The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-06-14
Random Sketches
The Rainstorm.

(. The Rainstorm.
The parched earth received a re-
freshing sprinkle yesterday morning
and for time the pattering rain
came down with drenching copious-
ness and then the thunder began to
roll and scold as If the very heavens
were rebuking our waywardness and
the raindrops appeared as great drops
of tears over our defiant condition.
Then lull as If to gather up added
errors to be reproached and again the
thunder rolled family, and more scat
/ tering raindrops fell. The veg citation
took no rebuke, but frightened up its
blossoms and foliage and breathe0
the purified atmosp here into their
little lungs and sang in slant thank
fulness because nature did Revive
is Again." In a very short time an
inch and half Of rain fell.
The Flag.
It Is a glorious sign Of lfve-forever
patriotism in the breasts of our PEG.
pie, men, women and little children,
to see them earnestly rememb ering
the flag, the sacredly accepted en-
blem of our country's greatness. The
governors Of many states, including
our own loved Iowa, and the mayor
of our honored city Keokuk, jewel
set In crown broad and bright.
sending its scintilating rays over a
broad valley, smiling with productive
ness and prosperity, have issued their
several proclamations, each a sermon
OF patriotism, calling on the people
to pay honor to Flag day, and they
will do it.
Tha Keokuk mayors proclamation
was made public in The Gate City
Friday afternoon, and yesterday
morning as the writer was making his
early trip to the Office, there came a
sound that made him slower his pace
and listen. Passing by happy dwell
ing place he heard the sound Of a
child's voice. 1t must have been that
Of little girl, with bright face and
wavy hair She was singing Amer
ica"-'Land of my fathers pride"
and, then, accompanying the swest
voice of the child came the suppress
ed alto Of an older female voice. 1t
must have been the sweet and rever-
entail voice OF devoted mother lead
ing her little child along the holy,
flower coveted paths of love for God
and her native land. Flag Gay is COM
ing.
Reverence for the flag comes down
to us from away back yonder-even
hundreds Of years ago. Milton In his
Paradise Lost wrote:
who forwith, from the glittering
staff unfurPd,
TIL imperial ensign, which full high
advanced
Shons like a meteor streaming in the
winds"
And who does not feel like taking
off his hat and bowling in reverential
attitude when he hears Keys words:
"'Tis the star-spangled bann sr-Oh,
long may it wave,
Der the land, of the free. and the
home of the braye!"
Or feel thrill at the lines Of ]. R.
Drake which brsathes this spirit:
"As long as patriot valor's arm
Shall win the battles prize,
That star shall beam triumphantly,
That eagle seek the skies"
Or that other gem OF Drake:
Flag of the freq hearts only home,
By angel hands to valor given;
Thy stars have lit the welkin dome,
And all thy hues were born OF
heaven!
Forever float that standard shezt!
Where breathes the foe but falls
before us
With freedoms soil beneath our fest
And freedoms banner streaming
DER u.s.
The law making the new banner
the official flag of the United States
became effective July a, 1918.
Nearly 10O,000,000 people live be-
meath the stars and stripes today,
and it waves over a combined area
several times greater than tina. repre-
scented by it's twenty states in 1918.
It's western border was the Missis-
sippi river while today the forty
eight state sweep unbroken across the
continent The flag has also been
planted over the Philippines, over
numerous strategic islands in the Pa
cific, over the enormous area OF
Alaska, and at the new gateway OF
oceans at Panama. Several years ago
it was carried around the world by a
fleet of American bat.leships, and just
five years ago it was planted at the
north pole by Commodore Peary.
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