Norwich bulletin., 1921-06-15
WTLLIMANTIC

Eils Lodge r7o. 4se of Norwich, paid the tribute of the Eiks to the flag. Fol lowing the evening address by Brother Frank P. Fentcn tho services were con clrdsd bz the singing of America.
 The addcess of Brotsasr FsntOn foA- lows:
 The founders Of the Order of EIks, these who instituted as the yearly duty of the order this beautiful ceremony In honor of the nations flag, have said In few words nearly all there Is to say rrhere iN nothing left unsaid in euiogy, In history. in respectful trfbrte. The rtt- uaYsSic cereraomy of thiS order Is the finest rhetoric, nub!est sentiment and the ioftiest homage of respect that human naind can create, or human tongue can speak. The brothers who wrote ne rt- nal loved the flag and their country, and so year after year as Flag Day IS chccxed of rhe calendar every true Elk who remembers his obligation will renew again his allegiance.
 : So coming to you as your speaker to- night to taxe the place of one wno through no fault of his cannot address you 7 hesitate to approach the task. ana SO hesitatineiy, taking the place or hlnl' much better qualified than myself. But 1t is a pleasant duty. for 1t is great privilege to belong to an oroer | like this. An Rrder not only great in , charity. but great in human friendship, the ideals for which our flag stands. i Consider the great benefit not only to our country but 70 the world Of tn1s simple ceremony of the Elks. All over | tbe land wherever there Is lodge of Elks. this beautiful ceremony is taking place, Americanism is being preached. ! the best kind of AmericaniSn. It sis not that kind that teaches that the American Is the only perfect man. and one who has this great heritage ot hu- man liberty which he will keep solely ] so himself. all the rest of the world be- | ing unwelcorne but rather, the great hu- man kind of Americanism that recogniz- | es that we all have our faults, but that we owe to ourselves and to all the world to teach the doctrine of the spirit or our flag.
 In the yearr of the past we were wont sometimes to crticise those who indulged in what we called spread eagle speech es" and looked at it as a liberty that the orator was privileged to take when he lauded on our great patriotic days the prowness of our armies, and the principle of our flag. The last few years have proven. while eur flag was under fire that all these pessinists were wronr Every statement ever made in the most impassioned fiightz of oratory has been proven to be true. over and over again
 Twas the reverence for Old Glory the spirit of our flag that won the World war. Twas the spfrit of that flag ir cantonments in mobilization camps, or fields of aviation. at en1barkation ports in ships of transport and convoy, or land and on sea, in factory and shop, ir store. and tn office. and the great spirit of the home. that united our country back of our fighting force
 Twas the spirit of our flag that caus. ed the registration of over twenty-foIr million men; that mobilized severa million more fighting men within the space of ninety days; that backed ou1 Red Cross, the K. of C., Y. NJ c. A. Salvation Army, and all the great agen. cies to aid our soldiers; that made oul Liberty Loans a success
 All the world wondered how America which was not military nation, nobiliz ed her army quicked trained her soldier, quicker than nations whose whole his tory was given to militarism. The an swer is The Spirit of Our Flag"
 It was our soldiers belief In the fla, that won the World war. Fighting be
 
 ''to save themselves" as has been said.
 For the first time in our history ou flag waved on European battlefelds anc there added a new lustre to it's glory Our fifty thousan dead on foreign fields speak for the flag and the ideals fo which it stands. Those ideals believe, in by our citizens of foreign birth, d well as those of native birth cause, them to soldier side by side, with no dis tinction in their Americanism.
 During the war Americanization com mittees sprung up like mushrooms dur Ing the night. and since the war thi work has been continued by municipali ties and states at great expense: Bu there is more real AInericanization ar compiished by patriotic ceremonies lils this. than by thousands of dollars ex uended for that which is bought an paid for. ar
 Our lag teaches us that we are the Ar emy of intolerance, but stand for libert- both civil and religious, at any time an = anywhere. The spirit of our flag. bor In 1If6 is the spirit of self governmen
 all nations of the world. As has bee pointed out to you, those men who le
 H eueH plooa stained footprints on tf
 snow at Valley Forgs, gave the sniri+ :,
 self government to the world snd
 teaches us that no government is ere, 4 enough and powerful enough to der ene principals of human liberty to ar = nation. however small. "'
 Tn times of peace 1t is necessarv
 preacn the doctrine of our flag. Wb,
 sho nag IS under fire all but a few =.
 Io US support. Most of ts,oza VT, r are are not for 1t, dare not speak T Brt r .llles or peace there springs up in Lme
 lea those who would tear down the Yah- ID so long in building There are eoroa VI, claim to have better theory of eover
 ment' and their arguments are cIev,
 and sometimes misleading. But this !,
 know, they cannot show US a better 70
 ernment established by mankind. nor
 nobler flag. We know our system n. not perfect and our order teaches
 that we write our faults upon the sant