The National tribune., 1906-05-31

the new Navy to float the changed Flag,
4 and she carried it to Tripoli and planted
1 the Flag over Fortress Derne in 1905
the first time the Stars and Stripes evel
| waved over an old world fortress.
The Flag was first carried to Smyrna
in 1897. and made it's first appearance
i on the Great Lakes the same year. Ir
| 1900 the George Washington anchored
| under the walls of Constantinople. and
| flung out the Star Spangled Banner
| much to the distress of the Turks. who
had never heard of the new Nation
Cape of Good Hope in 1874. 1t made
| it's first appearance in the West Indies
| in 1S45. 1t went across the continent
| the first time with Fremont in 1845-45
1t was carried into Palestine i'm 1913
In 1856 the Star Spangled Banner en-
| tered the closed port of Sebastapol.
April 1. 1918, the Flag. by order OF
| Congress. was altered again. taking the
13 stripes and a star for each State as
/ 1t should come in. 1t has never been
| changed since. except to add to the
| constellation of stars.
| Until 1867 the Government Flags were
made of English bunting. Then Gen
! Butler established his bunting factories
and killed the English industry in the
! United States The first Flag of Amer
| lean bunting was unfurled on the day
| that the Union Pacific Railroad, tina.
stupendous piece of engineering. was
! completed. and stuck on top OF the
monument where the last spike was
/ driven.
| Congress then authorized the pur-
chase Of American bunting for the Ma
| tional Government Flags. and they are
| at last ali American. The first acquisi-
| ton of territory ever made by the Unit
ed States by siInply taking possession
| was accomplished in 1868. The Midway
IL
| wich Islands and Japan, were taken pos
| session of on order from the Navy De-
partment. The commander of the Lack
awana went on the shores of the unin-
habited islands and raised the Flag on
the highest point of land. while a salute
of 81 guns was fired. They were want
ed for a coaling station.
The American Flag has been carried
further into the Arctic and Antarctic
Seas than that of any other Nation.
II any of you were asked why the
American stars are five-pointed, while
the English star has six, what answer
would you give? Betsy Ross and Wash
ington had a scrap over that one point.
Washington drew a six-pointed star for
the Flag. and his shirtmaker refused to
make it. THAT is a British STAR" she
said. and folding bit of paper she
made a fve-pointed star with single
snip of her scissors. The six-pointed
star was simply relic of the rowel
spurs of heraldry, and when Mrs. Ross
had made Washington understand that.
he capitulated. so that to woman is
due the Americans original conception
of the five-pointed star.
Suppose child asked you how many
flags the United States had had, what
reply could you make? Sixty-four. at
the very least calculation, led our forces
on land and sea up to 1177.
The Presidents Flag.
How many of you know that the
President has Flag? Ii asked, could
you describe that Flag? What is the
Revenue Pennant like? What is the
Flag of the Secretary of the Navy? Do
you know the Union Jack when you see
1t? What is the design and color of
the Admirars Flag. and that of the
Rear-Admiral? Would you know any
of these Flags if you were to meet them
on the street? Is 1t very patriotic in
this day, with our boys and brothers,
our sons and their SireS at sea. not to
know the Flag under which they sail.
perhaps to the unknown shores whose
horizon reaches TO eternity?
There is so much for us to learn about
the Flag of our country that it is small
wonder that the great multitude of our
foreign population whose native flag is
10 lHeIn Ollly VI
be needless of the beauty of ours or
that they should wantonly desecrate it.
Men do not treat tenderly a thing
they do not love and Yenerate, and it is
only those who know the full signifi-
canoe of the words privilege" and "re-
sponsibility' as applied to citizenship
who are possessed of the intelligent pa
triotism which comprehends the con-
tent that comes of love of country and
idealiZeS his country'S Flag.
How should one love liberty who does
not comprehend the meaning of thei
word? How shall he become enthusias-
tic over free schools who knows moth
ing of their purpose and working? Why
should he be willing to die for the Flag
who knows nothing of its history or
significance?
The gates of Castle Garden forever
swing inward to an always increasing
tide of this foreign population. Speak
ing divers tongues, and yet not ours,
they swarm like vermin In the lowl
haunts of the vicious, ever increasing
their range of operations till they over
run every section OF our great cities, !
and the overwhelming waves reach at
last from Atlantic to the Pacific. from
the savannas of the South to the noun |
tainS of Montana. and the bohemian
hOrdeS overrun the mines of the great
Central West. In their heart they carry
hatred of all law. all organized labor.
all civilized restrictions. They are an
awful menace to our body polite. and
threaten annihilatiUn of our beloved in
stitutions through their benumbed iS-
norance and SuperStitiouS allegiance to
socialstic ethics. Life is but a form of
hell in their besotted. bestial kind of
existence. and the hereafter possesses
no terrors for them, as they believe 1t
brings surcease of suffering. With those
Of mature years not much can be done.
They are only safe when dead. But the
babies, the little children that come to
these wreched outcasts of the old
worlds insuperable conditions are born
under the Stars and Stripes and are
destined to become American citizens.
From these hotheds of crime and pes
thence these little children are gathered
up and taught the first principles OF
free Government. the meaning of the
and reverence and love for
he Flag.
Now. have you any idea who started
his great work?
1t was a veteran of the war of the
rebellion, Col. Baich. of New York. Hel
,egan his work in that city away back
n the early '70's. and spent all of his
,wn private fortune in establishing freeI
for these children of the
Did World scum. Then he died. Hel
)equ, ,9thed his work to Col. Wallacel
Foster. a totally-deaf veteran of Indian
lpolis. Ind. He did what he could with
he work. but found it was too big for
ne man to handle. SO went to the Grand
Army of the Republic. and asked it to !
a Department of Patriotic
Teaching. The Grand Army refused.
or two or three years. to do this. and