Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1915-06-21

At the Bradley Opera House last
night, appropriate exercises were
held in honor of the three flags which
are to be presented by the four Wom-
ans Relief Corps OF this state to the
dreadnought Nevada. They had
been on display for three days in the
big show windows of the Dupont Phar-
macy, the management OF which paid
all the expenses OF bringing the flags
here, that they might be seen by the
good people Of this section. The eXer-
cise5 began with patriotic selections
by the orchestra, which were followed
by a splendidly rendered vocal solo.
Nevada" by Mrs. u. T. Wheeler. Mr..
VanFleet then delivered an address
in which a most beautiful tribute was
paid to the flags and our country. It
was generally regarded as one of the
most beautiful and patriotic addresses
ever heard in Elko.
This morning Mrs. H. B. Millard,
who has charge of the flags, departed
with them for Ely, where they will
be placed on display for several days.
From there they will be returned to
Carson City.
1t is fitting that this occasion should
not pass without doing homabe TO
these standards of the republic which
shall pass from our midst to adorn
one of our great battleships and some
day, who can fortell the future, some
day may return to us the tattered and
torn symbols of the unselfish lives,
the unbroken devotion, the patriotic
souls which have been given and sac.
riflced In defense of home and honor
and country. God spare the day to
this generation and generations yet
to he.li At this moment we cannot
help but think OF that small body OF
heroic men around a cabinet table at
Washington who perhaps nj this We
time We are celebrating are watching
lid deliberating with drawn faces all
aching hearts and tired minds to keep
that flag serene in the skies. its every,
star unquenched, the emblem of IN
ternational honor on the seas, the on
ly hope of peace to the nations. They
may be OF another political faith than
ours. but they have guided us thus
far with the same lofty craftsmanship.
the same purify of principle as ever
moved the souls of the leaders we ad'
mire. And the message they would
send us Is the same message which
Patrick Henry sent from Virginia to
Massachusetts, when he heard of Con.
cord and Lexington, II am not Vir.
ginian, am an American" So they
would say to us we are not republi.
cans, we are not democrats, we are
Americans. And the messages we send
with these flags to the battleship Ne
vada should be Take them, take them
from our devoted hearts aud loving
hands, may their silken glories
wrought by our hands wave for peace
but wherever our appointed leaders
may carry them, we shall follow"
That flag never foated over
the title-deeds Of surrender. That
flag was never raised above q
battle line except in defense Of prln-
ciple. That flag was never carried 10
the front, brave men never died for
it, weeping women never enveloped
their loved ones I'm It's sacred folds
that It did not mark new era in the
progress Of great nation. That flag
never composed the trappings Of the
pagentry of death, that It did not al
so adorn the pageantry Of life and
progress and national glory. I be
lieve the crisis Ia passing. I believe
that God has let this cup pass from
us. But IL he has not and the heroic
bugle Is again sounded and the OLD
flag Ia carried to the front, then the
time for discussion has passed. Moth
ing thon but the unfalterlng step.
Look at It, look at 1t, the old flag
young men and women of the TWEEN
tieth century. How little you and ]
know 1t. We see It every day in the
market place, in the schoolhouse, In
the music hall where some raucous
voiced singer or some purveyor OF
worn.out jokes uses It to gain the ap.
plause which his cleverness cannot
bring, But how little we think OF 1t
For there in its shimmering folds
Is the American Nation, American Ma.
tfonallty, The American idea. the
Anelo.saxon idea, the supreme flower
OF modern civilization. There before
you is the Magma Charta, there is the
Barons' defiance at Runnymede, there
is the Declaration of independence.
there are the words OF Charles Francis
Adams to Lord Russell when England