The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 26, 1901, Page 1

contests ends its ple rs past sheathed ute of e earth e but it mewhere under 1 Atrd the edge white man, > other, or 1 of them the Ameri- things love of coun- in again the old lines, battle scarred flag thefr color, but, with soul so dead, 1is the work of the post. y, to the > faintly stirs the f Lafayette go with ceches impromptu try love. presenting them to gs to Cuba, Porto Philippines, has Post. k constituted them- s of the Star-Spangled e or the fortunes of he flag metaphorically in reality the starred ed it with their own hands rried o comprehension of ‘ts laboriously taught and how to treat it all of this good work £hould go ® afleld. There are many we know the flag, who t v r it one genuine the kind that the a far and troubled to show what flag -sickness, can be. fornienne living not long in ith her parents to een there some time in the front parlor be house, tearing her lace pleces in frantic effort to get e lady inquired the " she sald. “Don’t "oo ses the flag. Take off ‘oo hat. Dod b'ess Stars and Stripes 10t of course original little head, but they showed st have been the feelings and how often ex- sress her so forci- tism which we at as were love the flag and what it represents is not all; there must also defend it. Without that of the flag would but cause pain ht become a mockery. Lafayett t knows that what the thousand years past have been the thou- sand years to come will be. Ware W greater rather K than less. the G. A. R. saw the greatest 14 ever knew. Thev saw one field than Snglan{ he battles she has had algar. peace say that this can e, for the world has become But do they remember too that we are just now engaged In stirring up the uncivilized part of the world? That by the way is still the largest. After teaching tbe love for ‘he flag, there paturslly follows the military in- struction, To this end, Lafayette Iost bes worked in Congress until it secureq éuring the last session a law which was simost noticed at the time, but will have & great influence in molding the Gestiny of the country. The act itself was recently read ata meeting of General Thomas Post, by Comrade Joseph Blascheck, sergeant major of Lafayette Post, who is at pres- ent in Ban Francisco on business con- nected with the G, A. R, be the abilt possessio since that The provisions of the mct are, in sub- gtence, that hereafter any organized in- stitution of learning may, by applying to tment, be furnished with a ctor detalled from the reg- o shall reside at and give to the school, tofore been the custom of the of War to extend this favor , ms In the case with rsity of California, but it a voluntary courtesy, the good offices of La- securing the pessage of 1 rtment s compelled siructor to any school, col- emy which will comply with ns providea and pay the ex- o detafled, tary training, aside such as to render Promptness, obedis v carriage all become second nat d are aequisitions thag none can overiook. No matter what walk in life one may pursue or how strongly his wishes may run toward peace, these @re the things whick the soldley learns the War De and carries with kim to the end, always the er for them. Besi there is no easier way to get peace than to fight for it. The true cow- ard knows no peace; he s always In & state of terror and alarm, which is worse than that of actual battle, for it is the dread fecling of anticipation—a thousand times worse than the reality. Viewed in this way it is easily seen what an inestimable blessing will be con- ferred upon the coming generation In teaching them that self-rellance without which none can feel themselves whole, true men. But Lafayette Post, having accom- plished this much, does not feel further inclined to influence legislation. To set the youthful minds upon high ideals through the flag work is their favorite method. This branch of the post’s ser- <O =190]: vices has now become so important and attained such proportions that it has been committed to a flag assoclation specially created for the purpose. The activity of its members is shown by the following statement of flags given, as told by Mr. Blascheck: ‘December 30, 1898,' Junior Vice Com- mander Allen C. Bakewell reported that he had just returned from Porto Rico, where he had distributed 300 flags to the “schools of that island in the name of La- fayette-Post. January 19, 1599, post voted to send 300 more flags to Porto Rico for schools, mak- ing 600 in all. January 27, flag presented to Grammar Sohool No. 8, Borough of Manhattan. February 22, flag to St. Luke's Boys’ Club, Borough of Brooklyn. April 7, flag to Fourth Ward Scheel, Norfolk, Va. And so along through the months the record goes, showing flags hers and thers, east side, west side and all arcund the town; all around the country, teo. Then, November 5, 200 bunting flags and 200 sflk salutation flags shipped to Major General Otis, commanding the United States army in the Philippine Islands, for presentation to schools thers, by Colonel J. W. French, & comrade of Lafayette Post. _February 20, 1900—160 bunting flags and 160 silk salutation flags, shipped to George W. de Long Post of Honolulu, Hawall, for the schools there. April 7-500 bunting flags, 4x8, shipped to Major General Otis, Manila, Philippine Islands, for distribution to presidentes and officials of the conquered towns of the islands. December 12160 additional bunting flags to Porto Rico for recently estab- lished schools. The money to purchase these flags is all given voluntarily by the members of the post, who are wealthy and many of them famous—all intensely patriotic in the broad manner shown. Among some of the well-known names'ars those of Gen- eral Nelson Miles, General Wesley Mer- ritt; E. L. Zalinski, who has made his name famous through the Inventiom of the dynamite gun; Hon. Chauncey De- pew; General Fred Pearson, he of New York’s 400 limited; General Greely of the , United . States Signal Service, R. W. Gilder of “Century” fame, Robert C. Og- den, Wilbur F. Brown and so for near- 1y 500 names—npames of men who have made their own fame. These men, prominent and bu are, ind time to go into the slums of New York, probably the most b: ‘tory under the American flag, and tall to* thé’ benigirted - e~catures, who - most of -all instruction in vatriotism, f it was there that the drafting riots showed the rottenness of the patriotic timber nearly forty years ago. During the beginning of the Spanish war the post organized itseif into & re- crulting squad and worked with such will that they raised 7500 volunteers, of whom the Government accepted over half. Proceeding with its good work, the wealthy post then offered to equip an en- tire brigade of these men, but this the Government, in consonance with its pol- fcy, refused to allow. Mr. Blascheck says of his post that whether in business or play, In commem- orating & sorrow or rejolcing at & festi- val, there is always something doing. It has no half ways with it. There is among the members all of that esprit de corps which makes the union between college boys closer than the ties of kin. In fact, they could never enter into thelr work so heartily if there were not the boyish spirit there. In giving to the young thers is always an added pleasure. No such fiecia was Sver known to the half-naked boys and girls of tropic Porto Rico as that when Commander Bakewell went through there distributing the flags. The people of the place are aiways ready for “a merrymaking, and when in addition to their holiday gayety is thrown In the en- thusiasm which comes of shouting *“vi- vas” for the long sought freedom, then ls the scene one worth the painting. And when the love of the flag has taken root and grown, then it will perhaps be time to teach the dark-skinned sons of the tropics how to defend it, and in the strength so given ‘will lle thelr safety. The brave are not fought: they do not have to fight. There is no better way to work toward the ultimate peace of the great majority than by these preparations for its defense. Lafayette Post has many members from the old Seventh and Seventy-first New York, which were the crack regiments of that State. With men of that starmp for & nucleus it has drawn toward Itself so many comrades that the membership is now nearly 600, and dues have been raised to prevent its popularity from swamping it by causing unwieldiness. A few months more will ses the post in its twenty-first year, Its coming of age. Notwithstanding its own growth In years and that of its members, the occasion will be marked by hilarity that would do justice to the revels of college freshmen, for the Lafayettes believe that the way o keep young is to act as In youth. The activitiés of their own early lives are repeated by the second generation, whom they are training, and perhaps ‘vhen.the last comrade of Lafayettefhas een mustered out and the post is gone forever it will be found that the record- Ing angel has given them more good marks for their work In spread the flag and teaching patriotism than they sarned when they risked their lives om the flel@ of battle. If Abdul Hamid we Damned” he could carn a | penter. The Sultar is an ext and spends much of his leis in his workshop, He handles the plane with skill and designs many articles of furniture, A short time ago the Turkish Embassador in St. Petersburg gavs to the Czar a hand- some writing table s a gift from his sov~ ereign, whose work it was. It 18 ornae mented with the Ottoman arms, centered Dy & portrait of Abdul's son set in bril- Mants. A small cupboard at the back cons tains & smoking set in amber and gold,