Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1903-07-03
THE MEANING OF OUR FLAG.

~
at Birch Lake recently bv Herman
Wilkes Of Pierz, a student Of the Sank
Centre business college:
If one asks the meaning of our flag,
l say to him: It means Just what
Concord and Lexington meant, what
Bunker Hill meant. It means the
whole glorious Revolutionary war: II
means all that the constitution of our
people. organized for justice, liberty
and happiness means. Under this
banner rode Washington and hie
armies. Before it Burgoyne laid down
his arms. It waved on the highlands
have surrendered valuable fortressee
and precious legaoies, his night was
turned into day and his treachery was
driven away. by the beams Of light
from this starry banner. It cheered
our army in painful :pilgrimages.
This banner streamed In light over the
soldiers heads at Valley Forge and at
Morr1stown. It crossed the waters
rolling with ice at Trenton, and
when it's stars cleaned in the cold
morning with victory, q new day of
hope dawned on the dependency Of
this nation.
Our flag carries American ideas,
American history and American
feeling. Beginning with the colonies
and coming down to our time, in its
sacred heraldry In its glorious insignia
1t has gathered and stored chiefly
this supreme idea, the divine right
Of liberty for man. Every color means
liberty, every star and stripe means
liberty lawnessness and license,
but ORGANIZED constitutional liberty
liberty through law and law for
liberty.
This American flag was the SAFE
guard Of liberty. Not an atom Of
crown allowed to 60 into its insignia.
Not q symbol Of authority in the
ruler was permitted to 60 into it. It
was an expression Of liberty by the
people, for the people. That It
meant, that 1t means, and by the
blessing of God that 1t shall mean to
the end Of time.
What does the flag tell us as often
as we see It? It tell us as often as
we see 1t that no one In America is
alone or friendless. That there is 8
mighty government with it's laws and
its officers, that will not let any one
be oppressed. Once men could make
slaves: of their fellows. Now no where
today under our flag can any man be
enslaved. The flag is the sign of
our pledge to befriend one another.
What can the flag do for us If We
journey abroad and visit foreign
lands? It tells Us that our government
will watch over our SAT ETY.. We have
treaties with other people promising
Us that their laws and courts and
police and soldiers will protect ue
equally with their own people. Once
strangers were liable to abuse wher-
ever they travelled. Now wherever
our flag goes 1t is a sign that our
government will never forget us. The
flag is not merely a sign that the
government will help and protect "a
at home and abroad. It is also q call
and command to every one Of US to
stand by the government. The truth
is that the government depends upon
every one Of Us when we look at the
flag. We promise that we will stand
by our country, we will try to be true
and faithful citizens, we promise to
do our work go well. as to make the
whole country richer and happier.
We promise to live such useful lives
that the next generation Of children
will have q nobler country to live in
than we have had. We scorn, when
we see the flag, to be idle and false
and dishonest. We devote ourselves
to America to make 1t the happiest
land that the sun ever shone on.