Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-11-30
The Starred Flag
on the Front p orch

There was the broad, red border,
around Il square of white, and in the
center large blue star. counted
six of 'em on the front porches of as
many houses, some plain little cot
tages-one, log cabin, several fine
houses, one of brick, and stone. These
flags, tell you. editor. are mighty
appealin' as well as eloquent. They
mean, as you know, that a boy from
that house has gone to war. Some
how it made me gulp every time
passed one of 'em. don't know just
why, but l did A lump would rise
in my throat as big as your fist, and
about the time I'd get it swallowed,
I'd come to another house with that
star on the front porch. and up would
come that lump again, and I'd go to
swallerin', and so had to keep it up
l reminded myself of steer chewing
cud. l cant tell just why to save
my life, but the sight Of one of those
Service Flags with it's star in the
center makes me want to cry. Not
because Pm gricvn' or sorry the boys
had to go, just don't know why, do
you? It's the same when | see LOT
of the fine fellows marchin' by, in
their uniforms with guns and bayo-
nets. was in one of the cities when
large number of the boys were
taking the trains for camp. and when
they swung into the main street, the
band playin'. just like to a made
fool o. mys Ii right there before all
them town people. | tried to h6ller
and cheer, and you just orter heard
kind O. noise made--sounded like
the below o. somc animal. If you
ever tried to boiler and gulp and
swaller at the same time you under
stand what | mean. Now, | am an
uneducated man. and can't explain.
A perfesser who lecturcd at the school
house sometime ago said good many
things about-he called it sicerlogicy
or something like that, and the emo
tions and said that laughin' and cry
in was mighty close kin, and lived
next door to each other and the par
tition between was mighty thin. and
l guess he was right, fer I've seen
people laugh until they cried, and the
tears run down their checks. And so,
when I see one CT these flags with Il
star, or company of the boys march
in away, | just feel like cheerin' and
cryin' at the same time. but the cry
in and swallowin' ginerally gets the
best of the cheerin'. We had speak
err at our church sometime ago, and
he told us what the Red Cross and the
Y. NJ. C. A. was goin' to do for the
boys, and nearly every member of
Old Jerusalem jined and give money,
l.,.I - l, l.,NI
feelins' as the sight of those flags
with the star in the enter. That star
shines, ] tell you, and talks, too. 1t us
more eloquent than any written Ell
spoken speech. ! read in a book onct
how certain wise men worshipped q
star and how that star riZ in the east
and started on a journey and went in
the lead, am these men, three Of 'em
| believe, q can't riccollect their
names), follered and that star led
'em on and on, over deserts an all
sorts O. groun' fer days and days,
an at night they'd sleep on the
would be right seemed to have
stopped durin' the night, and waited
fer 'em to go on next day. They fol-
Tered it's lead and light, and, as you
know, it led them to baby in a man
ger away out in Palestine, You know
the story. Our pastor said in one of
his sermons, that the light from that
star is still shinin. and has been shin
in for centuries and it's light has
been the guide and cheer of many
people ever since. / don't know who
first thought of this flag with the
star, but it was bright idee, and a
good one, too, for it means much.
Every time see it, / somehow think
of that other star that the men fol-
lered And the meanin' of the two
seems to hang in my mind. They
both mean light in the night You
know, stars are seen in the night.
And when the big mornin' star rises
over the mountain back of my barn.
which l see every mornin' when go
to feed, I can't keep thinking of the
Star in the flag which is shining in
this day of the worlds dark night.
This star shows in the day time, too,
as ! suppose that other great star
did, and could be seen by the men
all day. / don't believe it was one
OF the ordinary StaIS Vi Iiie Shy, puI
q bigger, brighter one, put there on
purpose to lead to the babe in the
manager. This star in the flag shines
day and night 1t means inspiration.
1t means. as did the other star, deliv-
erance-safety for all nations upon
whom it shines. And away across the
seas these stars cluster in our flag,
and nations fall down 'apd worship it,
don't suppose, all this was in the
mind of the one who first suggested
this flag with star, but its there all
the same. And it seems to me that
the star, like the blood on the lintels
and door post of Egypt means safe
ty and deliverance for the occupants
of the house which bears it.
And then, too. another thing, if
you are not tired listening, is this: