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  Dear Comrade:—

I notice that the press still reports you feeble, and I am constrained to write you, thinking that a cheery hail in memory of old days from even an unknown comrade may comfort you.

True, we are all comrades in the largish sense, and all go one road, but that comradeship of war and war's suffering and privations makes closer if not truer union.

It may interest you to hear that we have formed a temporary society which we hope to soon make   permanent. devoted to the pansy, the children's flower for the national emblem of the United States. The motto is "Union, Culture and Peace."

We hope to secure its adoption by Congress and its official establishment in the Union Flag as an outline setting setting for the stars, the centre representing the Central government or Capital, from which radiate in the white outlines of the leaves and dark blue pencilings of the flower, "light, order, land."

We mean to do this in time to make it a conspicuous feature of the world's Colmbin. Exptin.

Unless we greatly overestimate the strength and fitness of our cause, we shall on July 4th 1893, march an all–union army of a hundred thousand children with pansy–bud caps and pansy   banners, badges, gloves and belts, into the open gates of The World's Columbian Exposition, and replace the present awkward and unmeaning union of The Flag, with the star—pansy union, and sing, to war's of Bethlehem, a new Peace Anthem of America, thus making, with the time and place, the most imposing and memorable pageant of Union, Culture and Peace, of universal fellowship and human progress in the history of the world.

I shall be glad if you are able to see it with your material eyes, and, if not, why then from the other shore, with clearer vision, perhaps.

The argument for the pansy appeared in the October number of The Kindergarten, 1890, Pan the Piper, and in the 4th July number of America 1891   A Place for The Pansy. These are both Chicago publications.

The Illst'd. Home Journal is likely to have a more complete argument in a short time.

The full argument for that star Pansy Flag, has been sent The Youth's Companion and, I hope, may appear soon with an illustration of it. We have just ordered what we think a very pretty zinc etching for letter heads and envelopes for the society, showing the flag and a spray of Pansies.

Pardon me if I am making this worrisome. Of course, I'm a Crank on this particular subject.

I hope you may escape serious suffering, and I presume you have no doubt, as I have none, of your assured place in history and literature   This is our summing up in three lines of the present and future of the world.

"In the bright blue Pan's eye awakes: No darkest land God's light forsakes: O'er all the world, Christ's morning breaks."

And still, "The man is ruler of the dark."

The eye of Pan, the fairy, the All–God. "Keeps watch and ward above his own."

Whatever valley of shadows you may be called upon to pass, go bravely with full trust—"the heights where morning shines" and safe and sure and permanent beyond.

Though I have never seen you, I hail you friend and comrade well met.

Albert C. Hopkins Pres. Protem. The Pansy Society of America Comrade G.A.R. Post #132 Nashua Ia               (over)

The full argument for The Pansy is promised in The apl. number of The Illst'd. Home Journal

H.

c 1892