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June 10, 1994 - Bill Cooper
56:00
Nellie Olson, Constitution Room
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I'm here to speak with you this evening and I would like to remind you to get your pencils and paper because there will be some addresses, possibly some notes that you will want to take about what possibly some notes that you will want to take about what I'm talking My husband and I moved here in July of 1985, and we had both immediately became involved in the community.
I began volunteering at the museum, and together we felt that the museum would be a fine place to display a freedom shrine.
We have been active with the National Exchange Club, which are the originators of the Freedom Shrine.
And since there was no Exchange Club in this area, we decided to purchase the display on our own and sponsor it ourselves.
The Freedom Shrine is a collection of 28 original historic documents, photographically reproduced and attractively displayed.
The purpose of the Shrine is to remind all Americans that the freedom which we enjoy today is, in essence, a gift from the past, the product of idealism, determination, and sacrifice of a vast number of courageous men and women who preceded us.
The Shrine serves to remind us that so precious a gift as freedom must be continually guarded and protected.
These twenty-eight documents, even in this day, contain some of the most moving and readable passages ever written.
Others are archaic in language, imperfect in style, even burdensome in terms of pure weight of words.
But this is not why they have survived the fluctuating tides of time.
They have survived and are rightfully preserved Because they indelibly mark what were irreversible beginnings and often turning points of enduring consequences.
They also reveal the character of men who, in the face of staggering odds, succeeded in doing what few men have done—transformed a dream into reality, created a bastion of freedom, and then protected and perfected it.
That is the significance of these documents.
We won't have time to highlight all 28, but I will read the documents in order as they appear at the museum.
We have the Mayflower Contact, the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson's rough draft, the Declaration of Independence in the engrossed copy, Benjamin Franklin's epitaph, Dr. Henry's instructions to George Rogers Clark, Washington's letter to Colonel Louis Nicola.
Treaty of Paris.
Northwest Ordinance.
Washington's copy of the Constitution.
The Constitution of the United States.
The engrossed copy.
Washington's first inaugural address.
The Bill of Rights.
Washington's farewell address.
His first draft.
Jefferson's first inaugural address.
The Star Spangled Banner.
Jefferson's letter describing the Battle of New Orleans.
The Monroe Document.
The Emancipation Proclamation.
Gettysburg Address.
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.
Lee's Letter Accepting the Presidency of Washington College.
The Thirteenth Amendment.
Theodore Roosevelt's Letter on Cuba.
Wilson's First Inaugural Address.
The Nineteenth Amendment.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Four Freedoms Speech.
Selection of General Eisenhower as Supreme Commander of Overlord.
McAuliffe's Christmas Message Next.
German Instrument of Surrender, World War II.
The Instrument of Surrender in the Pacific.
John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address.
All of these documents have to do with peace and freedom in the United States.
The ones I would like to highlight tonight Our Jefferson's rough draft, which later became the Declaration of Independence.
This was reported to the Continental Congress on June 28th, 1776.
On July 2nd, debate on it began, and two days later, on July 4th, it was adopted.
It was not until July 19th that Congress ordered the Declaration of Independence to be engrossed on parchment.
It was signed by the members of Congress present on August 2nd, and then later by the others that were not present.
The Treaty of Paris.
The Treaty of Paris was concluded on September 3rd, 1783.
Great Britain recognized independence of the United States.
Franklin, Adams, and Jay signed for the United States, and Hartley for Great Britain.
The Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the United States is remarkable for many reasons, not the least of which that its drafters were able to confine to a mere four pages a blueprint for democracy so enduring that to this day it is revered around the world as the fountainhead of human freedom.
It brilliantly lays out a democratic system which prevents any abridgement of freedom By carefully balancing authority between three separate branches of government, the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary.
Not only does the Constitution ingeniously implement the ideals of freedom for which the American Revolution was fought, but by including a provision for adding amendments.
It also provides a mechanism for adjusting to the unknown contingencies of the future.
The Constitution was completed on September 17, 1787.
The Bill of Rights.
On September 25, 1789, the Congress proposed twelve Articles of Amendment to the Constitution.
Except for the first two, they were ratified by the required number of states by December 15, The Monroe Doctrine President James Monroe enunciated the famous Monroe Doctrine in his address to Congress December 2, 1823.
The American continents, by the free and independent conditions which they have assumed and maintained, are henceforth Not to be considered a subject for future colonization of any European power.
The Gettysburg Address The reading copy of the Gettysburg Address, in Lincoln's own handwriting, which is held as he delivered the address on November 19, 1863, is reproduced here.
The German Instrument of Surrender, World War II who lost World War II in 1939 were forced to surrender in the spring of 1945.
It was nearly 3 a.m.
on May the 2nd at Reims when the unconditional surrender of all forces on land, sea, and air controlled by Germany was signed.
It was May 8, 1945 that all military operations were ceased.
Instruments surrender in the Pacific, World War II.
On September 2nd, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, the Japanese surrendered unconditionally, bringing hostilities in World War II to an end.
We have just recently celebrated Memorial Day to honor those who have given their lives that we might continue to enjoy freedom.
On the television, people were being interviewed and were asked, what is Memorial Day?
Why do we celebrate it?
The answers given were shocking.
It's a day off from work.
No school.
A great day for picnicking in the park.
Nearly all of the ones interviewed had no idea whatsoever what Memorial Day really stood for.
I was happy to see the flags flying for many of our residents' homes and businesses and see the flags placed by the American Legion on the graves of our veterans.
At least St.
John's remembered and their water services held at the cemetery.
Flag Day is June the 14th.
Remembering when the flag was first made.
I hope you will feel encouraged to fly your flag and show how proud you are of the beautiful symbol of United States freedom.
Take a few minutes to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
It is truly a wonderful pledge, and I am happy to say that I belong to several organizations that start their meetings with the pledge to the flag followed by a prayer.
The 4th of July will soon be here, and if you've been listening to what I have said, you know why we celebrate that day.
Fly those flags again, and be proud to be an American citizen.
And let others know you appreciate the freedom we share together.
I would invite you to visit the Apache County Museum, 180 West Cleveland, in St.
John's, Arizona, and see this historic Freedom Shrine in our Constitution Room.
If you do not live in this area, check with your local library, or possibly your chamber of commerce, or if you have an exchange club, and find out the locations where you may see the Freedom Shrine displayed in your area.
Many of the Freedom Shrines have been placed in local schools, banks, county buildings.
I have a list here and if you have your pencil and paper ready I'd like to give you some of these so that you'll know where you can find the freedom freedom shrine Nashville Tennessee Battleground Academy Class of 1957.
They were the co-sponsors.
Salt Lake City, Utah.
Midvale Junior High School Student Council.
Raton, Illinois.
J.W.
Eder Junior High School Student Council.
Bellevue, Illinois.
Americanism Committee of the Elks Club.
Greenville, Tennessee.
Green County Bank.
Edison, New Jersey.
Samara Borough Elementary School PTA.
Marlboro, Florida.
Indian River Federal Savings and Loan Association.
Everett, Washington.
First Federal Savings of Everett.
Bellevue, Illinois.
Central Junior High School Student Council.
Redding, California.
The North Valley Bank.
Santa Ana, California.
Empire Savings and Loan Association.
Midvale, Gracia, Puerto Rico.
Atlanta Southern Insurance Company.
Alliance, Ohio, Knights of Columbus.
Albion, Michigan.
Corny Glass Works.
San Lorenzo Valley, California.
Bank of America, County Bank of Santa Cruz.
Boisier City, Louisiana.
The Boisier Bank and Trust Company.
Wilmington, North Carolina.
New Hanover Bar Association.
Wilmington, Puerto Rico.
The United Carbide Incorporated.
Bonneville, Salt Lake City, Utah.
The State Savings and Loan.
West Lake County, Ohio.
The Great Lakes Commerce Bank.
Meridian, Mississippi.
First National Bank of Meridian.
Worcester, Massachusetts.
Boysen Teachers Association.
Brandon, Mississippi, Home Savings and Loan Association.
Dothan, Alabama, First National Bank of Ash Forest.
Northern Palm Beach, Florida, First National Bank and Trust of Riviera Beach.
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, First Valley Bank.
Greenhills in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville City Bank and Trust Company.
South Austin, Texas, First State Bank.
This is probably only a partial list of the many Freedom Shrines that you can find across the United States.
If you cannot find where the Freedom Shrine is and you're interested in seeing it in your area, I want you to feel free to write to me and I will endeavor to find out where the Freedom Shrines are.
You can write to me at Nellie Olson, that's O-L-S-O-N, Apache County Museum, Box 146, St.
John's, Arizona, 85936.
Or you may call me at area code 602-337-4737.
I'm there Monday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m.
you may call me at area code 602-337-4737.
I'm there Monday through Friday from 1:00 to 5:00 PM.
I understand that there are parchment reproductions of the United States Constitution.
The Bill of Rights and the Gettysburg Address are available at Tim Lesburt's store He has the surplus and stuff here in St.
John's.
I believe that the price for those are just $1.60 per copy.
I invite you to purchase these documents and display them and be proud to be a citizen of the United States.
Help your family to recognize the importance of these documents and the sacrifice made for us That we might have these freedoms.
Remember, the heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future.
Thank you for your attention and we'll be answering some questions later.
Thank you.
Thank you, Nellie.
We're going to let everyone digest that while I read just a little more about the flag of the United States of America.
The 50-star flag of the United States was raised for the first time officially at 12.01 a.m.
on July 4, 1960, at Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland.
The 50th star had been added for Hawaii a year earlier, the 49th for Alaska.
Before that, no star had been added since 1912.
When New Mexico and Arizona were admitted to the Union.
That's 1912.
The true history of the Stars and Stripes has become so cluttered by a volume of myth and tradition that the facts are difficult, and in some cases impossible to establish.
For example, it is not certain who designed the Stars and Stripes, who made the first such flag, or even whether it ever flew In any sea fight or land battle of the American Revolution, one thing all agree on is that the Stars and Stripes originated as the result of a resolution offered by the Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress at Philadelphia and adopted June 14, 1777.
14th 1777 it read resolved that the flag of the United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white That the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.
Congress gave no hint as to the designer of the flag, no instructions as to the arrangement of the stars, and no information on its appropriate uses.
Historians have been unable to find the original flag law.
The resolution establishing the flag were not even published until September 2nd, 1777.
Despite repeated requests, Washington did not get the flags until 1783 after the Revolutionary War was over and there is no certainty that they were the Stars and Stripes.
I wonder how many people know very much about the flag and No, I haven't.
I know we had stories that we learned in school, but from this reading from the World Almanac, it appears that maybe we don't really know how the flag originated.
Have you heard anything?
No, I haven't.
Although it was never officially adopted by the Continental Congress, many historians consider that the first flag of the United States to have been the Grand Union, sometimes called the Great Union Flag.
This was a modification of the British Meteor Flag, which had the Red Cross of St.
George and the White Cross of St.
Andrew combined in the blue canton.
For the Grand Union Flag, six horizontal stripes were imposed on the red field, dividing it into thirteen alternate red and white stripes.
On January 1, 1776, when the Continental Army came into formal existence, This flag was unfurled on Prospect Hill, Somerville, Massachusetts.
Washington wrote that we hoisted the Union flag in compliment to the United Colonies.
One of several flags about which controversy has raged for years in eastern Pennsylvania is located.
Containing the devices of the national flag in reversed order, this has been in the public library at Easton for over 150 years.
Some contend that this flag was actually the first stars and stripes, first displayed on July 8, 1776.
This flag has 13 red and white stripes in the canton, 13 white stars scented in a blue field.
The flag was hastily improvised from garments by the defenders of Fort Tyler, At Rome, New York, August 3, 1777.
Actually, August 3 to 22.
Historians believe that it was the Grand Union flag.
The Sons of Liberty had a flag of nine red and white stripes to signify nine colonies.
When they met in New York in 1765, it opposed the Stamp Tax.
65 to oppose the stamp tax.
By 1775 the flag had grown to 13 red and white stripes with a rattlesnake on it.
At Concord, April 19, 1775, the Minutemen from Bedford, Massachusetts are said to have carried a flag having a silver arm with a sword on a red field.
At Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Sons of Liberty used a plain red flag with a green pine tree on it.
In June, 1775, Washington went from Philadelphia to Boston to take command of the Army.
Escorted to New York by the Philadelphia Light Horse Troop.
It carried a yellow flag, which has an elaborate coat of arms.
The shield is charged with 13 knots.
The motto?
For these we strive.
And a canton of 13 blue and silver stripes.
In February 1776, Colonel Christopher Gladstone, member of the Continental Congress, The South Carolina Provincial Congress a flag such as is to be used by the commander-in-chief of the American Navy.
It had a yellow field with a rattlesnake about to strike in the words, don't tread on me.
At the Battle of Bennington, August 16, 1777, patriots used a flag of seven white and six red stripes with a blue canton extending down nine stripes and showing an arch of eleven white stars over the figure 76, and a star in each of the upper corners.
The stars are seven-pointed.
This flag is preserved in the Historical Museum at Bennington, Vermont.
At the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781, the 3rd Maryland Regiment is said to have carried a flag of thirteen red and white stripes With a blue canton containing 12 stars in a circle around the one star.
Who designed the flag?
No one knows for certain.
Francis Hopkinson, designer of a naval flag, declared he also had designed the flag, and in 1781 asked Congress to reimburse him for his services.
Congress did not do so.
Dumas Malone of Columbia University wrote, this talented man designed the American flag.
Who called the flag Old Glory?
The flag is said to have been named Old Glory by William Driver, a sea captain of Salem, Massachusetts.
One legend has it that when he raised the flag on his brig, the Charles Doggett, in 1824, he said, I name thee Old Glory.
But his daughter, who presented the flag to the Smithsonian Institution, said that he named it at his 21st birthday celebration, March 17, 1824, when his mother presented the homemade flag to him.
The Betsy Ross Legend The widely publicized legend that Mrs.
Betsy Ross made the first Stars and Stripes in June of 1776 at the request of a committee composed of George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, an uncle who was first made public in 1870 by a grandson of Mrs. Ross.
Historians have been unable to find a historical record of such a meeting or committee.
It just goes to show that things get confused after a while, doesn't it?
It was interesting that you mentioned the Bennington flag, because we do have a Bennington flag hanging next to the Freedom Shrine in the museum.
Well, that's great.
And I think we should talk about Old Glory a little more.
Old Glory a little more.
Old Glory a little more.
The End
Then, on the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union, Congress passed and President Washington signed an act that after May 1st, 1795, the flag should have 15 stripes, alternate red and white, and 15 white stars on a blue field in the Union.
When the new states were admitted, it became evident that the flag would become burdened with stripes.
Congress therefore ordered that after July 4th, 1818, the flag should have 13 stripes symbolizing the 13 original states, that the Union have 20 stars, and that whenever a new state was admitted, a new star would be added on the July 4th following the admission.
No law designates Do you remember, Kelly?
arrangement of the stars.
However, since 1912, when a new state has been admitted, the new design has been announced by executive order.
No star is specifically identified with any state, and you do remember the two states admitted in 1912.
Do you remember, Kelly?
Can you say that a little louder?
Okay, it was on February the 14th, 1912, and it was New Mexico and Arizona.
And Arizona had been called the Baby State until that time.
Since then, there's been a lot of other names given to it, but it was the Baby State for several years.
The End
Swiss America Trading is 11 years old, located in Phoenix, Arizona.
There's someone there named Gene Miller, whom you should call to ask for the free newsletter and for other information that will help you to protect your family and all of your assets.
Swiss America Trading is only 11 years old, but You know that gold and silver have been around a lot, lot longer.
Eleven years old means that Swiss America trading began in 1983.
What was going on back then?
Nellie has been here to tell us a little about the Constitution Room at the local museum.
And she's soon going to tell us more about the museum.
I want to acquaint you with the museum that was formed in Italy.
The 1993 World Almanac states that the first university museum was built in Oxford, England in 1683.
In 1753, the British Museum was the first museum organized as a public institution.
You remember that Nellie was telling us about the Treaty of Paris going on in 1783.
in 1783.
Well, in 1793, the Lou Museum in Paris was formed.
In 1870, the first United States Museum of Fine Arts was opened in Boston.
And in 1986, the last listed museum in the Almanac, the Musée d'Orsay, an old railroad station, the Gare d'Orsay, was built or rededicated to be a museum.
Museums have been around for a long time, just as gold and silver have been around.
But I think gold and silver have been around longer, and you need to convert any of your paper money as soon as possible.
Talk to Gene Miller at 1-800-BUY-COIN.
Call him tonight.
Leave your number on his phone.
Answering Machine, and let him call you back tomorrow to help you solve your problems about what you're going to do for the coming very, very difficult times.
I know I myself am focusing on preparing my knapsack, my car, my food, water, things that I'm going to need, and that includes, of course, gold and silver, and also We haven't forgotten about Gannett and taking over a newspaper so that we can get the news out to the people.
Right now we can just reach you on shortwave and tell you to call Gene Miller our sponsor at Swiss America Trading and ask him for the free newsletter and for information that will help you to protect your family.
The Constitution was drawn up to help us to protect our freedoms.
What do you suppose we've done, Nellie, to lose it?
I'm going to let you come in now and tell us a little more about the Total Museum and see if you have any comments on this terrible situation we find ourselves in.
I just feel that the museum is truly a beautiful place.
It helps us to remember the past and to appreciate the present and look forward to the future.
When times are kind of scary, at least we can go and relax there and realize that the past, they had a lot of problems too, and they survived them.
Many people work together to bring about freedom for us.
And even today, we're working together to try to keep freedom.
The museum has displays of our Indian brothers.
It has displays of the Hispanics when they first came to St.
John's.
There's displays of the Mormon pioneers when they came to St.
John's.
The struggles that they went through to bring their covered wagons across Lee's Ferry and to follow down Little Colorado River to come to this area.
To make an agricultural center and to work together that it might be a place where we can enjoy freedom today.
I truly feel that the museum is a worthwhile stop.
We have people coming from all over the world that have stopped and commented on what a beautiful museum it is.
We have many displays inside the museum.
We also have some displays outdoors.
Many of the wagons that the Mormon people traveled in are on display in the back of the museum.
It was opened officially in July of 1974.
A lot of work had gone into this by many people.
If I started mentioning names, I might forget some of them.
So I'll just say that a lot of dedicated citizens of St.
John's worked together to create this museum.
Back as early as 1968, they began the preparations so that the museum could be opened.
And since then, it just seems to have kept on growing.
I'm still accepting a lot of displays that people are wanting me to show that We might keep the history alive.
St.
John's is a town to be proud of, a place to be proud to live, and I feel that we truly live up to our motto, The Town of Friendly Neighbors.
And we can only do this by realizing the freedoms that we can enjoy, and to love our neighbors, and to appreciate each other.
And this is one of the things that I think will help us To keep our world free if we work together and find love and understanding for each other.
Nellie, you'll remember my comment a few weeks ago that the mayor said the town is in the black.
So that's another good point for St.
John's.
Also, we have perfect water.
Good, clear drinking water right out of the tap.
You were going to tell us a little bit about the membership.
Is it the same all over the country, or is yours a little unique?
I think ours is a little unique.
A lot of people charge quite a bit to be a member of the Historical Society.
Ours is $5 for an individual membership, $10 for a family.
It continues on up with donor, patron, sponsor.
And it goes square up to $1,000 if this is what you would like to donate, and we like those people.
But we're just as proud of the $5 memberships as we are of the $1,000.
And this does give you a vote in what's going to happen at the museum.
It helps you to really be a part of the community, because this is one of the greatest entities that we have here in St.
John's.
We have beautiful parks, we have a lot of things going for us, but the museum is the one that actually shows you what St.
John's is.
Nellie, just who comes to see the museum?
The museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 o'clock until 5.
We have the Chamber of Commerce in with us, and so they keep it open the first four hours, and I keep it open the last four hours.
And we have people from All over the United States we have people that just last week we had some people in from France and it was just really fun to talk to them because they were asking a lot of questions and they were very very interested in the Freedom Shrine and wanted to know what it was and I helped to explain it to them so that they would better understand the freedom that we have.
And they were just very, very impressed.
A lot of them have said that they have been in other museums and they have not found the continuity of the history as they do in our museum.
And so I'm just really proud to be a part of that museum.
Well, Nellie, I know I've had a couple of fun visits.
The first time with Pooh and we were indoors.
And the second time you weren't there.
You weren't there the first time either.
And your husband was there, and he told us about going outdoors.
Could you elaborate a little more on the things that are outdoors?
Well, one of the things that we're striving to do is to get enough money to be able to improve our outside.
Right now we're kind of a weed patch that you have to walk through to see the displays, and we're working very hard to try to obtain money to be able to put sidewalks You go out the front door of the museum and you will be turning to your left.
The first thing that you will see will be the large Indian petroglass.
It's really kind of fun to look at them because petroglass are picture writings.
And I've had several of the kids from school, when they come, they've looked at it and said, "Well, what does it really mean?" And we've kind of made up some little stories because there's a picture of a son, there's a picture of a baby, there's a picture of a big foot.
So we kind of think maybe it's a man with a big foot carrying a baby under the sunshine.
We really don't know what the message was.
From there, you go down a couple of steps and then you walk over to the bell tower.
This bell tower is just a real come on for everybody.
They just can't walk past that bell tower without at least pulling the cord to see if it rings.
And you can hear it all over St.
John's when you ring that bell.
I live up close to the fairgrounds and I've had people say, you had some kids at the museum today, we heard the bell ringing.
And this was used in the early days to call people to public meetings.
To call them to schools, to call them to church.
It was kind of the town hall bell.
From there you proceed on to the pioneer cabin that has been displayed by the Mormon families.
There is an old fruit cellar that you can go down into.
Many, many years ago there was no such thing as a refrigerator and so their food was kept cold down in the storage cellar.
And we do have some old jars there to kind of show you that food can be stored down there and it can be a hot day outside and it'll be cool down in that cellar.
Then you can go into the cabin and you can actually see how a family lived there.
We have people here in St.
John's who lived in that cabin and it's quite interesting to talk to them about it.
From there you proceed to the adobe cabin, which we are desperately trying to get some of our Hispanic friends to fix that up because that is the material that the Hispanics used when they first came here.
From there you can proceed on to the Indian wickiup, which is a summer cabin that the Indians would get in there to get out of the sunshine and to relax a little bit when they were out hunting.
On around from that, you will find several of the old farm equipments.
Also, you'll find some of the wagons that the Mormons used when they came across Leesbury.
We also have one of the jail cells that was used here in St.
John's that was brought up from the Yuma Territorial Prison.
And we have a lady here who is still working with the Sheriff's Department that served meals to the people in that jail.
If you see that jail and then you go up and see the new jail that we have there's quite a bit of difference because this was a very hard very bad place to have to spend time and now they kind of give them a little entities and let them watch tv and let them go to the exercise room but we didn't have that kind of thing when we used that old jail
So, it's kind of interesting to see how things have changed over the years, but I think it's a trip worth making to come to the Apache County Museum at St.
John's.
Also, I'd like to give you the address of the National Exchange Club.
I neglected to do that a while ago, and perhaps you would like to write to them to get a little more information on the Freedom Shrine.
At the time that we purchased the Freedom Shrine, it hit us for about $750.
And I understand that they're in the process of maybe adding some new documents to bring it more up to date, because we've had the Vietnam War and the Desert Storm since then, and there were Freedom Treaties signed by them.
So, you may want to see how far ahead they are now.
And the place that you can write to This is the National Exchange Club.
This is at 3050 Central Avenue in Toledo, Ohio, 43606.
And I believe that we are the only ones in the White Mountain area to have a Freedom Shrine.
To my knowledge, the closest one is Flagstaff, and they have one in their county building.
So I hope that you will come down and take a look at it because it is really quite interesting.
They are the original documents just photographed and I believe the first one was put into place in 1949.
So it is new and yet it's old.
So I hope you'll enjoy it.
Nellie, I think we can ask people out there if they will do a little research in their community and see Just how many times they see the Constitution framed and hanging on a wall, I think probably we could count the number of times on one hand, if that.
Can you remember offhand, recently, where you've seen the Constitution hanging?
No, the museum is the only place that I know of right now, and I really was surprised to see that it isn't on display in the local schools.
The schools, possibly even the doctor's and dentist's office.
The police department.
I know when I was in Port Isabel, Texas, I couldn't find a copy, let alone see it in a frame.
And I had thoughts of going to the police department to see if I could find the law of the land.
I think I know the reaction that I would have gotten at that time.
It's almost a year later now, and I think maybe the reaction would be different.
Can you think of any other place, any park?
I know they were remodeling Port Isabel near the lighthouse, and I suggested that they have an outdoor wall with the Constitution, or at least the Bill of Rights engraved on it, where families with their little children could walk And talk together, point out the Bill of Rights, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10, and really make it a part of their life.
But I don't suppose they've done that?
Well, this is why I encourage you to go down there to Tim's and get those documents and put them in frames and display them on your walls in your home.
And when you have visitors, remind them that, you know, we are freedom-minded people and That we need the Constitution.
We need that Bill of Rights.
And I really feel we need to be reminded quite frequently of it, because we have a tendency to forget.
When the flag goes by, sometimes I have seen men who were standing with their hats on, and they didn't bother to take their hats off.
And I feel that if we don't have respect for the flag, we probably don't care about the Constitution either.
So I really feel that we need to push the fact that these freedom documents are something that have come down through history.
They have been preserved and cared for all of these years, and it's just not right to even think of anything happening to them.
And so I feel that we as United States citizens need to put it before our children, put it before all of our neighbors and friends, and let them know that the Constitution is alive and well.
Thank you.
You've said it beautifully, Nellie.
You probably aren't aware that about two or three weeks ago, right after hearing the Convention of the Rights of Children, That is threatened to be forced on us soon.
I encouraged everyone to fly the flag every day, and that's what it says here in the Almanac for the Code of Etiquette for Display and Use of the U.S.
Flag.
Although the Stars and Stripes originated in 1777, it was not until 146 years later that there was a serious attempt to establish a uniform code of etiquette for the United States flag.
The War Department issued February 15, 1923, a circular on the rules of flag usage.
You should get your almanac and read it.
It's on page 544 of the 1933 issue.
We encourage you to fly the flag at full mast every day.
Keep it before your children and your friends.
Remember and remind them that we are Americans.
We know the Constitution.
If you have a birthday or a Christmas gift that you're not sure what to give, forget everything else and give a framed copy or a parchment copy of the Constitution and of other documents and of the Bill of Rights to your friends and family.
I don't know whose responsibility it is.
I guess each American should be sure that they have a copy of the Constitution.
But in your circle, in your town, in your county, You can play a role to make sure that every home has a copy, that every child carries a pocket version with them at all times, as well as every adult, and that we begin to see it framed in many more public buildings and offices.
Keep the Constitution and the flag and American music as William Cooper has done over the last two years of his hour of the time.
You'll notice that he's frequently playing really good American music that just warms your heart.
And we need to do more of that.
Nellie, can you think of anything else that you've left out about the museum?
I just encourage them to come and take a look.
That's the best way to describe it.
Come and take a look at it if you're planning a trip out this way.
It really isn't that far off of the main highway to drop down and to see the beautiful scenery as you come down this way and then stop and enjoy St.
John's and enjoy the museum.
Take time to run up to the park and have a picnic.
It's just really the right place to come, I think.
There's a swimming pool there, too.
Yes, there is.
Forty-five miles or so north, Tim said, is the Petrified Forest, and something like 229 miles to the Grand Canyon.
And these are well worth seeing.
The Petrified Forest, I find just really fascinating, the things that you can see there.
Nellie, that reminds me that you didn't comment on the tusks.
Yes, we do have the Columbian Mammoth.
This is a member of the elephant family.
And these were found right here in St.
John's.
So they are native to our area.
We have the large tusks of the Columbian Mammoth, as well as the jawbone.
This Columbian Mammoth is approximately 24,000 years old.
He was He stood about 14 feet high and he really needed to go on a diet because he weighed about 6,000 no I guess it was about 19,000 pounds so he really needed to go on a diet but he was quite a large animal.
It's quite amazing when you look at the animal characteristics at that time because they were all gigantic animals.
We also had the camel leg Which stands 19 feet tall.
We also have an old prehistoric snail that we find quite interesting.
So really, it's worth taking a look at that museum.
We do not charge admission, but we do accept donations.
Nellie, you mentioned the sound of the bell being heard all over St.
John's.
Well, there's another sound that we frequently hear.
Next door at the Catholic Church, and I know they were playing Faith of Our Fathers the other day.
Can you elaborate on that?
I really don't know too much about that, Del, but I know that I do enjoy listening to the chimes when they are chiming out the time, and I enjoy the music that they play, and I really think that it is a beautiful sound.
The other thing I noticed that you mentioned, Wickiup.
Now, when I was on the White Mountain Apache Reservation, I got all excited at Fort Apache to see all of these teepees, and I was informed that they are called, in this particular tribe, wickiups.
Now, they have several different means, but the particular one that we have is made out of twigs and things like this, and so it's the summer home where they get in out of the sun when they're out hunting.
We have two of the arrows that were found on the Apache County Reservation and they are displayed there, the hunting arrows.
For all of you around the world, Nellie and I both say good night.
Good night.
From the mountains Through the plains, through the oceans, white with foam, God bless America, my home sweet God bless America, my home sweet home.
God bless America.
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