Show THE ADVANCING FLAG When the century was begun our flag on a frail standard was floating on the rim of the Eastern se I was a strange new light but did riot much attract at-tract the e e of the world Warring Europe hardly raised Its eyes to mark whether there was a significance in the new light or DOt But it began to push its way westward and soon shone out from tho crests of the Alleghenies and Blue Ridge Then it began to shed light over the broad lands In the countrys central great valley Suddenly It blazed out llko a search light all up and don the Father of Waters Then war came and the flag took on more vivid colors at Niagara at New Orleans and from the foremast of the old Constitution I Strange now voices began to be heard through the heavy respirations of steam engines and the click of the telegraph tele-graph Cities began to appear and State after State rounded into form In I the meantime the forests were melting away and Jn their stead fair homes and fruitful fields appeared and every year the greetings to the fag swelled In louder fuller acclaim Then war came again and the flag took on 0 deeper red and a purer white as It flashed along the Tllo Grande up the Rocky I I mountain over the City of Mexico and In thC land of sunshine on the sunset sea seaThen Then from that land a stream of gold began to flow eastward and the business busi-ness of the East received a new Impetus Impe-tus and In swifter flow and mightier volume the tide of immigration turned upon our shores Then came another war so terrible that as the old flag went down under the canopies of Innumerable battles I millions of anxious souls wondered If Indeed Its celestial light was not going into final eclipse But it emerged at last and under Its new and purer light it was seen that the chains gf the slave had been melted away Since then its splendor has Increased until It illls tho world with light and symbollng It formerly did new privileges priv-ileges to men it has taken on sovereign I sover-eign proportions and flashes the certain cer-tain truththat liberty exalteth a nation na-tion and produces the highest type of men This issdeh especially off across the sea IntheContrast presented by our soldiers ttrthe soldiers of other nations on the fetid soil and in the tainted atmosphere f at-mosphere of China Under that advancing flag a continent has been redeemed from barbarism and dedicated civilization Under that advancing flag the free school was born QR and has been cxtendcd until today the sweetest grQctlng to the new century wH he the singing of the children in thoseSchools which will begin In the J I East wit the dawn and roll on In unbroken un-broken chorus while tht Bun is making oneeighth of its dally round Great fag that great country great Inheritance And it Is for us to keep It sacred and to transmit it with increased In-creased dren splendor and power to our chi |