Update 7-2-02


Hi,

A short history of the Pledge of Allegiance (cribbed from John Baer):
    Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, wrote the original Pledge in 1892.  He was a member of the National Education Association and prepared a program for the public schools' quadricentennial celebration.  He structured this program around a flag raising, and his original Pledge read:  "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
    He considered adding the word "equality," but knew that members of his committee were against equality for women and African Americans.
    The Pledge was published almost immediately in The Youth's Companion, The Reader's Digest of its day.  It's owner hired Bellamy when he was fired from his church for making socialist sermons.
    "To" was added to the Pledge almost immediately, so it read, "...and to the Republic..."
    In 1923 and 1924 the National Flag Conference, under the leadership of the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution, changed the words, "my Flag" to "the Flag of the United States of America."  Bellamy protested and was ignored.
    In 1954, Congress, after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, added "under God."  Bellamy's granddaughter said he would have resented that, too.

End of educational portion of this update.

This week's mail:

From Marc Jonas:  Dick Magee -- played a mean cornet.

From Robin Feit:  Please change my e-mail address to fivefootzip@yahoo.com  Thanks.

From me:  Three years ago, I took a two month trip around the U.S. perimeter.  My journal's now online, with pictures, at:   hometown.aol.com/jqxz13.  It could be torture or could be fun.

Business:  Also zip.

Finally:   This week we lost John Entwistle, Rosemary Clooney, and Arthur "Spud" Melin, popularizer of the Frisbee and Hula Hoop.  But we have their music and the toys.

The home page address:  http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a


Rich