The National tribune., 1906-05-31

| Relief Corps. and asked 1t to take up
the work.
Mrs Agnes Hits story.
shall let Mrs. Agnes Hit. Past Ma
! tional President of the woman's Relief
Corps. and now its National Counselor.
tell the story OF how the Flag work was
4 taken up by the Woman's Relief Corps
In the Spring of 1898. during the
session Of the Department Convention
| of Indiana, w. r. c., a Communication
was received from Capt. Wallace Foster
| telling OF his unsuccessful efforts to
arouse the G.. A. Il. on the subject of
\ teaching patriotism In the public schools
and urging our Convention to take some
| action on the subject. Responding to his
| request a resolution was adopted to
| formally present this matter to the Ma
tfonat Convention. which was to meet
| in indianapolis that year (the month [
I nave forgotten). This was done by a
| resolution presented by the Department
| president of Indiana and adopted by
the National Convention and promuI-
| gated through General Orders by Mrs
| Mink. National President, who had the
| honor to appoint the first Committee on
| Patriotic Teaching. So you see, In
| diana deserves. and should have the
credit OF beginning this work that has
taken on such magnificent proper
| tions."
For number of years now the Grand
! Army of the Republic has been makIrg
/ a good deal of the Flag work without
| having it Incorporated in the Rules and
| Regulations. At Denver last year the
! National Encampment authorized the
\ new Department. and revised the Rules
and Regulations so as to provide for a
National. Department and Post Patriot
! ic Instructor. such as the Woman's Re
! lief Corps has had for Is years. and j.
I NIunrprr-lxT t,a
| triotic work.
| This patriotic work will never have
reached its apotheosis until there is in
! the country no other Flag. 1t Is unfor-
tunate that in the South the Star Span
| gled Banner is not the Flag of the whole
people. but only of the more advanced
and better-educated class The Stars
and Bars float there on all occasions of
state just as though the Flag of the
| Union did not exist The President Of
| the United States is saluted with 1t, and
saluteS Ii when he takes his trips South.
In this connection, perhaps. it will not
be uninteresting to read the history OF
| how the old Flag was banished from the
South and the banner of the 'Confeder-
acy upreared. The information is COL
lated from official sources and is abso-
lutely correct.
Treason's Flag.
On the adjourning of the South
Carolina Legislature, which had pro-
vided for a Convention, on the 18th
of November. 1860. only a few days
after the election of Lincoln was as
certained. the members were honored
in the evening with a torchlight pro-
cession in the streets of Columbia.
The old banner of the Union was taken
down from the State House and the
Palmetto flag unfurled in its place:
and 1t was boastfully declared that
70 f01 rf
the Union. should never again float in
the free air of South Carolina
Four days later, the 18th OF Novem-
Der. was a gala day In Charleston. A
pine liberty pole 80 feet in height was
erected and a Palmetto flag was un-
furled from its top. The flag was
white with green palmetto tree in
the middle. and bore the motto of
South Carolina: Animis Opibusque
Parati; that is. prepared in mind and
resources ready to give life and prop
erty" r.:
The raising of this flag was greeted
with the roar of cannon hundred
times repeated, and the Marseliaise
Hymn by a band: then followed the
Miserere, from IL Trayatore, played as
requiem for the departed Union. Full
10000 people are said to have partici-
pated in. this inauguration of reyolu-
ton and the Rev. C. P. Gadsden in
voked the blessing of God upon their
acts. These ceremonies were followed
by speeches (some from Northern men
temporarily in Charleston), In which
the people were addressed as citizens
of the Southern Republic. Professions
filed the streets. bearing from square
to square many banners, with signifi-
cant Inscriptions; such as South
Carolina wants no stripes" Stand to
your arms. Palmetto boys" South
Carolina goes it alone;" God, liberty.
and the State" "Huzza for the South
ern Confederacy;" 'Now or never
strike for independence" Goodbye.
Yankee Doodle;" Death to all Aboli-
tionists:' Let us bury the Unions
Back of the Presidents chair of the
South Carolina Convention which
adopted the ordinances of secession
was banner composed of cotton cloth.
with devices painted by Charleston
artist named Alexander. The base OF
the design was mass of broken and
disordered blocks of stone, on each of
which were the name and arms of the
free States. Rising from this mass
were two columns of perfect and
symmetrical blocks of stone. con-
nected by an arch of the same material,
on each of which, Is in number, were
the name and coat of arms of slave
State. South Carolina, foremost in the
treason, forms the keystone of the arch,
on which stood Powers statue of CAL
noun, leaning upon the trunk OF
palmetto tree and displaying to spec
tators scroll inscribed, Truth, JUS
tice and the Constitution" On one side
of Calhoun was a figure of Faith, and
on the other side one of Hope. Be
yond these, on each side, was the fig
ure of an Indian armed with rifle.
In the space between the columns, and
under the arch, was the device of the
seal and flag of South Carolina namely,
a palmetto tree with rattlesnake
coiled around its trunk. and at its base
a park of cannon and emblems of the
States commerce. On scroll,
fiutterng from the trunk of the tree.
were the words: Southern Republic"
Over the whole design. on the segment
of circle. were Is stars, the number
of the slave States. and underneath all.
Built from the Ruins" The banner
was intended as a menace and
prophecy.
Secession Ordinances.
The fatal ordinance of secession hav-
ing passed the South Carolina Conyen-
ton Dec. 10. 1860. new banner of red
silk was adopted. 1t bore blue cross,
on which were set Is stars for the Is
States; one of them, CEN
trail and larger than the rest, repre-
sented South Carolina. On red field
was palmetto and crescent.
II