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Friday Funny - Pledge



Several years ago, I developed a lecture and talk on the
history of the Pledge of Allegiance along with changes to
the Pledge over the years and the controversies that it
engendered.    It was an issue in the 1970s when the Amish
and others refused to recite it in school as it was an oath,
which is against their religious beliefs.   Then it was an issue
in the 1980s amid Presidential campaign charges of who was
a greater patriot for using it or not using it.

Anyway, some of the funny stories that I had accumulated
included the problems that very young children had trouble
stumbling over the words.   For example, teachers reported
hearing children saying:

"for Richard Stans"  (for which it stands)
"one naked individual" (for one nation indivisible)
"one nation invisible"

And I was reminded of another mistake that was used by
Jay Leno in his monologue last night, alleging that the
Pledge should be cleaned of its paganism as well, such
as "for witches tans" (which is another young embellish-
ment that I heard of).

Perhaps most ironically is that the initial Pledge included
the motion that when you said "to the flag"....you started
with your hand on your heart and then extended the arm
and hand toward the flag.    I've seen some wonderful
photographs of classrooms in the 1930s with students
extending their arm toward the flag.  Unfortunately in
light of history (and the Nazi salute), this gesture was
abandoned.

And one last young ephemism that I heard ...
"one nation under guard"

Dean
Dean DeBolt
University Librarian
Special Collections and West Florida Archives
John C. Pace Library
University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL  32514-5750
Tele:  850-474-2213;   Fax:  850-474-3338

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