[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 86 (Thursday, June 19, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1260]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   FREEMASONS OF SUFFOLK COUNTY, LONG ISLAND CELEBRATE THEIR COUNTRY

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                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 19, 1997

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
Freemasons of Suffolk County, Long Island, whose celebration of Flag 
Day will encompass two great remembrances: that of the storied and 
patriotic past of the United States of America, and that of the 
honorable role of past and present Masons in American history.
  As Americans across the land from New York's First District to Hawaii 
raise the Stars and Stripes on Flag Day, they will celebrate the 
birthday of our greatest and most treasured national symbol, and at the 
same time, they will be honoring the work of those Americans who have 
built the many important customs and traditions that we honor with each 
raising of the flag. Since this Nation's inception, the songs we sing 
and the words we intone in times of war and times of peace have been 
penned by Freemasons. The names Francis Scott Key and John Philip Sousa 
are part of our national lore--these men are as revered as the 
wonderful songs they penned. What often goes unrecognized, however, is 
the fact that these great Americans were Freemasons, and that their 
organization made so many important contributions to our national 
identity. Our children would not recite the Pledge of Allegiance to our 
flag if not for a Mason's work, and our ``Star Spangled Banner,'' 
written with such passion at a time when the shores of the United 
States were under attack in 1812, would never have been put to paper. 
The organization was a breeding ground for patriotism, and to this day 
the Freemasons remain true to their initial ideals. Indeed, their 
group's lore serves as almost a textbook of American history.
  On Flag Day, the Freemasons celebrate their country--and their 
group's contributions to that country's history--in grand style. The 
entire Long Island community is invited to hear spirited renditions of 
great patriotic songs, and to be bathed in a sea of red, white, and 
blue. Revolutionary War-period cannons will be fired, and war veterans 
and community Boy and Girl Scouts will march side by side, both touched 
by the legacy of past Freemasons. Americans, both young and old, are 
affected by the power of the ``Star Spangled Banner,'' for Francis 
Scott Key's words are so moving that it is not difficult to feel the 
bombs bursting in air; to see the rockets' red glare. In the years 
since the Second Continental Congress forged this Nation, dozens of 
stars have been added to the flag to represent the admittance of new 
States to the Union.
  It seems that with each new star on Old Glory--a term which was also 
coined by a Mason--a new voice arose from the ranks of the Masons to 
weave another piece of the great American story. With their Flag Day 
celebration in Southampton, Suffolk County's Freemasons will be regaled 
with the same songs and traditions as their fellow Americans from 
throughout the land, but they can take special pride in knowing that, 
without their forefathers, our National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, 
and the design of the flag itself would be very different today. I 
would ask my fellow members of Congress to join me in applauding the 
work of the Freemasons, who have helped construct American patriotism 
as we have celebrated it for hundreds of years. And today, they still 
gather in the name of patriotism, to celebrate the American ideals of 
liberty, equality, and justice for all. There could be no more fitting 
tribute to the work of past Masons than this celebration of their 
works. For when we celebrate Flag Day, we are also celebrating the 
contributions of men such as Masons John Philip Sousa, Francis J. 
Bellemy, and Francis Scott Key.

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