The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1917-05-04
SPEECH REC|TED BY
EDWIN SAGE At
FLAG RAISING
Fine Tribute to Flag Was
Greatly Appreciated By
The Big Crowd.

the American Flag was originally de-
livered by Col. D. w. Blair at flag
raising at the High School some time
ago and was recited by Edwin Sage
at the flag raising in the city park
last Sunday.
The history of the American flag
is an education within itself. 1t takes
us back to Concord and Lexington
and Bunker Hill; to Valley Forge
and Trenton; To Eutaw Springs and
the Cowpens; to Saratoga and York
town. 1t tells us of the heroic strug-
giles, trials, hardships and sacrifices
of Washington and Green; of Light
Horse Harry Lee and Mad An
thony Wayne; of Francis Marion
and thousands of others, who for
saking homes, wives and children,
put their all upon the altar for their
country's freedom. 1t sailed with
Perry over Lake Erie when he met
and destroyed the enemy's fleet 1t
was at Decatur's masthead when he
Numbered at Tunis and Tripoli and
humbled the Mediterranean pirates
into respectful recognition of this
country's prowess. 1t witnessed the
slaughter of the British at New
Orleans by Old Hickory. 1t marched
with Scott and Taylor into the land
of the Aztecs and stood sentinel for
them on the walls of the city of the
Montezumas. 1t went with Perry in
1856 on mission of peace to Japan
and opened the gates of that coun-
try to all the nations of the earth
1t reflected the glories of the Ameri-
can navy with Dewey at Manila Bay,
and was victorious on land and sea at
Santiago. It's history is the history
of the patriots and heroes of our
country, of its victorious and noble
achievements, on land and sea, in
peace and war. What glorious her
itage is ours.
But what is more important than
all these is what it stands for-the
principles it represents. The stripes
tell us of thirteen struggling colo
nies-weak, oppressed, disunited.
The stars point to galaxy of states,
welded together into a great nation
The fathers said that the white re-
presented purity of purpose, the red
valor and the blue, Justice. May
we not add that to US the red is in
sacred memory of the heroic blood
shed by Montgomery on the heights
of Abraham, by Pulaski at Savan-
nah, and by the thousands of other
heroes whe gave their lives for the
cause of their country and its free
dom. 1t represents the sacred prin-
ciples enunciated in the Declaration
of independence, and enacted in that
still greater document, the Constitu-
ton of the United States-union,
justice, liberty and independence. 1t
represents more than any flag that
fIoats-a government by the people
and for the people, with no earthly
power supreme over them. There is
not nation on the globe but knows
that if it should offer an indignity
to this flag today, that before noon
tomorrow the drum beats would
sound from Plymouth Rock all the
Way to the Golden Cate
1t is the exponent of American
manhood and womanhood- this
country's greatest asset. In every
cline, on every sea, it tells of ma
ton of freemen where civil and re-
ligious liberty are supreme, a land
where the keystone of our govern
ment is the devotion of our people
to our country's institutions, en-
blems and traditions. If that fails,
all fails. Our love to our flag is but
the measure of our devotion to our
country. 1t rs the symbol of that
faith that is within US that the dead
have not died in vain and that free
dom, union and liberty shall never
perish from this land
"Breathes there the man, with soul
so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This Is my own, my native land
Whose heart hath ne'er within him
burned
AS home his footsteps he hath turn
ed,
From wandering on a foreign strand.
If such there breathe, go, mark him
well;
For him no minstrel raptures swell !:
High though his titles, proud his
name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can
claim;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch concentred all in self,
IiViHp shall forfai+ fa;, ,,o,,o,,-,-