SIMILAR OPINIONS ON THE FLAG EXPRESSED BY WYGANT AND EVARTS

Captain B. B. Wygant, U. S. N., Professor of Naval Science and Tactics at Harvard, and the Rev. Prescott Evarts, Rector of Christ Church, Protestant Episcopal, Cambridge, replied yesterday to the remark made recently by the Rt. Rev. Paul Jones, now acting Episcopal Bishop of Southern Ohio, that the display of American flags in public school rooms was "a dangerous fetish worship which promotes thoughts of war among school children."

In comment on Bishop Jones' statement that patriotism and nationalism were opposed to the teachings of the church, the Rev. Evarts said: "The flag stands for the love of country, and the love of country is not in my opinion inconsistent with the Christian religion and the love of God."

Captain Wygant, on the other hand, made the following statement:

"The American flag is the symbol of something outside of ourselves that is greater than we are. It stands for an idea. It stands for justice and liberty--the right of every man to a chance to rise as high in this world as his character and ability will permit, and as such is entitled to the respect and affection of all Americans.

"Perhaps some day something else will supersede nationalism if nationalism ever demonstrates that it has outworn its usefulness. At the present time such is not the case. Militant nationalism enabled America to achieve its independence and to act as a unit in defending the oppressed and protecting the right since that time.'

Bishop Jones has said, in part, that "today we have two religions, the religion of nationalism and the religion of the church. It is impossible for a man to worship at both altars. "Nationalism has its symbol,--the flag; the church has the cross; nationalism has its national anthem and the church its hymns. Often the flag supersedes the church as when people rise when the national anthem is sung and often remain sitting when hymns are played."