The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-11-14

vi luc puOllc ScnOOl buildings or Min
neapolis, the protest was registered
through telephone call, asking him
to rescind the order and the petition
yesterday was evidence of the further
activity of those who would haul down
the stars and stripes rather than have
the emblem of their country recall the
fact that it was a Catholic who dis
covered America. The display of the
stars and stripes on October 18th is a
practice generally observed throughout
the country in connection with the pub
lie schools. October 18th is made a
legal holiday in many states of the
Union. DR.. Spaulding, when inter-
viewed In reference to the matter, stat
ed that he was very much surprised
to find that any such sentiment should
exist in Minneapolis. DR.. Spaulding is
man of wide experience and culture
with a national knowledge of public
school matters. He stated that this
was the first time in his experience that
he had ever heard of a protest being
lodged against the display of the stars
and stripes and he believes that those
who lodged the protest did not repre-
sent any considerable number of peo-
pie or involved any of the prominent
citizens of Minneapolis. To what ex-
tent bigotry and prejudice may over
come reason and sound judgment is
well evidence by those who protested
against the display of the American
flag. Their childish explanation that
1t would advertise the Roman Church
Is as silly as it is audacious. That the
Catholic Church as an institution liv.
ing, working and prospecting under
every known flag in the world should
need advertising and that that adver.
Using would come because the Ameri-
can flag was displayed upon the public
schools of the city on a certain date is
too silly to warrant comment, But
that any number of citizens should so
Tar forget their patriotism and their
place as to protest against unfurling
the flag on October 18th is evidence
of the peculiar distemper that affects
the minds Of those to whom anti-Catho-
lie prejudice is capable of appealing.
The display of the flag in Minneapolis
on October 18th is custom of many
years standing. Bigots have talked
themselves breathless in attempting to
make the public believe that the Cath.
Ollie Church is the enemy of the pub
lie school system of the country and
how few of them are of the opinion
that the display of the stars and
stripes Is evidence of a Jesuit plot.
Poor. unhappy victims. The last stage
of their bigotry is worse than the first.
When persons of ordinary sanity re-
view the actions and antics of some of
their fellow creatures they might we'll
ask the pessimist to dip his pen in
acid and the satarist to dip his pen in
gall for truly there is enough folly in
the actions of men and women to drive
the one to contempt and the other to
despair. But regardless of what has
happened 1t is easy to predict when
once bigotry shows itself it has ever
proven its own destruction and that
the protest of those who character
lied the display of the stars and stripes
as Jesuit trick to advertise the Cath
Ole Church have done something that
will be looked upon for years to come
as an example of what bigotry and
prejudice really means.