THE FLAG.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 206, 25 May 1908, Page 2

THE FLAG.

WHAT IT STANDS FOR. • LORD ItOSKBERY AND THE ] CHILDREN. ' ;; A memorablo speech on "The Flag" was delivered in. Edinburgh on Feb« ' ruary 21 last 'by tho Earl of Rosebery, which may appropriately bo printed to-day. The occasion was the presentation. ■ of flags by the Edinburgh branch of the Victoria League to fifty-three schools, of which 39 were Board schools, six Episcopal, and threo Roman Catholic. Lord Rosebcry said:— . , "I have been honoured, by the Victoria Leaguo by being entrusted with the duty, under tho authority of tho Edinburgh School Board,, of handing to the representatives of the Edinburgh-Board schools the'flags which they bavo sent down for that purpose. .Now, I am not going to detain you children" very long. I was tojd that you would* not caro very much about a long' speech, and I promptly replied that I should care about it much less. (Cheers.) Therefore I shall say to you a very few words, and. the best advico I can give you is this—Try and'ithink that lam going to deliver'a sermon; to, you, and thon it will se«m so delightfully short as '• compared with all other- sermons, tliat : it will be over before you know that' it has begun. " (Cheer's.) Now,' do you understand what this flag represents? A groat many grown-up peoplo don't, and I think-1 should do well if I have a sort of a diagram in,ray hand which will show you what I 'want to explain. (His' Lordship then.unwound one - of tho flags, remarking, "It is biggor than I : '. oxpocted.") Pointing to the'flag, he proceeded — Wo bdgin with the Scotch flag. (Loud cheers.) The Scotch flag was a:blua . ground with a white St. Andrew's' Cross on it. You can see the bluo ground and tho whito cross, though'ono or two things have como over it since. (Laughter.)' Well J'then, you'all know that Scotland'became united to England first by our : ;Ki.rig James VI going and taking' possession of England—(laughter ■ and cheers) —which, 1 1 am happy- to think,' tho. Scotch liavo kept ever' since—(cheers)— ■ and then by the Treaty of Union.in 1707. I apologise for tbo date; dates aro horrid things. Well, then, we come, to the flag of England. (Cheers.) . . Tho flag "of England was a white flag with.a/rod cross ott.it, tho .cross of, St. George., I am afraid .Icannot manago to trace it, but that is tho English cross, that red cross there,, and so when the two flags were united you had the Scotch bluo flag with, tho white cross on it, and then over it there rwas the red cross of England • j coming right, across it;; ' Well,' then;: wo j United with Ireland., (Cheers.)' Ireland had ' a cross, too, the cross ofSt;_Patrick. . That was also a red cross on a white ground.. So then, you had to combine into ono 'flag St. Andrew's white cross, St. George's red cross ■' ( ' for England, and St. Patrick's red cross for Ireland. Well, tho inconvenience _of St. *. Patrick's red cross was that it was just the ■ shape oif St. Andrew's cross, and so, tho'Only way in which wo could fit tho threo crosses in was by putting the rod St. Patrick's cross over tho whito Scotch St.' cross, . and leaving quite enough of the white . St. Andrew's cross: to sliow that it had; riot, been extinguished by the red cross of St". Patrick. (Choers.) ! ' -.' ■ - " Now, I think you all understand-^! 'am very stupid if - you don't —tho combination • which is called the .Union Jack. (Cheers.) How did we como to have a St. Andrew's cross'in Scotland? Well, that is more than I can tell . you. (Laughter.)' In old days'in tho Middle Ages countries used to like to have a saint under'whose special protection. they placed themselves, and somewhere between 700 and .800, tho learned peoplo tell us, Scotland chose St! Andrew: Well, how you kiiow of tho mechanism of - the flag. What does that'flag stand for? - Of course it-.standf"for Vtho'v United Kiligdorii and tho . British Emfjiro. (CUeersJ) , But if tho United Kingdom was like some kingdoms, . aiid if tho British ■ Empirewere. like : spne empires, we should' not take: the troubl'o to •give you that flag'to-day. I ' lt is because, as we - think, it stands for justice, good ment, litety, and Christianity that wo honour that flag. (Cheers.) It is spread all over th ; e world. ' The -British Empire -is. a greater ompiro at this moment than not'-'-only ever has existed'.-in tho world before, but greater than has over been dreamt of in tho world before. - You may. travel all tho way, as I have, from London to Australia — (A Voice: "Hooray'-'-' ami laughter)—! scear.otlier gentleman has done' tho sahio thing. • (Laughter and choers.) I dare say he can toll you. how many thousand miles it is—l - forget. It is cither thirteen or.fifteen, bub it- is the longest journey you can . take , m the world from one point to another. Wherovor we stopped on the journey we stopped under the British flag.: (Cheers.) .We,, went from London to Gibraltar—thero was a Union Jack; we .went, from Gibraltar through tho Suez Canal, touching in; Egypt-there was a British flag; we went'on to Colombo, in.the island of Ceylon—thero-was a British flag; ; j and then wo ended our long journey :at_ tho westernmost port in Australia. and-thero was a British • flag. (Cheers.) And so we ; knew wherever wo saw this.flag.flying—-even in Egypt, which had been, mis-governed , tor , , countless centuries—wo. know that we .shpula find liberty, justice, good> government, equal dealing between mail and -.man: •y.-(Cnecrs l ) : Now, then', that is what tho flag means to all tho world outside;; ... "There are few"peoplo who hato Groat Britain so much as not to know that that , flag stands for what ,I. say it does:,throughout tho world.. But for. us, you children,, ana 'all of : us, it stands for. a great dealnmore. What do wo feel about that'flag?. In the first place, , wo know, this, that under.no circumstances whatever must its unity ever,,be disturbed. It must never ceaso .to .bo-the . Union Jack. (Cheers.) I dare say Scotland has been a very troublesomo neighbour to Enpiand sometimes, and England'" has been rather arbitrary to, Scotland sometimes,'and Ireland has been a little-troublesome, to,both sometimes—(laughter)—but wo aro quite, clear of this, that as in a family where brothers and sisters aro apt to guarrel' a little without, disturbing their essential unity; that unity '■must '-bo-preserved. - (Cheers.)- v. Now thcro is another point you • must ..remember. about this flag. It 'is .nbt .1 thing simply, to hang up and look at and to treat us ft, symbol of justice and good government andall that; as I have; been saying, to .watch . languidly from an easy chair, and say,'/. That is a very interesting object on tho . schoolhouse, waves very nicely: in' tho Wind," but it has very little to-do-with ,or n\o. Why, it has everything to. do with . you or -. me You boys-might have to fighti,for. it some day. ' (Cheers.) Somo of youMiiay hecome soldiers, but even if you don!tj . some of you may join the'now Territorial.- Army. (Laughter and cheers.) - Then you":understand what it is. (Laughter.) But ;wlietlicr you aro soldiers or not,..you may bo-inyaded. . —God- grant that it bo not so—and then everv ono of you, whether you aro soldiers or not," would have to do something to defend your country. .(Cheers.) And the girls, too, I don't ask them to fight any more thanjl ask them ,to vote— (laughter and clieers)— ( but depend upon it, if .this country-W6ro in- ; vikikl, they would find: tliey would havo to v suffer a good deal'.oil behalf of the flag,sand what I want them to remember is that ; tho : suffering' would bo worth'. it.- -([pheers.) Without fighting, without, struggling, you can all .servo the flag, by being good, citizens and good citizcnesses, by allowing.nothing- m your conduct to disparage or lbssen'tho character of tho nation to w.hich-.you belong. You . can vot-o, you can pay your- taxes, 'you can servo on all sorts of local assemblies, you can in a hundred ways promote the common good. There is no boy so small, 110 girl so small, in this hall who by their conduct cannot give credit and lustre .to that flag. (Cheers.) Lastly, it represents to you a great honour and a great privilege. It reminds ycu that you aro citizens of -no mean citv and citizens of the greatest Einpiro, as I tiavo said, that tho world has ever witnessed. You know what inspiration-."is— though that is a longer word than I-meant to use—something that seems t<) coiuo from : above, higher ami better than yourselves, that tends to make you higher and.',better than you usually are, and I want you when, von sco this' flag waving on your-schools' to lot it bo an inspiration-to you. If; any of you' at any time should be tempted, ns we all aro tempted, to do something'mean or base or vilo or cowardly, look up to that flag and * forbear," Loud cheers.) *