PATRIOTIC PLEDGES. No. I. Flag of Freedom! true to thee, All our Thoughts, Words, Deeds shall be,- No. 2. The toil of our Hands, The thoughts of our Heads, The love of our Hearts, We pledge to our Flag! No. 3. By the Memories of the Past, By the Present, flying fast, By the Future, long to last, Let the dear Flag wave! No. 4. I pledge myself to stand by the Flag that stands for Loyalty, Liberty and Law! No. 5. The Youth's Companion "Pledge of Allegiance." (Right hand lifted, palm downward to a line with the forehead and close to it, standing thus, all repeat together slowly:) "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands; One Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All." (At the words "to my Flag," the right hand is extended gracefully, palm upward, towards the Flag and remains in this gesture to the end of the affirmation; whereupon all hands immediately drop to the side.) No. 6. CIVIC CREED FOR THE BOYS AND GIRLS OF THE GREAT REPUBLIC. God hath made one blood all nations of men, and we are His children, brothers and sisters all. We are citizens of these United States and we believe our flag stands for self-sacrifice for the good of all the people. We want, therefore, to be true citizens of our great country and will show our love for her by our works. Our country does not ask us to die for her welfare only, she asks us to live for her, and so to live and so to act that her government may be pure, her officers honest, and every corner of her territory a place fit to grow the best men and women, who shall rule over her. SPEECH AT TRANSFER OF FLAGS. Color-bearers of the public schools: When on the 17th of May last, the flags which you now bear were presented by the two posts of the G. A. R. of this city, you were chosen to represent your schools, because you were thought worthy. The veterans of the Civil War from whose hands you received them were men who had shown their loyalty upon bloody battle fields. They felt that they were honored in intrusting to you these banners. Young hearts that should beat loyally through the years to come. Young hands that should ever be ready to strike in defense should the time ever demand it. After carefully guarding these banners for the time they have been in your custody, you are about to surrender them to other hands. They who follow you will in turn be as proud as you. In the years to come all of you will look back to your school days, and feel that the greatest honor bestowed upon you by your school was your selection as color-bearers. My children, you who are delegates from the various schools, this day and cercmony mean much to you. It is not the flag, with its stripes and stars of red and white, its field of blue, that of itself means anything. The language it speaks is what you should heed, is that which makes it the flag of freedom. Read lessons from its beautiful folds as unfolding in the fresh breezes of the morning they are kissed by the bright sunlight. It tells us that it is not the flag of war, but the flag of peace and good will. Its mission is the friendship of the nations. But it also tells us that should it ever be necessary to strike against wrong that the blow will be heavy. If ever it is necessary to draw the sword in behalf of wronged or oppressed humanity that that sword will not be sheathed until the wrong is righted, and the hand of the oppressor raised. Learn that it teaches us to be good citizens, that in all civic affairs we should be upright and not seek office for the sake of pelf. It teaches us that public duty is a trust which should be faithfully performed for the good of our country and not for personal aggrandizement. Go from here to-day impressed with the thought of being better men and women because you are to be citizens of this great country, and that you will do your best to make it better because you are citizens; then my children you shall best honor the flags, which we intrust to your color-bearers to-day.-W. H. Scott, G. A. R. veteran. |