17 AUGUST 1934, Page 6

The death of a lady said to be the inventor

of flag-days arouses mingled reflections. In a sense it was an inspira- tion, and the yield to charities from that day—the first flag-battue was in 1914—must be beyond computation. It is a species of blackmail, of course ; on a par with American racketeering. You pay your money and are given a badge which guarantees you immunity from further molestation. And such is human nature that nine people out of ten—probably 49 out of 50—who would never put a halfpenny in a mere collecting-box cheerfully buy a flag for sixpence and pin it in their lapels. There is evil as well as good in the institution. There tend to be too many flag-days, and in some cases a great deal too much goes in expenses. But the good predominates. And flag-days, after all, have given humanity a new batch of stories about Aberdeen.