“ Let the National Flag float over every school-house in the country, and the exercises be such as shall impress upon our youth the patriotic duties of American citizens. ”
MEMORIAL DAY.
MAY THIRTY.
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Reading—Let Us remember. Recitation—We keep Memorial Day. Song with Flag Salute—All Hail. “Old Glory!” Reading—Benjamin Harrison’s Tribute to “Old Glory!” Recitation—Meaning of the Colors. Recitation—Memorial Day. Song—Scatter the Flowers. Recitation—What can Children do? Exercise for Four Children—Emblems of Decoration. Oration—The Soldiers kept in Remembrance.
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Flag Exercise—By the Little Ones. Song—The Banner of the Union. Reading—Our Loyal Women. Singing by School—Long wave Our Flag! Reading—How They came back from the War. Address by Veteran—(Let it emphasize the lessons the day commemorates.) Recitation—Mustered Out. Recitation—Cover Them Over. Closing Song—America song.
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Note—Let the words of our National Hymn song be memorized by every pupil. It would be well if every child in school could be provided with a small flag to wave at proper moments.
TRIBUTE TO OLD GLORY.
Benjamin Harrison.
I have recently returned from an extended tour of the states, and nothing so impressed and refreshed me as the universal display of this banner of beauty and glory. It waved over the school-houses; it was in the hands of the school children. As we speeded across the sandy wastes, at some solitary place, a man, a woman, a child, would come to the door and wave it in loyal greeting. Two years ago I saw a sight that has ever been present in my memory:—
As we were going out of the harbor of Newport, about midnight on a dark night, some of the officers of the torpedo station had prepared for us a beautiful surprise. The flag at the depot station was unseen in the darkness of the night, when suddenly electric search lights were turned on it, bathing it in a flood of light. All below the flag was hidden and it seemed to have no touch with earth, but to hang from the battlements of heaven. It was as if heaven was approving the human liberty and human equality typified by that flag.
WE KEEP MEMORIAL DAY.
When the May has culled her flowers for the summer waiting long.
And the breath of early roses woos the hedges into song.
Comes the throb of martial music and the banners in the street,
And the marching of the millions bearing garlands fair and sweet—
’Tis the Sabbath of the Nation, ’tis the floral feast of May!
In remembrance of our heroes
We keep Memorial Day.
They are sleeping in the valleys, they are sleeping neath the sea,
They are sleeping by the thousands till the royal reveille;
Let us know them, let us name them, let us honor one and all.
For they loved us and they saved us, springing at the bugle call;
Let us sound the song and cymbal, wreathe the immortelles and bay.
In the fervor of thanksgiving
We keep Memorial Day.
