, 1861-06-08
sand in the name OF our God wo VIII
set mp our Bnnner.'s

At time like this, when portion Of the
4 american people would tear down and tram
pie under foot the proudest ensign that ever
aoated ts I ever land Or ee., It Is vel to r.EicW
Americans love 80 well, and that Ill the world
respects and honors. In giving this history
We a1e indebted to the research OF Rev. Df,
PUTNAM, Of Roxbnry, Massachusetts,, who In
corpcrated the "History Of our dagg'' in one
Of The most interesting and eloquent sermons
: The history Of our glorious old fiag Ia Of
exceeding interest, and brings back TO u8 8
throng Of sacred and thrilling associ4tlona.-
The banner of St. Andrew was blue, charged
with white alter or cross, In the form Of
the letter <, and Was used IN Scotland as early
George was white, charged with the red cross,
and Hna used In England as early as the first
part Of the fourteenth century. By royal
proclamation dated April 18th, ZOO, these
two CROSSES ware Joined together upon the
same banner, forming the ancient national
flag Of England,
part of Great Britain, TINT the present nation-
q flag Of England, SO vel known as the Union
Jack, wns completed. But 1t Fas the ancient
flag Of England that constituted the basis Of
our own american banuor. Various other
flags had indeed been raised ut different times
By our colonial ancestors: But they were not
- ;.aa43aI ;ata 49,, ~ .. t a1ass ~ H. Tto
dcstfne5 & at.ra a1S str,ne. = 70 ss ~ ara
Weshfncton fna t.Ean coEsm,nd If fhe fees1, Gas
army Of the Revolution, at Cambridge, that
(Januas,y 3d., l7'6) he unfurlea be-
fore them the new fag Of thirteen
p4o., ~, ~ ~ ~ a, ts4 .e naa ~ n.et
3nseas oS M ~ ~ ooaa "a tns a. ~ d anu "m.s ~
field Of blue. And this WIS the standard which
Tas borne into the city Of Boston when 1t was
tasaa saateo t Ky y tae nIausn tsoops qnu Va en.
~ y ino arGdacan ~ a51ny. un11lnF as y
u, s4e,a5 aae .ta LEE T.. u Engisauo ana Amenes, Il
naqrI - se1er % 9b. III thos h m.e ne yet p5e
reatha. ~ .uo &c suat pylno taSm 70 tno
Gaa4 eae4 p!t.! 70 pc s1ta pat q the empire Of
11,:-a utsaI o5na9, non 4ena9uSo 1ne Mg9ts ana
Hlsnefes mmca sucu leauon mpnea-- et
~ nae y Aees .llls ssI1pea tnat Iaey maze
~ qnto1 oeso ~ ta3tLeen Golonles, 1ne
sulpes q WMte oeclaf1ng me p1f1ty and inno.
cence o. lne15 sause, and me stripes OF red
saon. y ..>:... .:.,:::~
~ tne 1ouIIeentn dsy oI June, l7T7s It Was
TeeolVeo % congress-. That the flag Of the
ttal.een United states be thirteen stripes, al
tSti4a tf5ate reg ana Thite and fhat TIE union be
iesoludon was made public Sept 1777, and
the lag That was first mRde aud used In punu-
ance Of It was that which led the Americans to
victory ut saratoga. Here the thirteen stars
we're arranged in circle, as we sometimes
sse them noW, In order better TO express The
idea Of the Union Of the States In 179l,
the5e h4zhg been two mora new States added
to the Union, It Was voted that the slta1nate
stripes, - well as the circling stars, be fifteen
in number, and the flag, as thus altered and
enla:ged, ,was the one which xas borne through
all the contests of the wax 81: 1914 But It
Eas thought that the flag would at length be.
come too large, II = new stripe should ba
added, with every freshly admitted stata. Il
was thereioroeuaeted, in 1878, that per1na-
rent return should be made to the original
number Of the thirteen stripes, and thst the
number OF stars should hcncetorth correspond
70 The growing number Of states- Thus the