Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-07-18

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What is the standard or customary
way Of displaying and otherwise hon
orins Old GIry2
The Army and Navy Journal recent
" published the following information
on the subject, gained from an army
officer:
The position of the union, or starry
field, in flag flying from staff or
mast is, of course, well established both
by regulations and custom, but as to
the position of the flag wheR not at
tached to a staff there is endless diver
sity of opinion. There are no official reg
ulations rs TO the matter and there is
no accepted custom. Army officers them
selves do not agree, some holding that
it is the best army custom to keep the
union at the left as one faces the flag,
whether it is hung from the front of a
building either horizontally or vertical
ly. This, however, does not agree with
what appears to be the growing custom
TO hang the flag with relation to the
points of the compass, the union being
hung to the north or east as the case
may be. Not until the first administra-
ton of President Mckinley was any
concerted action taken to form even by
custom some sort OF regulations which
might finally be accepted by the public
without their being backed by law.
This work was undertaken by com
mittee on decorations, the members Of
which suggested" to those who hung
flags from their windows or across
walls that the union, the starry field,
should be either to the north or the
east.
The flag should never be draped.
The objection is that when draped
against a wall or stand the fabric usu-
ally becomes stained, warped or man
gled by hreeZes and by splinters from
the wood Whenever possible the flag
should be flown from a staff or mast
so that it may be as free as the people
it represents. So far as can be learned,
no European country permits its ma
tional emblem to be draped as a deco
ration. This may be, however, be-
cause No other flag lends itself so
nicely to this purpose as does that Of
the United States. Our flag should not
be used as a cover over a table. box
or desk nor placed where anything
can be placed or set upon it. When
the national flag and other flags are
flown together the former shorld al
ways be on the right Wien the flag
is flown at half stan as a sign of
mourning it should be hoisted to full
staff at the conclusion of the funeral
When the flag tor several of them is
used in unveiling a monument or statue
it should never be permitted to fall to
the ground
When clusters and drapings of the
colors are desired as q decoration use
red. white and blue bunting. but not
the flag. If it is so used. however.
care should be taken that it is not
placed below a person sitting on
stand, platform or rOstrum. If bunting
is used army custom requires that the
red shall be at the top. then the white
and finally the blue.
Are the torpedoes used by the Ger
man submarines usually shot below
the water or aboVe7 II below, at what
depth? What part of the vessel does
the torpedo strike? A friend tells me
submarines must come to the surface
to fire torpedces.
The torpedo is discharged under wa
ter and travels under water leaving on
a calm surface a white streak of foam.
The depth varies, but is never very
great because the target to be hit is
not deep in the water. If battleship,
the target lies between her water line
and keel, a distance of maybe thirty
feet. If destroyer, drawing only nine
feet or so of water, the target is very
difficult. The torpedo is likely to pass
clean under the hull Of the ship, or else,
being aimed at point between the sur
face and the keel, nine feet below the
surface, it is likely to breach to the
surface and pursue an erratie course.
OF course the torpedo may strike any
part of the ships hull or may miss en-
tirely. Torpedoes can be discharged on
the surface and sometimes are when
the submarine has nothing to fear from
the target ship.
The business is difficult. With the
periscope fully above water the sub
marine may sight battleship five miles
away. The next step is to determine
the course the battleship is taking and
her speed, so that the submarine can
tell whether it is possible to overtake
her and if SO, where. The submarine
usually travels at moderate speed, sub
merged toward the target, rising Occa-
sionally to get the range. The last OBJ
servation should be taken within 1000
yards of the battleship, place of high
danger for the underwater boat. Then
there is nothing to do but to sink once
for all, crowd on all speed, run couple
of hundred yards nearer if possible ana
fire the carefully aimed torpedo, trust
ing to the accuracy of the calculations
already made.
What are the recruiting depots o.
the United States marines?
Port Royal, S. c., and Mare island
Cal
With what countries were the VIII
n-Bryan peace treaties made, and
have they been kept?
Treaties embracing peace plans were
signed up to Dec. 10, 1916. with Saliva
dor, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras.