Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-01-30
TEs-sTAR SERVICE FLAG.
CONGREGATIONAL Church Honors Its
Young Men In the Service.

NhhANh oNohAhks Wnta StFNtCt nag
bearing ten stars, representing ten young
men from this parish now in the service,
was consecrated. Henry M. Hall, on
behalf Of the members OF the parish who
contributed the flag, made the presen-
tation, and Rev. r. B. Mathews, pastor
OF the church, responded. The singing
included the "Star Spangied Banner and
"America."
The ten young men who honor
the parish py service to their
country, and whom the parish thus
honors, are George Parcher, surgical
captain; Bryant e. Moore, second
lieutenant regular army; Martin Ludike
Hall, first lieutenant national army;
Robert p. King, second lieutenant
national army; Arthur II. Parcher, first
lieutenant medical reserve corps; LEVEL
lyn Fortier, naval reserve corps; Charles
A. Haynes, Harvard Phillips, Morton &.
Whitcomb, Harold l.. Hooper (avia tionl,
national army. Two other young ELS
worth men the parish might well claim,
bat as they are married and have homes
| elsewhere, they were not included.
They are Major Martyr H. Shute of the
regular army, and Ralph NJ. Holmes,
OF the national army.
Mr.. Hall, in presenting the flags,
after explaining briefly the nature and
functions of the standing committee
which he represented, took up the two
flags, and said:
This first one you are all familiar with, and
need no Introduction to 1T. Il is the flag of
your country and Of my country. You know
| its story and its history-how its thirteen
stripes represent and recall the thirteen
small. struggling, separate communities that
united In l776, and alter seven years of as
valiant struggle for the rights of man-of
merely human and undistinguished people
rs this world ever saw or ever will see.
emerged as q nation; how the clustering stars
in its ''azure field Of night" known the
world over in the flag language as the
"union'O are symbolical, in number and in
| idealism, of the separate states that form
| this union, as from time to.time 1t expands.
How 1t adorns the heavens in which il
floats, now almost from one pole of this
| earth to the other and on nearly every
| psraiiei-and has never yet proved an
| unwecome visitor anywhere and been
permanently denied recognition OF men,
| not at least of the unpriviieged, who make
| up the overwhelming mass of mankind.
| But did you know-I must admit that /
| did not until in the course OF somewhat
| desultory reading 1t was brought to my
| notice some few years ago-that this flag,
| your flag, represents to-day the oldest
surviving form OF government among all
| the leading nations of the earthf This has
somewhat startling sound. Why, the
| United States is new, you say, almost still
an experiment. a child among the old
nations OF Europe and of the old world.
Not so. Our constitution has remained
practically unchanged, except for the few
benevolent changes wrought by the abolition
of slavery, for l2s years, and in that time all
the nations of the old world have been
fundamentally reconstructed more nearly
to approach ours.
England, as recently as 1885, had more than
one-half the members of her House of Com
| mons elected by less than three per cent. of
her adult males. Germany began as
nation in 1871; France as a republic at the
same time. Russia has been reconstructed
over and over. and now is broken again.
Modern Italy dates from the end OF the
temporal power of the papal authorities
about 1871. and even Japan and China have
been fundamentally remodeled. Our govern
ment is one of the most prominent examples
OF the survival of the httest'' in universal
| struggle for existence"
| 1t deserves the support of all right-thi nix
ing people-not more for our sake than for
| their own-and, my friends, it will get it..
Civilization does not turn backwards.
And now, what OF this other flag! BY COM
mon consent it has been called a service
flag" Its existence at all is purely sponta-
| neous and without precedent But II the en-
tire English language had been carefully
| searched, two more fitting words could hardly
| have been found. This word Service" is q
very old one. II is the Latin servus. usually
translated slave, but its underlying idea is
| one who does something for which someone
| else gets the benefit.
/ These ten stars represent ten young men
united through their families with this con-
| gregation. who have stepped to the front, in
| answer to the call Of that other flag that gov
| eminent OF the people, by the people and for
the people may not perish. Others who will
| stay at home and receive the benefits OF what
these young men do are worthily trying in
many ways to aid in this great crisis. Their
| efforts are commendable, and some of them
very necessary. They are comparable to the
pages and esquires of the knights of old who
| cared for the armor and buckled on the
swords of their principals, but these ten
young men are the knights themselves. Do
not lose sight of that.
| l know them all, you know them all.
| Silently. modestly, without acclaim, with no
| attempt to attract attention to themselves
| they have left their homes and families to
/ interpose themselves between the worlds
peaceful toilers, and host OF secretly
prepared. selfish and wolfsh would-be
spoiIers-between the ants and ant-eaters-
gladly pay the tribute of my homage to
| these heroic young men-all of them, aud all
of their particular like who are now pour
| ing into the camps and crossing the seas.
The sacrifices of all others, howsoever worthy
| are nothing to theirs.
1t may be that war is the antithesis of re-
| ligion--it is. II may be that the churches oil
the Prince of Peace-all of them-should dis