Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-07-25
Our Flag

To the Editor:-Can you tell me
whether or not there is a law (there
certainly is one) relative to the man
ner, time, place, etc of displaying an
American flag?
| l note with sorrow only too many
times people do not realize what our
flag is or should be considered. Only
too many times it has occurred to me
that our flag is dishonored instead Of
being honored in the way it is dis
played. For instance, on school
houses l have noted flags that were
torn all to pieces by wind. and weather
and faded so that the stars and stripes
were hardly visible. / think every
school board should see to it that
their flag is displayed in such a con-
dition as to stimulate honor and re-
spect by every one who sees it.
! 2 | have noted with sorrow that
our flag was nailed to q building to be
left there regardless of the weather
to be left there until it was torn so
there was practically nothing left Of
it, Is that to be considered honoring
our flag?
| 8. have noted sometime since
that a junk dealer was displaying a
number of our flags on his scare
crows while gathering junk. Did that
man think that he was honoring our
flag in the way he was displaying it%
Surely I did not and l know every
hoA h nd
spect for our flag thought as l did. He
ought to be made to take them down.
f. have noted with sorrow, it
made every drop of ny blood boil and
it took some time before l could get.
cooled down so there was no PERSONAL
attack made, to see an American flag
button displayed on a drunkards coat;
drunk so that he was not able to stand
up. Did that man conceive the idea
providing he had any ideas lefty that
he was honoring our flag? say he did
not honor our flag, but he did dis
honor it. In my judgment no drunk
ard should display our flag.
e, AS to the first, when our boys re-
turn from France the more tor1H
weather beaten and shot to pieces our
flags (and l know there will be a
large number Of them) the more they
will be honored; our boys as well as
our flags. At home our flag must be
kept in as neat and clean condition
as our best garment Would anyone
allow his best garment to hang out
oh i'm CT in
flag surely must be considered better
and dearer than our garment, the best
place and care is none too good for it,
AS to the second I do not think our
flag should be nailed to any old shag
and allowed to stay there until torn
to pieces. Anybody displaying our
flag should respect it enough to take
it down at night and put it up again
in the morning, weather permitting. |
consider it all right to display our flag
on an auto, carriage, ETC., providing
it is kept clean and whole, but do not
deem it proper to be displayed on a
junk wagon, manure spreader, etc., or
any old scare crow that resembles a
horse. And as to a bOoser just boiling
over with liquor | will leave 1t to you
decision whether or not he should
wear our flag, but | do know this
much and will give my. word of honor
for it that in battle or any other place
if our enemies ever should capture
one of our flags from one of our
Boys, they will not capture it from a
drunken and sleeping boy nor a Iv-
ing boy but they will have to take 1t
from a dead boy-and then they Will
have some time in taking it away
from him. | do consider our flag a
holy emblem to our country, the MIC
est flag under the sun and worthy OIL
being honored by any American man,
woman or child. If our soldier boys
regard our flag more than their lives,
is it asking too much from us to dis
play our flag in such place and man
ner as to show our respect and honor
toward the same, God bless our nag,
our Boys, and our country.
| C. KOENIG
Loganville, Wis.
Ceremony Rules
Editors Note: There are numDer
of rules governing the ceremonies in
cident to the use of the flag. The
Sons of the Revolution in the state OF
New York have formulated number,
and among them are the following:
The flag should not be hoisted be-
fore sunrise nor allowed to remain up
after sunset.
At retreat" sunset civilian spec
tators should stand at attention" and
uncover during the playing OF the
"Star Spangled Banner" Military
spectators are required by regulation
to stand at attention" and give the
military salute.
When the national colors are pass
-. q In, ncuiau the SnaC-