The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1861-05-31
Tho History Of our Flag.

Rev. A. p. Putnam, Of Roxbury, in his
sermon of April 2Sth, upon the text, " And
in the name of God we will set up our BAN
ners," gave the subjoincd sketch Of our flag,
which thrilled the heart of everyone who
listened to it. Tho sermon was printed in
the Roxbury Journal:
+" The history Of our glorious old flag is of
exceeding interest, and brings back to us
throng of sacred and thrilling associations.
The banner ofSt. Andrew was blue, charged
with white saltier or cross, in the form OF
the letter Y. and was used in Scotland rs
early as the eleventh century. The banner
of st. George was white, charged with the
Red Cross, and was used in England as early
as tho fourteenth century. BY q royal pro.
clamation, dated April 18th, l7O6, these two
crosses were joined together upon tho same
banner, forming the ancient national banner
of England. 1t was not until Ireland, in
1901 was made part Of Great Britain, that
the present national flag of England, so well
known as the Union Jack, was completed.
But it was the ancient flag of England that
constituted the basis of our own American
banner. Various other flags had indeed
been raised at times by our colonial anccs-
tors. But they were not particularly as
sociated with, or ut least were not incor-
porated into, and made a part, OF tho des-
tined "Stars and Stripes" 1t was after
Washington had taken command Of the
fresh army Of the revolution, at Cambridge.
that, January I'd, l77G, ho uniurlcd before
them the new flag of thirteen stripes of al
ternatc red and white, having upon one
Of its corners the cross of st. George and st
Andrew on field of blue. And this was
the standard which was borne into the city
of Boston when it was evacuated by the Brit
ish troops and was entered by tho American
army. Uniting, Us it dld, the flags OF Eng
land and America, it showed that the col.
ouists were not yet prepared to sever the tie
that bound them to tho mother country. BY
that union of flags they claimed to be a
vital and substantial part of the empire
Of Great Britain, and demanded the rights
and privileges which such relation i'm
piled. Yet it was by those thirteen stripes
that they made known the union also Of the
thirteen colonics-the stripes Of white de-
claring the purity and innocence Of their
cause, and the stripes of rcd giving forth
defiance to cruelty and oppression. On the
fourteenth day of Juno, III, 1t was resolved
by Congress. " That the flag Of the thirteen
United States bo thirteen stripes, alternate
red and white, and that the union bo thir-
teen white stars on blue field" This res
olution was made public, Sept. 3, HI, and
the flag that was first made in pursuance OF
It was that which led the Americans to VIC
tory at Saratoga. Here the thirteen stars
were arranged in circle, as VIC sometimes
SOC them now, in order better to express
the idea of the union Of the States. In 1874.
there having been two more new states ad-
ded to the union, II was voted that the al
ternatc stripes, az we'll as the circlins stars,
be fifteen in number, and the flag, as thus
altered and enlarged, was the one which was
borne through all the contest Of the war of
1912. But 1t was thought that tho flag
would at length become too large IL new
stripe should BE- added with every freshly
admitted state. 1t was therefore enacted,
1918, that permanent return should be
made to the original number Of thirteen
stripes, and that the number Of stars should
thenccforth correspond to the number Of
states.-Thus the flag would symbolic the
union as 1t might be at amy given period Of
its history, and also rs it was ut the very
hour Of its birth. 1t was ut the same time
suggested that these stars, instead Of being
formed into circle, be formed into o single
star. q suggestion which We occasionally sec
adopted. In fine, no particular order seems
now to be observed with respect to the ar
rangcmcnt Of the constellation. It is
enough, II only the whole number bc there
upon that azure fold-the blue to be embla-
matical Of perseverance, vigilance, and jus