The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1904-07-06
Independence

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Independence.
Tomorrow our national symbols. red.
white and blue. will be everywhere. The
occasion and the flag are suggestive. In
memory we travel backward to Con-
cord and Lexington. to the heights of
Bunker Hill and to the winter sufferings
of Valley Forge. Our ancestors fought
for single. great principle: The right
to worship God without the interven-
'tion and in spite of the prohibition of
king or priest. Protestant Christianity
laid the foundation of civilization at
Plymouth Rock and fortified them on
the fields of the revolution. Independ-
pnt religious thought. as we'll as indie
pendent civil life. was in the balance
and won the victory through the she'd
ding of patriot blood. Christianity gave
birth to this country. Christian liber-
ty came with the throes of the nations
birth. This is the land of the free. Ii
is the home of the civilly and the re-
igiously oppressed 1t is fitting that
the symbols of our national life should
be the cross and the flag. for our citi-
zenship and our Christianity are indis-
Solubly united. Tomorrow we will all
be patriotic. We will shout for "OlC
Glory" We ought to do so. Patriot
ism is one of the worthiest of senti-
ments. But we will also forget that
God gave us this princelv Inheritance
Orators will eXult in our birthright and
eXalt our national glory. but they will
ignore the God who bestowed upon us
this goodly land. Friends. when the
Christian spirit goes the flag is a mis-
homer. When God is forgotten thi.
beautiful symbol becomes no more than
an ordinary piece of five cent bunting on
the red rag of the barbarous Morocco
The principles it represents give it its
value. | wish to make these emphatic
tonight
Both the flag and the cross were the
gifts of woman's love. The virgin Mary
gave us Jesus whose sacriticial death
redeemed the wooden Roman thing of
ignominy and made it the symbol OF
what is dearest to the heart of man
salvation. Betsy Ross took the roughly
sketcned picture Washington gave her
and with the red of the summer sunset
the blue of the morning sky and the
white of the foam dashed sea. wove this.
the emblem of our nations peace ana
the toxin of our nations war-"Oid
Glory! May you ever remember the
meaning OF its beauty and the cost OF
its redemption-the gift of women.
|. I wish to analyze the flag and
bring into relief its glorious princi-
pies. The field of blue represents 10y
atty loyalty to the imperishable truths
that form our Christian system of ethics
and law. Every individual STAY is
represented by star. Set upon the
blue field it means that every state is
loyal to these principles. Sad would be
the day if any state should fall from
the field through disloyalty. In our
love for the Union of states. in their
loyalty to these divine principles we
sing:
"The Union forever. Hurrah. bows.
hurrah.
Down with the traitor and up with
the STAR
down with the man who would. bv dis
loyalty. tempt a state to its dsunion.
and up with the star to its place in the
glorious galaxy of loyal states.
The stripe of white signifies purity.
How exalted are our national ideals,
In their simple Huguenot faith in God
our foretathers dreampt of govern
ment where manhood would be the in
sigma of rank Where the cottaoer
would he equal to the king. Where
equality would guarantee to all the
blessings of life. liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness" Where no class
arlstocracy. whether of wealth or bloo1
or place. would dismantle man of his
worth or woman of her loneliness. This
dream Is realized in our ideals of citi-
zenship. The piebean may become pres
ident. The presidents son may become
the lowest OF the commoners No rank
but character No loss irretrievable but
character gone. May the purity of this
ideal be unspotted by us and pass to our
children as most precious inheritance.
The stripe of red seignifies sacrifice.
1t was the blood of the martyr dead that
stained the sward at Bunker Hill that
made our flag significant of its great
glory sacrifice. Nothing is too rich to
surrender upon the altar of our coun-
try's good. 1t is a craven who would
withhold even his life to preserve the
Union. And when spirits alien to our
commonwealth threaten to discover our
ties of common blood and common in
terest-put anything in place of the
citizen-king, still again is he craven
who would refuse to give himself. if
need be. to preserve this pure ideal.
Manhood. Freedoml Equality, The
trinity of national ideals The world
wonders at their greatness. Are we able
to hold to them against the rampant
greed, pride and hatred of today? Let
us still believe in ourselves. though our
attainment of these virtues be small
believe until we realize.
2. Now analyze the Cross and see for
what it stands.
Essentially it means death. So where
the symbolism of the flag ends that of
the Cross begins. 1t means the sacri-
flee of life to secure the life of another
vicarious death. Christ died to give
life to the world"
The Cross means also liberty. "Whom
tine Son makes free is free indeed" The
acceptance of His secrifce frees one
from the bondage of sin. In Lincoln
Park. Chicago. stands a statue of the
great emancipation. At his feet kneels
black man. receiving into his out
stretched hand the proclamation that
'saans his freedom from the serfdom of
slavery. Tonight | bid you look away