"Oh, Thou Flag!" by Annie S. Wallis (1925)

Oh, Thou Flag!

BY ANNIE S. WALLIS.

Oh thou Flag, brave and fair,

        Ensign dear to the Free,

Lo, we lift thee on high,

        O'er the land, and the sea!

But we press to the heart

        E'er we raise thee o'er head;

Thine the Living to bless,

        Thine to honor our Dead!

Loved Emblem of Freedom,

        With thy white stripes for Peace;

For the Blessing of God;

        For our Land's true increase.

With red stripes for Valor,

        Firm to do and to dare,

When the Right calls for men

        Its great Truths to declare.

With thy stars for our States,

        Firm in Unity, true,

As they rest, one and all,

        In the Heaven's deepest blue.

With what pride do we greet

        Thy fair glory above;

As a Nation, prepared

        To defend thee in Love!

Troy Times. June 13, 1925: 11 col 4.