The National tribune., 1909-06-10
FLAG DAY.

Next Monday will be the 1920 anni-
versary of the birth of Old Glory, the
banner which has had far the most
notable and glorious history of any
that floats in the sunlight of heaven.
AS The National Tribune has frequently
said and proved, beyond contradiction,
the Star Spangied Banner is the oldest
National flag in the world. Since it
was borr every other National flag
in the world has been born, or under
tgone startling changes. the only pos
sible exception to this being the Dan
| ish flag The Danes claim seniority for
their flag, as it has been in use for
nearly two centuries and Denmark has
maintained her present Government
Eunbroken and unchanged. Against
this it may be said that the Danish
flag was until recently. only the flag of
the reigning family, and not the ensign
of the whole people as our Flag is and
ALWAYS has been. The Danish flag was
simply the household banner of the
House of Gutenberg, which reigned over
Denmark until Nov. Is, 1868, when it
became extince by the death of Fred
rik VII, and the powers put on the
throne a Prince of the House of Schles-
swig Holstein Sonderburg- -GIucksburg.
Then the flag of the former reigning
family became the National banner in
reality.
| In the same way Great Britain had no
National flag until 1901. She had flags
for the reigning house, for the army,
navy, merchant marine, etc. After
the union with Ireland the present
British banner was adopted, making
lit Ii years junior to our Flag.
The Swiss claim that their banner
is older than ours, as they now carry
the same flag which was born by the
united Cantons in their defensive league
against Austria in 1913, but since that
time Switzerland has lost and recover
ed her nationality several times, and
consequently several flags have waved
in sovereignty over the little mountain
republic.
The National baners of Germany,
France and Italy are only SO years old.
dating from the commissions of the
Franco-Prussian war period of 1870.
The Austro-Hungarian flag dates
from 1867, when the constitution of the
Empire was changed and it became a
Kingdom-Empire with Hungary and
Austria associated on equal terms.
The Russian flag, like that of the
other countries of Europe, was. and
still remains the household banner of
the reigning family of Romanoffs. There
are other flags representing the Russian
army, navy, marine, etc, but the ban
ner of the royal house is coming to be |
accepted more and more as the real |
that OURS Is.
The same is true of the flags of Spain
and Portugal.
Like Switzerland. The Netherlands |
lost their nationality during the Ma
poleonic wars, and after several |
changes became part of the Napoleonic
Empire. so that their present flag only
dates from the period Of their re-
covery of their nationality in 1915.
The Belgian flag. of course, only dates
from the formation of the Kingdom in
1896.
1t counts for very much that our Flag
is the oldest in the world, since il shows
our vigorous nationality and that we
have been able to maintain il unchang-
ed. while the flags of almost every other
nation in the world have gone down in
defeat 1t has been able to maintain
itself because it was the first to be set
up as the flag of a whole people, rep
resenting every interest and aspiration
of that people and thus summoning the
whole people to its maintenance when
ever it was assaled.
AS explained above. flags flown in
Every other country have only repre- Z,
'ented dominant families. classes and
and therefore they were liable
% overturning when some other class,
action or family could muster strength ,
{
The celebration of the anniversary !
of the adoption of our Flag is a public :
,EGetion that should enlist the enthu-I :
'iastic support of everyone. Our Flag / |
represents today, as it always has. the a
'ery highest possible aspirations for the ,
soou VI AuHidHIty- IT represents as no {
'ther flag does the absolute justice and j
AIR dealing to every man, woman and L
child under it. and therefore to support ,
and honor it is to assert the highest L
and the most forceful righteousness c
70 inculcate into the minds of the ris- !
ng generation, the highest love and ad- /
niration for the Flag, to instill into !
heir minds what the Flag means, is
o take the best means to make them
rood citizens, to insure peace, order
Ind absolute justice to everyone and I
o make our Government forceful in 8
he highest degree for the nobIest as I
'irations for the good of mankind, =
which are the ruling principles of our I
National existence. /
The negro who slipped past the =
suards of the Oklahoma Penitentiary, T
utchered fat hog and carried it away, .
INST baya boap hranoA< 49, g.. | L