The Washington times., 1914-06-15
Marches Down the Avenue. in
0ne-Man Parade, With EN-
bIem SymboIizing Brother
hood of Mankind.
"First Citizen of the Universe"
Starts on Third Tour OF
World to Voice His Ideas in
Every Capital.
By GARDNER MACK.

The Apostle of a Practical Peace.
The First Citizen of the United Uni
verse.
James William Van Kirk. of Youngs-
town. Ohio.
All of these, rolled into one sturdy
individual. is in our midst, ringing a
bell and carrying a flag between the
times he isn't collecting autographs and
preaching gospel Of practical peace to
the world in general.
Nobody who was on the Avenue miss
ed James William Van Kirk. his bell
and his fag. He had a parade. 1t was
a parade that made an impression be-
cause it consisted simply of Van Kirk
and the flag and the bell. But II was
a parade with a history and mission,
and l was fortunate enough TO get him
to repeat it so that the real meaning of
IT all might be made plain to the people
who didn't enjoy my advantages IN the
premises.
All this might sound flippant and a bit
of airy persiflage-but isn't meant that
way at all James William Van Kirk
is a mighty earnest citizen, and he has
accomplished some real results in the
world. Witness the flag-and the bell.
Inc facts pelng thusWlSe:
Twenty years ago James William
Van Kirk was a minister of the gos-
pei living in Canton, Ohio. and work
ing at the trade of a plasterer to exc
out an existence.
While the business of being a
preacher might be classed with that
Of any captain of industry in point
Of fact. il doesn't have any relation
20 this figure of speech in point OF
,rNl1 ION
usually has to work at something else
in order to provide raiment, food. and
shelter for himself and his family
and there is usually something of a
family to provide for. too.
Conceives Peace Mission.
Van Kirk was one of this type. He
had been graduated from the Mt. I'm
ion College. and was working hard to
earn money to take him to the Boston
University and through a postgradu-
ate course at Harvard. 1t might be
stated right here that his ambitions
took a degree in theology at the uni
versity and completed the Harvard
course with honors.
But it was just twenty years ago
that he conceived the idea OF carry
world and of establishing a world ma
tion called the United Univ erse, in
place of the dozens of nations and
peoples who now fight for an exist
cnce and with each other. II was his
IDEA that if 1t were made possible for
them to stop fighting with each other
they would have so much more time
and energy to devote to the other
fight that their lives would be con-
siderably easier.
0nn he ha /.
cred was the matter of having a
standard-a flag-for his new nation.
And so he devised the flag that he
carried in his parade from the White
House to the Capitol and back. This flag
is symbolic of the idea he is upholding.
II consists of a blue field, dotted with
stars and containing a globe encir-
cled by white band. and seven COL
ors OF the spectrum in a block beside
the globe. The seven colors of the
spectrum represent the different
p races. social structures. and political
divisions OF the world.
White For World Union.
II is a weII-known natural law that
IL all the colors of the spectrum are
merged they make white. And he has
merged them in the band that en-
circles the Notwithstanding the fact
that all the religious beliefs, political
merged in one grand order Of uni
versal brotherhood. will lead to the
white purity of perfect life, spiritually
and materially. The blue field. which
symboIizes the heavens. is filled with
white stars representing the treaty
making powers OF the world, as II is
constituted at present.
AS soon as Van Kirk had got his
idea into concrete form. and had de-
vised his flag, he sarted a world
tour 10 carry his gospel to the four
corners of the earth. Il is mis- belief
that the trouble with peace propa-
gandss is their lack of practical bllity.
He believes firmly in the theory of
universal brotherhood. and is convinced
that the reason the peoples of the
earth are suspicious and unfriendIy is
because they do not know one another.
He believes also that he has been
chosen to tell them about one another.
With that idea in view, he has made
two tours of the world, visiting every
nation and speaking to the people
wherever he has got the opportunity
And he is now starting on a third
tour
Now. please don't get ~ idea that