The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-12-13
THE CONFEDERATE FLAG.

IRON the RICHMOND E1SpatcD, Dec. III
The adoption Of present lag a natural but
most pernicous blundcr. As the old flag itself
the author Of wrongs tore off piece Of the dear
old rag and set up as standard We took for grant
cd flag Invisible thing, and proceeded TO set OF
proportion. So took q rough calculation our
share Of the stars and our fraction Of the stripes and put
them together and called them the Confederate flag
Even as Aaron OF old put the gold into the fire and then
came out ths calf SO certain stars and stripes
honest and fair fault. We clearly entitled
70 from to eleven OF ths stars and to three
Of the stripes.
incssc a. zee ,cere maintaining the principles icas in
esdea reT0.eU omi Ne North hi abandoned item me
1Te aor Fly eaa~' % the wh9le aa Had kept IT,
fought FOR e. and under tand conquered II from the
North, it would have bseA robbery, but ali right and
Fair And we should either have done this Kept the
dag a whole-or else VS. should have abandoned il ns
whole and adopted another But We did not choose to
assert title 10 the whole polite or ud ous 10
spill. the flag claim the fractions W. had an
equal right also 70 Hat Coumbiar and Yankee
Doodle" We might have adopted part OF Yankee
Doode' {say every third stanza), or oso +" Yankee
Doodle" with variations, as our national air In the
choice Of not guilty Of this absurdy but
have perperaed one exactly parallel TO It In the
choice Of national flag There Is no exaggeraon in tho
illustration. II seems supremacy ridiculous Yet 4,
scarcely does our folly Justice
There is but feature essential to flag and that
dstctness. Beauty, Appropriateness good taste are all
pess-wide plain, nnmistakeable dist motion from other
Bags Unfortunately this indispensable thing is Just the
thiug which tho Confederate lag lacks. And ta.tng 10
this il is amentable and total failure absolute aud ir-
redsenable Tn failure 70 In matter OF II is
eo3mpCtc As Thai o. vitng which canJot u" rcauoI
gir which cannot DO shot--of coat which cannot be
worn. u IS the play o. "Hsme,, y with the part * Ham
let left OFT. dag which does not distinguishing
bo very nice piece Of ntingit may 90 handsomely
executed, tasteful, expressive, and thousand othsr
thlnEs, but has no tito NJ all 10 bear the X flag
Neuew the Tag We bad 20 SIGHT; vet instead Of getting
~ fr from It, We guilty % he huge mistake Of get
tirS az near TO u az pQa.iba. We sought similarity
Atptns principle diani.iricaly wrong We made fag
esnear! Ike there could under favorable crcurlstau
ses, be distinguished from II. Under unlavorale crcu
'ances such ~ constantly occar u practice the two
LA are inistnguishahle. IT. inc of The R9ses il
Great Britain one sidc adopted The white and the Other
tho red rose. Suploss tha side had saopyed fnill
wn:e and the other lesn white deep pink ana ii,
other lighter shnde pink would III have been al,
end % he confisiouf
When body ~ men il approaching ia time 81 VA, Il
n rathor an important ma'tDg % ascertain II prsrtc,
be- @heher they are frens OF foes. C.rts ny 10 au4
,ston could well be radical ~ its influence avon 81
Srtiou plans AMI movements To solve this ,glporfap
question il the object 81 tsc When they cot near
thea may be other ~ info u 69t ~ stir
Cus friends from en,rnies Al distance Is tue speea
purpose OF a flag Hnmaa Ingenuity e great, ans tna
conceive some other small MISREPRESENTATION
toas,s speeches, sc.but tt", this = hasra Sc3 81