The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1918-07-05

soldiers-but we who st at home and
not know that there would ever be
wait, we who are fathers-are we
doing all we can? Are we giving
them every chance-our sons-over
there in that inferno? .
To say that the American flag
means more to the American people
today than it has ever meant before is
no reflection upon their patriotism.
! 1t is a simple statement of fact. For
the first time in our history, Old
Glory is waving on European battle
fields. It has reached out to protect
the freedom Of the old world as we'll
as that Of the new.
To the Teutonic hosts and particu-
laFly to the Teutonic rulers, the Stars
and Stripes have q new meining. Be-
fore the war the flag s~ynbo1ized a
free people, with immense natural re-
sources, great wealth and certain mis-
understood ideals Of government. To
the Teutonic min dit was ~inconceivable
that forty-eight commonwealth, fed
Grated Al the United States, could ever
be a powerful nation, as power was
reckoned by European rulers. Kaiser
Wilhelm is credited with the state
ment that Americas power was negli.
gibles because America was a real
democracy.
The same view has been taught by
Prussian propagandists. Their teach
|ings reached the ears of President Will
son and, months before war was de-
clared by the United States. he said:
"Men are saying that if we should 20
to war upon either side there would be
q divided America-an abominable
libel of ignorance!"
The Day Of Testing Came.
~Forty-eight stars in the flag did
mean forty-eight commonwealth. Yet
there was but n flag. And it was
the significance of that which es-
capped the minds of the kaiser and his
counselors. They knew that the forty
eight stars were not vassal states and
they could not understand the strength
of the tie that bound them, for the
Prussian mind had been nurtured up-
on the doctrines of force.
To the Prussian mind the forty
eight stars meant experimental de-
mocracy. Each state wanted to be
represented in the national emblem
each state asserted its autonomy.
Therefore, there could be no composite
whole. The experiment in democracy
was idealistic, Utopian, and the SYM
bolism was proper because a fedora
ton so conceived was unquestionably
the product of minds so impracticable
that they were soaring towards the
stars.
The American ideal was high-as
high as the stars, if you will-but nc
ideal is to be condemned because of its
great reaches,
The day of testing came. Democ.
racy was at the crossroads. And again
the kaiser was shown to have made a
miscalculat;on. Some years before he
had calculated on the disintegratior
of the British empire because it hac
bound its dominions only by cords Of
loyalty. Yet when Britain in her dis.
tress called to the dominions in the
uttermost parts of the earth, the
flower of the manhood of those colon.
les came forward eagerly, joyously
And what a record they have writer
those Canadians, Australians, New
Zealanders, South Africans!
No North and No. South.
So with America! Ten millions Of
her men went to the booths and regis.
tered for service-for the ultimate
sacrifice is necessary. They went with
no other %compulsion than the ex.
pressed will of the federal govern
ment.
Today no home in the land has
escaped the claims of war. No home