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Show I I THE OLD BATTLE FLAGS. j Among the amenities of our times, one of the most agreeable i is the apparently growing inclination on the part of the States embattled em-battled during the war between the North and South to return cap-jtured cap-jtured flags. Recently representatives of the State of Maine went to Washington and, meeting- there officials of the States of Virginia, j South Carolina and Texas and survivors of the Confederacy, gave back to the Southern States these treasured relics of idealism and courage. Later, North Carolinias gathered at Trenton, where they were presented with flags captured by New Jersey troops in 1863. No indication has been given as to how these exchanges began. !t is ciepr that Maine led off by returning flags to South Carolina, but is this a general movement under way? It would be a fine thirg- if that were so. Americans never proved their mettle more conclusively than when they fought one another during the '60's, r-.nd thdr records of gallantry stand as the pride of each state then in the field. There must be many Southern flags in Northern states, and in the South there are still standards which were taken bv the men of Lee and Jackson. These flags are proud family heirlooms, and it is not surprising, that the descendants of brave American soldiers should value among their possession colors which their ancestors brought home from the war. But they would mean so much to the people of the states in whose name they were borne, and hung on the walls of the State Capitols they would be a constant con-stant reminder of a glorious, if unhappy, past. Each flag could be draped above a tablet reciting where, when and by whom it was t?ken and celebrating the fraternal spirit back of the restitution. There is a sentiment involved in this which could be used to mitigate miti-gate the forgetfulness of a busy, materialistic age. New York Times. |
