The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-08-10
THE
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nation SO undivided; never before was
the flag held in such generation.
With all of its hallowed associations
the flag stands for more today than
it ever stood for before 1t stands for
worldwide democracy. We want to
give to the nations of the earth that
freedom and independence that we
enjoy-the consent of the governed"
Could there De a higher idealism?
This mighty commission is beauti-
fully expressed in speech delivered
by Rev. G. Ashby Jones of Augusta,
Ga, in the presentation of a flag from
the Augusta Rotary Club to the Inter
national Association of Rotary Clubs
Rarely mas a more noble tribute
been paid to our country's banner. It
thrills through and through with the
high and holy passion of patriotism.
Read it and be re-oaptized wit this
holy passion:
Mr. President, Fellow-Rotarians La
dies and Gentlemen:
The Augusta, Ga, Rotarians, eager
to have some part in the expression
and Interpretation of the spirit of Ro-
tary, in terms OF the high and holy
passion of patriotism which today
possesses every heart, have commits
stoned me to present this flag of our
country, inscribed with the legend.
Freedoms Flag, the Signal of Ser
vice"
There being moments, Mr. Presi-
dent in the life of every great people
when emotions too profound for
words. when the soul of a people.
struggling for utterance. can only
find expression for the deeper mean
ing of its life in some symbol which
is sacred in association with its past
and prophetic of its purpose for the
future-to such an hour In our ma
tons life have we come. and all eyes
instinctively turn to our flag. to that
flag whose field is white like the
SHOWS of Valley Forge, all striped
with regal red. to the bending blue
of that national sky. all studded with
stars, whose blended beauty is ra
diant with the gathered glory of our
past, and in the light of those stars
is revealed the soul of this America.
(Applause).
Yes, the flag Of a nation is the
symbol of the soul of nation. Its
story is the story of nations fate.
To follow a flag is to walk the path
way pointed out by the peoples fate
in the destiny of nation. To fight
for a flag means to be willing to die
for the ideals of a nation.
It's story carries us back to the old
hall in Philadelphia and to the inn
mortal date upon our sacred calen-
dar; our forefathers are here. and
they are writing fundamental state
ment of their fate. They are writing
not about Spaniard of Frenchman.
Hollander OF Englishman They are
writing something that they believe
mans liberty the world around. They
believe that all men have the inalien-
able right of life, liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness, and that the author
ity that governs them must be the
creature of their own divine right to
choose. (Applause).
They have written their fundamen-
tai faith in human life itself. just be-
cause it is human, and out of that
faith was born a new nation, and the
stars and stripes become the emblem
of the liberty of the human race. so
that we can understand that accord
ing to the definition of this flag.
America is not a continent of, and
bounded by oceans and CULTS and
lakes, but America is an ideal of hui
man liberty the world around. Gap
plause)
Oh, men of America, this is what
we mean by democracy: Democracy
is not a form of government. Democ
racy fundamentally. is an inalienable
and divine right of a man to choose
for himself. Here is the essence OF
liberty. whether it be a social. politi
cal or religious freedom.
Freedom is bound only in the free
dom of the will Without it. there
can be no morality in conduct. there
can be no intelligence in citizenship
there can be no reality and sincerity
in religion.
A man can't grow, he can't develop,
save as his will is challenged by al
ternatives of conduct, by oppOsites
of opinion. by good and evil of moral
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