The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-06-14
Old Glory!
BY ELLIS PARKER BUTLER
OF the ViuiIantes.

TT is because it means so much,
is the symbol of so much, that our
- nations flag is so sacred that the
man who defiles 1t deserves to be
shot down in the act.
A flag is a symbol, sign, as the
cross is a symbol and as the triangle
is q symbol. The mere silk or bunt-
ing of the flag are nothing. A burial
squad tramps through the woods bear
ing the body of dead comrade, and
digs his grave and covers him over In
his last bed. On the ground lie two
bits of wood. They are nothing but
bits of wood, to be burned, or to be
left to decay. The dead mans COM
rades pick them up and bind one across
the other and plant the cross thus
made at the head Of the grave. Now
the bits of wood have become sacred
sign and whoever destroys that cross,
or defiles It, or throws it down is in
deed a dog. The bunting and the silk
of our flag are nothing ;.nOt until they
are assembled In the stars and stripes
of our flag and thrown to the breeze
as the smbol Of loyalty and patriotism
do they demand our reverence.
We honor the flag because of what
II stands for. Those who dishonor our
flag dishOnor all it stands for. In days
like these, when our nation is at war,
there might be placed under the dome
of the capitol at Washington great
book Of a thousand pages. On the first
page might be inscribed the Ameri-
cans Greed, proclaiming belief In
national honor, national justice and
national honesty and belief in free
government for this free American
people. To Washington then might be
called all the people of the nation, to
sign one after another their names In
the great book so that all America and
all the world might know how each
man and woman and child stood, until
all our millions were enrolled. There
is no need Of this. The Americans
Greed Is written in the stars and
stripes of our flag. Our flag stands for
all that could be written in the great
book at Washington. 1t stands for
honor, justice, national honesty, and
free government, and when the time
Of stress comes, as at present the flag
is at hand, ready to be raised in twenty
million homes, a proclamation of 10y
atty as valid as signed and sealed
book. Our flag is not gayly colored
decoration to brighten our towns and
villages: 1t is creed-an II believe
to tell our neighbors, our nation and
fho- hi
In something of the same way the
flag Of Great Britain tells it's story,
with the st. Georges cross of England,
st. Andrews cross of Scotland, and
st. Patrick's cross of Ireland combined.
The true story of Prussianism and its
brutal aggressions is told by the Ger
man flags. The German empire, so
much boasted, is shown by its flag to
be but footstOol on which the king
of Prussia wipes his feet, for in its
center is the black eagle of Prussia,
crowned, and the black cross of Prus-
STA Is smeared all over 1t. The Ger |
man empire is Prussia and nothing but
Prussia; military autocracy holding
Bavaria, Wurttemberg, Saxony and all
the other states In pawn, just as the
king-kaiser would like to hold New |
York, California and all of America,
and as he now holds helpless Luxem-
burg and brave Belgium. The black |
In all the German flags is the black |
Of Prussia, and black is the color that |
was chosen by the pirates and cut
Threats.
Everyone knows the story Of our
own flag, with the thirteen stripes that
signify the thirteen original states Of
our Union, and the stars, one for each
state In the union today. Our flag. was
made when the wise fathers of our ma
ton decreed that this should be a
union Of sovereign states and that no
kingly crown or imperial eagle should
appear on our banners.
This Flag day it will float from the
stats Of a million American homes,
perhaps from ten million or twenty
million, but its greatest glory-the
greatest glory Of its 140 years-is that
1t will float in the breezes Of France
and Flanders beside the flags of Bel
gfum. France and Great Britain, and |
on the seven seas Of the world, in the
worlds greatest combat against au-