188 THE KING’ S BUSINESS even used as a handkerchief to blow your nose bn or spit on, or that h^s sought to play to the galleries by attacking people who were falsely alleged not to dis play the flag, or not to display the flag sufficiently, while the man who was court ing applause by his lying attack upon others was making no personal sacrifices by going to war himself, or by sending any one dear to him to the war, nor by giving any considerable sum'of money to the 'Rgd Cross or the Y. M. C. A-, or buying Liberty Bonds, or by any other of the thousand and one ways, of sacri fice that have been open to the ,one who is not seeking applause for himself, but holds what he has and is at his country’s and his God’s disposal. The writer believes in our flag/; he believes from the bottom of his heart that it is the most beautiful national emblem that floats. He has taken off his hat to it as he, passed beneath it on German ’ soil. He has carried it, not only from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Labrador to Georgia over our continent, but in China, Japan, .Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, India, Swifzerland, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, and even in Germany, but he does not take any stock in that form of patriotism that exhausts itself in seeing how many flags it can tuck on to an automobile, or in putting out a service flag that has as many stars upon it as you have distant relatives that are mere camp hangers-on. We have seen a large,and beautiful flag displayed in front of a home, and many flags fluttering from automobiles where we have good reason to suspect that our glorious flag was simply used as a camouflage for lurking prq-Germanism, and we have seen a service flag fluttering from a house with five stars upon the flag when there was only one man in the whole household old enough to enlist. The great need of the present hour is not patriotism of this type, but patriotism that costs, and that exhibits itself in deeds that really promote the highest welfare of our nation at the present time of crisis and storm. The national government evidently realizes this fact and in a striking way has emphasized the fact that there are uses of the flag which are not patriotic but dishonoring. One stocking manufacturer brought forth a line .of women’s stockings with an American flag woven into the ankle of the stocking. The manufacturer was notified that he would have to pay $500.00 for every pair of stockings of that kind he produced, as he was violating the laws of the nation. But many uses of the flag on the part of, people, who are criticising others for not using it more, are equally dishonoring, and not a few of them are contrary to the explicit laws of the country. The flag should never be used merely as a decoration. Such a Use does dishonor and not honor to the flag. There are many throughout our land who* love their country, who thank God that thev were born on American soil and underneath the Stars and Stripes, and who would gladly make sacrifices for their country and for their God, Who in His wondrous grace gave them the privilege of being born in this land. They are too old to go to the front, or in other ways are incapacitated for the soldier life. What can they do? There are many things that they can do. If we cannot ourselves go to the war for one reason or another we can contribute of our money to the prosecution of the war, and the comfort of those who are bearing the heat and burden of the day. Just as Christians who cannot go to the foreign field themselves should contribute to the support and comfort of those who can, so also the patriotic who cannot go to the war should contribute I » 7 HAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY COUNTRY? * *
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