The Pledge_ A History of the Pledge of Allegiance - Jeffrey Owen Jones [38]
The story of Old Glory burns, in deathless words of flame.
’Twas cradled in war’s blinding smoke, amid the roar of guns,
Its lullabies were battle-cries, the shouts of Freedom’s sons;
It is the old red, white, and blue, proved emblem of the free,
It is the flag that floats above our land of liberty.
Then greet it, when you meet it, boys, the flag that waves on high;
And hats off, all along the line, when Freedom’s flag goes by.
Chorus:
Uncover when the flag goes by, boys,
’Tis freedom’s starry banner that you greet,
Flag famed in song and story,
Long may it wave, Old Glory,
The flag that has never known defeat.
All honor to the Stars and Stripes, our glory and our pride,
All honor to the flag for which our fathers fought and died;
On many a blood-stained battle-field, on many a gory sea,
The flag has triumphed, evermore triumphant may it be.
And since again, ’mid shot and shell, its folds must be unfurled,
God grant that we may keep it still unstained before the world,
All hail the flag we love, may it victorious ever fly,
And hats off, all along the line, when freedom’s flag goes by.
Chorus:
Uncover when the flag goes by, boys, etc.
There are essays and interviews, including a conversation between one General Horry and a General (Francis) Marion, supposedly conducted in 1795 and titled “Free Schools Inspire Loyalty to Country.” “Israel of old, you know, was destroyed for lack of knowledge,” it begins; “and all nations, all individuals, have come to naught from the same cause. . . .” Many of the entries are quite good, even if their authors have disappeared into the fog of history, like this from one E. C. Cheverton:
Uncover to the flag; bare head
Sorts well with heart as, humbly bowed
We stand in presence of the dead
Who make the flag their shroud
Other entries are accompanied by names most of us know: Daniel Webster, reminiscing about “the towering marble of my country’s Capitol”; or “Thou too, sail on, O ship of state! / Sail on, O Union, strong and great!” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
The Manual also included examples of six different “patriotic pledges” that could be used for the flag salute at the start of each day. Bellamy’s pledge was number five on the list and Balch’s not mentioned at all:
No. 1.
Flag of Freedom! True to thee, All our Thoughts,
Words, Deeds shall be,—
Pledging steadfast Loyalty!
No. 2.
The toil of our Hands,
The thoughts of our Heads,
The love 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!
Though Bellamy’s Pledge (identified in the Manual as “The Youth’s Companion ‘Pledge of Allegiance’ ”) was fifth, it was the only one to be accompanied by directions on how to salute the flag:
(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.)*
Others tried to take advantage of patriotism’s popularity, but it was hard to compete with Skinner’s massive state-sponsored Manual. The Woman’s Relief Corps, for example, a strong promoter of the flag salute, attempted to distribute the American Flag Manufacturing Company’s booklet “Ritual for Teaching Patriotism in the Public Schools,” but as Ellis points out, schools were put off by the fact that the booklet carried advertising for the flag company and did not use it.
The Nation pounced on Skinner’s tome for promoting “flag-fetishism” in a December 6, 1900, editorial. “Reading drivel to children