Honoring Old Glory

The Stultz School in 1937. Margaret Douglas (LeRoy’s mother) taught here for three years beginning in 1935. 

Photo contributed by

  
Margaret Walls  

Written by 
Margaret Walls 
 

During my second year of teaching school at Stultz (a one-room school house located in rural southern Missouri) an incident occurred that I especially remember and I suspect that the children haven’t forgotten either.

When our old flag wore out and a new one was brought I asked the pupils what we should do with the old flag. They didn’t want to burn it. They decided to have a funeral service and bury it.

The older girls fixed a box and covered with white crepe paper. Then the old flag was folded and carefully placed in it. A short program was planned and flowers were brought in for this. The boys dug a grave under a tree east of the school house.

At nine o’clock the next morning, which was school starting time, one student carried the “casket” out while the others marched behind in a line while, “Stars and Stripes Forever” was played on my phonograph in the background. Outside the sun was shining and the students sang, “America” and a patriotic poem or two was read. The flag was then buried. Flowers were placed on the grave and a big rock served as the tombstone.

A few wiped a tear away and we all marched over and gave the pledge to our new flag flying on the flag pole.

Everyone then marched back into the school room. It was all done very solemnly and it was very impressive.

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.  

12/17/2001