Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-14

Today IS the l0VLn dHHlNSt sol VI
| the United States flag. and all this
week is set aside as Flag week. 1t
was. indeed, a~happy coincidence that
brought to the National Capital on the
| opening day of Flag week the youth
who has reflected more luster upon
| the beloved "Old Glory" than ever one
man had done before.
At vesper services before the United
States Capitol. last Sunday evening,
Col. Charles A. Lindbergh received
citation and medal from the United
States Flag Association in recognition
of the honor he had brought to the flag
before all nations of the world by MS
fight from New York to Parasitic
third citation and medal ever given
by the flag association, of which or
ganization President Coolidge is hon.
orary president. Elihu Root is active
president and Col. James A. Moss
director general. as well as founder.
and all the governors of the As States
are the board of directors.
The citation reads as follows:
"Col. Charles A. Lindbergh: A trail
blazer, charting lone-handed course
that none had ventured before,
through whose conspicuous adventure
in his nonstop flight from New York
to Paris the flag followed the plane
i'm the triumphant conquest OF space
and storm as harbinger of interna-
tional good will and understanding.
Thus has he written new canto in
the epic of American achievement"
The two citations previously grant
ed by the flag association were given
| in honor of men who had devoted out
standing services in developing such
an organized movement toward rev.
erence for the flag. If the details OF
| their services could be told, they
would in each case express spirit
| of patriotism and human interest
which Is out of the ordinary. No one
| person can claim credit for the idea
| of a flag anniversary. just as no one
| individual created the United States
| of America The spirit actuated many,
and the elimination grew out of the
| efforts of many, but the earliest one
! 70 devote efforts in that direction. ac-
| cording to the award Of the board OF
| directors of the association, was DR..
| b. J. Cierand, former head of Chi
| cago public schools. Forty years ago
! he began writing to Chicago papers
! in advocacy of such an organization,
| and the United States Flag Associa.
! ton recently awarded him the first
citation and medal. 1t is noted that
| the citation does not acclaim DR..
Cigrand as the actual originator, put
| as a pioneer" 1T reads:
DIR. b. j. Cigrand: Nearly 40 years
| ago. like unto Il voice in the wilder
ness, he began. with the spirit or the
| crusader, to battle for the establish
ment of June IA as Flag day, day on
which the anniversary of the adoption
| of the flag of the United States would
be commemorated by our people IN
| universal and fitting way. With the
zeal of the true patriot, he laDoreo
| theoretically and necessarily untli the
| achievement of his mission has come
| to pass. Thus to him belongs the hon.
| or and distinction of being a pioneer
| in establishing Flag day in the hearts
| of the American people, thereby help-
| ing to bring into greater consideration
| and higher appreciative regard the
| flag of the United States, and the
| ideals, traditions. principles and insti-
buttons for which that flag stands.
y 4 X
Several years ago Mr.. Ben Alt
heimer, a multimillionaire Jew OF
New York, was walking through
rainstorm when he was stopped Dy
shivering Christian. with coat col
I lar IuFIloU up anu WAlLOuI On 49,
brella. Tho bedraggled man begged
him for a quarter with which to buy
something to eat, for he was starv-
ing. Mr.. Altheimer asked the man
| to come, with him to his home and
there, after giving him a dry suit OF
clothes and a meal, together with
some money, he let him goa far
Drawer and happier struggler facing
an unequal world. But the incident
aroused Mr.. Altheimer into retlec-
tions of the inequality of the world,
and out of that grew his idea of
"Eundle day" semi-annually. when
well-to-do people might send their old
clothes to a common center for dis
tribution to the needy. Out of that,
| too, developed renaissance of love
Of the country which knew no rank
but only knew human sympathy and
equal rights and common patriotism.
SO Ben Altheimer, the millionaire
Jew. began distributing American
| flags by the hundreds to schools and
community organizations: 1t was his
way of expressing patriotic gratitude
| for such country.
The second citation Of the United
States Flag association reads: