ning in 1917 the cities of England flung out her banner beside their
own. In London the Stars and Stripes were everywhere--in the hands of
the people in the streets, on private houses, on public buildings, even
on the "Victory Tower" of Westminster Palace, where before that day no
other flag save the Union Jack or the royal standard had ever been
raised. In the historic cathedral of St. Paul four thousand people had
come together to thank God for the alliance between the mother country
and her eldest child, that in this war of the world "they should go
forth and try the matter in fight by the help of God"--to quote the text
of the Bishop of London. The two flags, of Great Britain and of the
United States of America, hung side by side over the chancel rail. The
thousands of people rose with reverence and sang, first, "The
Star-Spangled Banner," and then, "God Save the King." And so it was that
Great Britain and the United States took their stand shoulder to
shoulder in the world-wide struggle to make sure "that government of the
people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

CHAPTER XIII

HOW TO BEHAVE TOWARD THE FLAG

Except the cross there is nothing that the American should hold more
sacred than the flag of the United States, because of its record in
peace and in war, and because it stands for the rights and the freedom
of one hundred million citizens.

"Sign of a nation great and strong,
To ward her people from foreign wrong."

There are definite rules in regard to the use of the flag. The
following are the most necessary to know:--

The flag should be raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. It should
not be left out at night unless under fire. It should not be allowed to
touch the ground. If possible, a pole rather than a staff should be used.

In raising a flag to half-mast or half-staff, it should be run to the
top of the pole, and then lowered the width of the flag. Before being
retired, it should be run to the top again. On Memorial Day the flag
should be at half-mast until noon, and at the peak from noon until sunset.

When the flag goes by, rise if you are sitting; halt if you are
walking, and take off your hat.

In decorating, never drape the flag; always hang it flat. The Union
should be at the observer's left, whether the stripes are perpendicular
or horizontal. If our flag is crossed with the flags of other countries,
or carried in a parade beside them,