Respect the Flag
When you see the Stars and Stripes displayed son,
stand up and take off your hat. Somebody may titter. It
is in the blood of some to deride all expression of noble
sentiment. You may blaspheme in the street and stagger
drunken in public places, and the bystanders will not pay
much attention to you; but if you should get down on your
knees and pray to Almighty God, or if you should stand
bareheaded while a company of old soldiers marches by with
flags to the breeze, some people will think you are
showing off.
But don't you mind! When Old Glory comes along,
salute, and let them think what they please! When you hear
the band play "The Star-Spangled Banner" while you are in
a restaurant or hotel dining room, get up even if you rise
alone; stand there and don't be ashamed of it, either!
For of all the signs and symbols since the world
began there is none other so full of meaning as the flag
of this country. That piece of red, white and blue bunting
means five thousand years of struggle upward. It is the
full-grown flower of ages of fighting for liberty. It is
the century plant of human hope in bloom.
Your flag stands for humanity, for an equal
opportunity to all the sons of men. Of course we haven't
arrived yet at that goal; there are many injustices yet
among us, many senseless and cruel customs of the past
still clinging to us, but the only hope of righting the
wrongs of men lies in the feeling produced in our bosoms
by the sight of that flag.
Other flags mean a glorious past, this flag a
glorious future. It is not so much the flag of our fathers
as it is the flag of our children, and of all children's
children yet unborn. It is the flag of tomorrow. It is the
signal of the "Good Time Coming." It is not the flag of
your king—it is the flag of yourself and of all your
neighbors.
Don't be ashamed when your throat chokes and the
tears come, as you see it flying from the masts of our
ships on all the seas or floating from every Flagstaff of
the Republic. You will never have a worthier emotion.
Reverence it as you would reverence the signature of the
Deity.
Listen, son! The band is playing the national
anthem—"The Star-Spangled Banner!" They have let loose Old
Glory yonder. Stand up—and others will stand with you.
This tribute to the flag is offered to the country
in appeal to all men and women of all races, colors and
tongues, that they may come to understand that our flag is
the symbol of liberty and learn to love it.
ALVIN M. OWSLEY,
Past National Commander, The American Legion.
