March 27, 1919 

Statement from the Governor’s Office 

To the People of Massachusetts: 

April seventh will represent the Ninety-eighth Anniversary of the establishment of Greece as an independent nation. It is fitting and highly proper that we who have received so much in Letters, in Art, and in Architecture from this ancient land should pay more than passing attention to the event. We have been enriched by the many citizens of Greek parentage who have made our Commonwealth their permanent home. 

There is a provision in our law that prohibits the flying of a flag of a foreign nation upon public buildings except upon the occasion of a visit from a representative of that nation who is a guest of our Nation or of this State. But there is no provision against the flying of flags by private citizens, and I urge generally that upon this day the flag of the Greek nation be flown in conjunction with the American flag, to the end that our thoughts may be directed toward the friendliness of Greece and the vast debt we owe to that land for the treasures that have come to us from the past. Wherever people gather on that day, I suggest the setting aside of a period to do homage to Greece as a nation, and to her people who have endowed the world with so many blessings.