The National tribune., 1906-05-31
(By Isabel Worrell Bali.)


(By Isabel Worrell Ball)
June II is the 129th anniversary OF
the birth Of the American Flag. and
the celebration Of that anniversary will
be general throughout the United States.
1t meant much ON that far-away June
day, this birth OF Freedoms banner,
and the few who saw it streaming on the
breeze for the first time had just as lit
tie conception Of it's mission to the world
as had the Fathers of the Constitution
when they framed that immortal docu-
ment. ~,
And yet, perhaps. the Psalmist pro-
phesied 1t. for In the 18th Psalm. fourth
verse. we. read, Thou hast given ban
ner to them that fear Thee that 1t may
be displayed because of the truth" and
1t is also truth that that banner has
been raised ever because Of the Truth"
Mankind loves symbols and emblems.
They are Of infinite use to humanity.
and absolutely essential to mans spir-
itual and moral elevation. They speak
can fraThe.' After speech has done Its
best-after words have exhausted them
se1ves-then symbols and emblems come
in, the concrete sign Of all that words
have struggled to express-of more than
speech can convey. They represent a
transcending utterance. fights Of the
soul that tongue must ever lag Tar be-
hind.
To the Christian the Cross means not
only all th&ttthe Bible teaches. and oil
the fabric of righteousness which the
worlds best ahd purest have built on
those teachings, but also all that his own
soul has Wrought out in It's most ex-
allied modds.is IL.
SO to the citizen the Flag means not
only all that Is good and great In his
country and, her history. and all that
her advancement. but all that his brain
conceives 'qfn4rhis heart wishes for the
betterment Of his land. his fellow-citi-
zens, humanity and himself. He may
be weak. 1cffihd and SELFISH but 1t IL
impossible that he shall be without some
pride In his country. some hopes OF the
future. some aspirations for higher
things. The Flag represents all these
to him. and rounds out and amplifes
his fnchoate and unexpressed thought.
1t reacts upon him, making him better
and fner by what he bestoWs upon It..
It would be q difficult II not impos-
sible task to trace the history and evo-
luton of National banners. The ear
Hest and rudest families had totems to
distinguish them from other families
to mark their property and around
which to array themselves for war.
every man Of the children Of Israel
shall pitch by his own standard. with
the ensign OF their fathers house." was
the command that God gave to Moses
In the Wilderness, after he had deliv-
cred the Israelites out Of the house OF
bondage. When the families were
merged into tribes the totem OF the
principal family became the badge OF
the whole. In the tribal relation COM
mon paternity was the central thought.
and thus the flag meant worship OF an
cestry. and the brotherhood OF all the
members of the tribe.
When several tribes were consolidat-
ed into one Nation the flag adopted rep
resented the; powerful impulses which
had united them-common gods, conf
institutions. and common civilization
civilization which must be protected
against other peoples. having other
gods, other speech and other institu-
tons.
Thus from the first the Flag repre-
sented all that was best and dearest to
the men and women over whom 1t
waved and who died in Its defense. AS
civilization advanced and the thoughts
Of men widened with the process OF the
suns" the Flag became more and more
representative. more mathematical and
more Observation-Disclosures as the visi-
BILE embodiment OF the highest aspira-
ton Of the whole people.
The Halo About the FIag.
The higher a Nation stands the more
OF a halo there Is about Its Flag. The
character OF its people Is accurately
measured by their devotion to their
National emblem. That devotion is the
exact gage Of their adherence to prin-
ciple. and the elevation Of their lives
and aims From what they will collec-
lively do for its advancement and honor
we can best judge OF their individual
character and virtues in private life. 1t
Is impossible to conceive OF a people
who can be great In any respect who
are lacking In devotion to their Flag.
The white plume Of Henry Of Navarro
inspired the defenders OF his house to
deeds Of desperate vaIor. The sacred
raven of the Danes led them to nerci-
the CrusAderH was an inspiration asl
they marched to battle chanting pray
ers, and II hwds under the banner of ST
George that, England marshalled her
Hessians against the Colonies.
When tfie 2American people were de-
livered frSm, the rule Of England all
that belonged to her became obnoxious
to the ColNpists. and the flag which was
the symbOlization OF English sentiment
was reviled and detested by those whc
had dared to, defy the British buster
ers. and a new standard became ne
cessity.
Like ship without a compass. theI
newborn Nation was drifting without
a standard about which to rally. There
were manSG GASs--each OF the Is Colo
MES had one. bearing each its own pc
culiar DEVICE, but there was no banner
which represented the crystallized and
concentrated ideas OF a free Govern
ment such as they sought to perpetuate.
1t seems almost incredible that nearly
800 years had elapsed since Columbus
flung to the breeze the flag Of Ferdinand
and Isabella. the first flag ever kissed
by the winds OF the new west world,
before Nation indigenous to the soil''
was ready to unite its people under a
National banner which should be toI
them their guidon and their glory. tell
ing eloquently, IL mutely, the story of
stormy trials. foes vanquished and vic
tories won. But after three centuries
new Nation. solidiffed through suffer |
ing. strong through conflict. steadfast
through purity OF patriotism. raised
their flag against power to which for
purposes OF foreign conquest and sub |
jugation Rome In the height OF her
glory Is not to be compared-a power |
which has dotted over the surface oil
the whole globe with her possessions
military uosts. whose mornins drum