The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-09-14
From the Paris Universe
The French FIaS.

When Clovis became a Christian he
/ received from the Emperor Anastasius
| the title Of patrician, and was invested
with the insignia of the consulate, the
I purple, the chlamys the diadem and
/ the sceptre surrounded with the RO-
man eagle, at St Martin-Of-TOurs, and
/ in that church received his standard
I the mantle Of st. Martin, which was
Of plain blue, making it the ensign Ol
| France. Since the time of Clovis, the
J flag, or rather the royal pennOn, has
been blue. As to the fuers-de-lis,
/ they were not only the badge of the
king, but above all of France; Their
| heraldric form has no resemblance TO
anything certainly established, but
/ their origin is most ancient; they are
| found in the museum on the helmet OF
| AssyTian warriors, aud on the debris Of
eaTthenware dug out of the ruins OF
Ninevah.
The second French flag was red.
Louis VI, named the Fat, called the
/ father of the COmmunes, having re-
united TO the crown VeXin, of which
Points was the capital, took for his
banner the OrifdHlD1e of st. Denis, a
standard of plain red, the color of
mOrtars, which the counts of Vexin
had before the time of that king, the
privilege of carrying to the wars un-
der the title of "AUOues de Saint
Denis," and thus it was that rel be-
came the French color up TO the time
of Charles VII.
The third French flag was white.
Henry VI ofEngland, having become
master of Paris, was their crowned
king of France, adopted on his banner
the O7'ifiCtBlHlc Of st. Denis, and aband-
Oned the white which had been his,
taking the red in proof of his preten-
siOns TO the throne of France. Driven
from Paris, on his return to England
he kept to that color. and the red rose
became the emblem of the House OF
Lancaster i'm distinction from the
House of York; which adopted the
white rose. Then as a curious eX-
change, Charles VII, rightful King Of
France, adopted the white cross and
the white flag, and under that ensign
routed the English. Thus it was that
the white flag became the National
standard.
The cOlOrs of the city of Paris were
originally blue and red. Its arms car
ried a ship on field gules surmounted
by Heltrs de lis on field azure Al
ready at a most remote period, those
cOlOrs had been adopted by the provost
OF the merchants, Stephen Marcel, as a
rallying sign. The distinction hood
of his partiZians was half blue, half
red, and it was this bicOlOr hood that
he put on the head of the DauphiH
h fUrnCn1F Of
The first color in 1879 was, however
green. On the 18th July the green
cOckade was adopted on the motion of
Camille DesmOulins, when haranguing
the crowd at the Palais-Royal. 1.-THE
citizens Of all ranks" says the Mon
aeuT, "of all orders, of all ages every
who was found in the
capital, were inscribed on the list of
the soldiers of their country, and
decorated themselves with the green
."
On the 18th, July following, the
electors of Paris, sitting at the Hotel
de Vile in permanent committee
(Origin of the COBiB1me), determined
that the green cOckade, being the col
or of the Count d. ArtOis, should be
done away with, and that the cOlOrs
Of the city should be adopted by the
general assembly; every one, there
fore should wear the blue and red
cOckade. 1t was this bicOlOr cockade
that NJ. Bailly presented to his mai
esty, who received it kindly, and de-
signed on the spot to fasten it to his
hat"
On the 26th of July, 1859, General de
la Fayette being nominated command
ant of the national militia, proposed
to the assembly of electors "A tricOlor
eOekade. "This cOckade," said he,
Joining the color of the lilies to the
cOlOrs of Paris, will make the circuit
Of the wOrld;" and from that time our
flags have taken the three eOlOrs, but
At first in their historical order; the
red at the bottom, the blue in the |
middle. and the white on top, horizon
any an order Which had since been |
been varied many times.
As to the red flag which fyurod ON |
.he Champ-de-MaTs on the 18th July, !
I79l it was displayed in the terms of |
.he law, as, ga definitive signal for |
every assemblage," and it was only |
Inder the same title that it continued |
10 be hOisted at one of the windows of
he Hotel de Vile up to the 18th of |
August following. Nevertheless, it is
Itill in the present day the signal of
hanger, but i'm front or in the rear of
'ailway trains; thesignal placed at the
,Op of the towers of the city to point |
,ut the direction of a fire. NJ. de |
Lamartine, in making allusiOn, i'm
S4S, TO this flag, was, as in many other
.hings, a poet and not a historian.