The Ordway new era., 1918-08-23
Old Glory
r.
By ELLIS PARKER BUTLER
Of 1hs Tisnonfes

-anu tne Otner day 1 made MIN u
boat" out in the back yard. with
sail that he can raise and lower, and
At the top of the mast tackled on
flag" to fiutter In the breeze that
blows continuously here on Long Is
land. The flag" like the sail. is
piece Of old canvas. II flaps In the
breeze like any flag. but 1t does not
mean a thfngI / can look out of my
window and see that flag" futtering
and not feel the slightest emotion of
any sort. made 1t. / know it is
nothing but piece of old canvas.
ripped from a large piece and nailed
there.
Some day-b1t God forfend any
such day-that flag" might have a
meaning for me. might look out of
my window and see Ii fiuttering there
and know thai my boy would never
again look up atit in his play and
the sight of the poor rag might fill my
heart with agony. If any neighbor
then came into my yard and laid rough
hands on that flag and tore 1t down
and trampled on 1t / think 1 would
kill him. The poor rag would be sa-
cred because of the memories that
clung to 1t.
It is because It means so much. is
the symbol of so much. that our ma
TONS flag is SO sacred that the man
who defiles 1t deserves toy be shot
down In the act.
A flag is symbol. sign. as the
cross Is a symbol and as the triangle
Is 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
I thus made at the head of the grave.
Now the bits of wood have become u
sacred sign and whoever destroys that
cross, or defiles 1t, or throws 1t down
Is indeed a dog. The bunting and the
silk of our flag are nothing; not un-
til they are assembled in the Stars and
Stripes of our flag and thrown to the
breeze as the symbol of loyalty and
patriotism do they demand our rever-
ence.
Why We Honor the Flag.
We honor the flag because of what
| 1t 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 thousand pages. On
the first page might be inscribed the
Americans Greed. proclaiming be-
lief in national honor, national justice
and national honesty and a belief in
free government for this free Amerl-
can people. To Washington then
might be called all the people of the
nation, to sign. one after another,
heir 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 Creed Is written In
the Stars and Stripes of our flag. Our
flag stands for all that could be writ
ten In the great book at Washington.
It 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.
proclamation of loyalty as valid as a
signed and sealed book. Our flag Is
not gaily colored decoration to
brighten our towns and villages; 1t is
creed-an 81 believe"-to tell our
neighbors, our nation, and the whole
world how we stand.
1t Is remarkable to what an extent
lags, even the simplest, tell the ma
tional stories. I CHANGED upon the flag
Of the little grand duchy of Luxem-
burg few days ago for the first time.
had long been familiar with the
Luxemburg coat-of-arms, which Is
standing lion on barred shield. sur
mounted by the ducal coronet, and l
had imagined the flag of Luxembourg,
would be something like that. 1t Is
three straight bars, or stripes. of red.
white and blue. These are the colors
Of France. but they are arranged on
the flag OF Luxembourg as are the red
white and black of Germany, and not
perpendicularly as in the French flag.
The flag tells its own story. The peO-
pie Of Luxembourg speak German; !;
their sympathies are entirely French.
In something of the same way the
flag of Great Britain tells Its story.
with the. st. Georges cross of Eng
land. st. Andrews cross of Scotland
and st. Patrick's cross of Ireland COM
bined. The true story Of Prussianism
and its brutal aggressions is told by
the German flags. The German em-
pire. so much boasted, is shown by
Its flag to be but n footstool on which
the king of Prussia wipes his feet. for
In It's center l. the black eagle of