Flag Etiquette and Respect

"This service flag is published in honor of the 69 employees of The Evening Herald who are serving their country." —  9 / 11 / 1914, The Los Angeles Evening Herald 

More Attention Should Be Paid to Flag Etiquette

Many persons who do not mean to show disrespect to the flag, nevertheless do so. Here and there, all through the city, one sees flags flying which the rains have stained and the winds have whipped into rags. Evidently those who hoisted the flags have left them to the rough treatment of the elements, never giving themselves the trouble to take the emblems down either at night or in bad weather. 

Now, the flag is not simply a piece of bunting or merely an evidence of its owner’s patriotism, the flag is the actual symbol of the nation, of the nation’s history, of its renown, of its dignity, of its sovereignty and of all that is embodied in its traditions and its laws. Therefore, the flag should be treated with respect. 

The right way to do is to hoist the flag in the morning and to lower it and fold it away in the evening. The technical times for raising and lowering the flag are sunrise and sunset. But it is not at all necessary that civilians should follow this rule with exact fidelity. Sufficient respect is shown to the flag by raising it at some time in the morning and lowering it at some time in the evening, and protecting it from being made an unsightly and ragged thing by winds and storms. 

A flag that through long use becomes discolored and worn out, should be folded up and put away and another substituted for it. In one sense this is not a large matter or an important matter. But in another sense it is important. None of us can ever show too much respect for the national emblem, and more particularly in these strenuous times of war every one of us should treat this symbol of our country’s sovereignty and institutions and liberties with all possible respect and care. 

Protect your flag. Raise it and lower it at the proper time. Show it every possible respect. —From The Los Angeles Evening Herald, September 11, 1918

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Moderator and Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia