acterfstfc features are regarded as the true
field for historical teaching and the tncul-
cation Of patriotic principles.
Accordingly, the school officials willingly
set aside part Of today's school sessions
in every building under their control and
contributed to the success Of the Flag
day exercises by arranging for rehearsals
Of special choruses and for appropriate es-
says and Rotations by the pupils them
selves. Blackboards throughout the city
bore representations Of ali the flags under
which American soldiers have fought-the
Pinetree flag, the Bunker Hill flag the Rat
tlesnake flag and Union flag of 177e. the
first United States flag Of 1777, with its
circle of thirteen stars; the flag of 1918, with
twenty stars arranged as composite five
pointed star and the flag 1t Is today,
with forty-fve stars in alternating lines
of seven and eight each. Flags hung in
every school room. many Of them Of his
toric interest intrtnsically, but all Of them
susceptible of use texts for discourses
intended to disclose the deeper significance
of the American colors.
Orators Are All Veterans.
To this last-named purpose the Grand
Army Of the Republic contributed an en-
tire roll Of public speakers, sufficient to
supply all eleven school districts and the
entire 100 school buildings with able and
interesting addresses on "Old Glory" 1t
was regarded by the school officials as par
ticu1arly appropriate that these speakers
should all be men who had given years OF
their lives in defending the flag and that
they who had fought that 1t might wave
over the entire country should be the first
to indicate the responsibilities which fol-
lowed 1t across the Pacific.
This roll Of orators has further signif1-
canoe in that all its members are residents
Of the District Of Columbia and citizens Of
the territory which maintains and directs
the schools in which they speak. Thus
neither the wider view OF Flag day nor the
local quality OF the school system was dis
regarded. -45
The addresses, essays and songs were
supplemented today by a complete story Of
the flag. prepared and supplied to the school
k,, h. 4-S
this division. Such presentation of the
flags development supplied the last requisite
Of the Flag day programs-the blackboards
and decorations fndicat ting the appearance
Of the flag; the songs and Rotations be-
speaking Its purely sentimental associa-
ttons; the addresses developing its RESPONSE
biities and influences, and this history
tracing It's growth from the first independ-
ent move Of Great Britain's American colo
niles to the Irresistible progress Of great
republic across the Pacific.
"Flag Day" and the National Capital.
Flag day. as an American institution
dates only from 1893, when the patriotic
residents Of Philadelphia organized move
ment to dedicate one day in every year to
the study Of the American national banner.
Today the headquarters OF the movement
have been transferred to New York city,
Where the American Flag Association or
ganized In 1897, has undertaken to induce
the celebration OF June IA as flag day.
throughout the entire country. These eff
forts have proven wonderfully successful,
according to the reports of the New York
society, and a new ceremonial with the
highest patriotic purposes has been the out
come.
Both New York and Philadelphia devote
particular attention to Flag day on the
basis Of local richness in historical asso-
citation. But Washington shares this spe-
cial interest with them on an equal ground.
New York was the scene Of important en-
gagements during the war Of American in
dependence, Of Washington's Inauguration
as the first President of the new nation.
and the first official home of the President
of the United States. In Philadelphia sat the
Continental Congress which enacted the
American Declaration Of Independence
and the liberty bell proclaimed it Ito all
peoples and to all time
of the government which rested In those
two other cities only temporarily. It also
was the focus of important military move
ments fraught with Importance to the
docks expedition to Fort DuQuesne. the
progress of the British army in the war Of
1872. the preparation of plans for the war
with Mexico, the object Of confederate at
tack during the war of the rebellion and
the center Of administration during the
war with Spain. through which the Amer
lean flag was carried triumphantly into re-
gtons where it had hitherto been practi-
cally unknown and to people entirely
ignorant of the high principles which it
represents. In Washington, also, the flag
has been voted thirty Of its forty-five stars
No community in the entire country, there
fore, has Inherently greater interest in
this new patriotic ceremonial than the cap
ttaI city.
The G.. A. r. Concert.
AS Flag day fell this year on Saturday
there was general movement to celebrate
it in the public schools today, which hap
pened to be in Washington almost the last
day of the school year. But June IA will be
properly observed here and elsewhere, not
withstanding today's exercises In the
schools In New York addresses will be
delivered at several historic places Phla-
delphia will hold public meetings in the
vicinity Of Carpenters Hall and Indepen-
-dence He'll In Washiugtnn the citizens,