Show ter teru u Western Newspaper Union Released by A New Fla Flag I IBy Is Unfurled the flood Hood By that rude rode bridge that arched Their flag nag to Aprils April's breeze unfurled Here once the embattled farmers stood world heard round the And fired the shot Emerson Concord Hymn N PATRIOTS PATRIOT'S day this year a anew anew anew ON new flag was unfurled to Aprils April's breeze It was highly appropriate that this should have been done on April 19 For this banner bears the symbolic likeness of those embattled tied farmers who on another April 19 nearly years ago fired the opening shots in Americas America's first fight for freedom They call this new banner the Minute Man Flag and under it pres pres- day ent-day Americans are arc fighting another another another an an- other battle for freedom not freedon not with bullets but with bonds For this is the flag which the United States treasury department is making available for purchase by employers employ employ- ers when at least 90 per cent of their employees are participating in inthe inthe inthe the payroll savings plan of buying Victory Bonds It is also available to labor unions and other organizations org organizations niza- niza when 90 per cent of their members are purchasing bonds through some regular and systematic ic method Along with the flag goes a certificate certificate certificate cate also adorned with the picture of the Minute Man surrounded by 13 stars for the Thirteen Original States and signed by Secretary the state administrator and the state chairman of the defense defense defense de de- de- de savings organization to testify testify testify contribution contribution contribution contri contri- fy to the workers' workers patriotic to Americas America's war effort I The model for the white figure on the blue field of the new flag is of course the statue of the Minute MinuteMan MinuteMan Man an which stands on the site of the battle of Concord Few if any statues statues statues stat stat- ues on the soil of the United States are more familiar to the average American than this one But how Ys Y s f on much does he know about the sculptor sculptor sculptor I tor who designed it and the unusual circumstances under which it was made The sculptor was Daniel Chester French the son of a New Hampshire Hampshire Hampshire Hamp Hamp- shire judge who moved to a farm near Concord when Daniel was 17 One day while young Daniel was harvesting turnips he suddenly yielded to an urge for creative ex ex- ex- ex Picking up a large turnip turnip turnip tur tur- nip he set to work with his jackknife jackknife jackknife jack- jack knife and carved from the glistening glistening glistening glisten glisten- ing heart of the turnip the image of a frog Young French next began carving figures out of wood and when his father told Mary l Alcott a sister o of Louisa about the work of his talented talented talented tal tal- tal- tal s son n she gave him some clay and one of her modeling tools From that time on he was determined to tobe tobe tobe be a sculptor In 1871 the town of Concord decided decided decided de de- de- de that a memorial of some sor sort should be erected on the site of the famous Revolutionary battle there The sum of 1000 was raised for this purpose and year old Dan French was asked to submit a design design design de de- de- de sign for the memorial So he made madea a sketch for a statue and took i ito it to two friends of his father Ralph father Ralph Waldo Valdo Emerson and Judge Hoar Hoar- and upon th their ir recommendation it was immediately accepted Then came the job of making the plaster model model model-a a difficult one for forthe forthe forthe the inexperienced young sculptor But with the help of his father he prepared a mold dissolved what he thought was enough plaster stood the model on its head and poured the molten plaster into it But alas There must have been a hole under under under un un- der the minute mans man's hat for the plaster ran right through the mold mole out on to the floor So they had to wait another day until they could get more plaster The first model wasn't especially successful partly due to the fact fad that French was working in a poorly lighted room in a business building in m Boston But he persisted at his task and in 1872 the second and final model was completed However However However How How- ever three years elapsed before the statue was cast and unveiled at Con Con- cord By that time French had gone to Italy to study So he was not nol present for t the e ceremonies held althe at al atthe atthe the dedication of the statue which was destined to become one of his best known works of art artl I IThe The unveiling of the statue was set for April 19 1875 The April April breeze that morning was a bitterly cold one but more than people were on hand for the event President President President dent U. U S. S Grant and most of the members member of his cabinet had come to Concord There were bands and marching and speech The speaker of the day was George Vil William Villiam William Wil Wil- liam Curtis and he spoke for two hours while his auditors shivered Later a wag declared that more people people people peo peo- died from exposure to the weather er that day than were killed at the battle which they were celebrating J JI I r |