The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-11-11
UNION JACK HISTORY.
Curious Points About the Banner of Gres
HriIa ann IfeIaInH-

We are all familiar with the white,
blue, and red ensigns. and with the(
union jack which occupies the uppen
quarter nearest the flagstaff The wbitei
ensign has the red cross of St Georget
in addition to the union jack- Withou1
the jack this white ensign with redt
cross represents our old national flag aSi
it existed from the time of Richard IL
until the death of Elizabeth. This redl
cross flag, the banner OF st George ap-
pears to have been chosen by the Soil
dier King i'll honor of the saint who wasI
the patron of soldiers. 1t remained fort
more than four hundred years the fad
under which the English warriors foughtl
on land and on sea When James VII
of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth thel
Scotch had national flag. That alsoI
was cross, but it was shaped diiferent-i
ly from that of St George and wa5
known as the Cross of ST. Andrew. Thel
ground of the Scotch flag was blue, andl
its cross was white. To mark the unionl
of the two Kingdoms under one sOv4
ereign the national. banner underwent
change, although Scotland still rel
tanned its separate Parliament In thet
new flag the two banners of EnglanH
and Scotland were united. There api
peared in it the obiique white cross of
St Andrew on blue ground, and the
red cross of st. George on a white mari
gin, worked in the blue field. The kingt
was accustomed to sign his name in thei
French form of James, jacques" Hei
was, in fact, the Union jacques, or, rs,
We improperly pronounce il, Jack. For
local purposes the Scotch still continued
to use the white St Andrews cross Onl
the blue field and the English the red
cross on the white field. 1t was stated
by royal proclamation in 1906 that
''whereas some difference hath arisenj
between our subjects of South andl
North Britain, travelling by seas, about
the bearing of their flags For ihei
avoiding of all such contentious here-I
after We have, with the advice of ouri
council, ordered that from henceforthl
all our subjects of this Isle and kingI
dom of Great Britain and the membersi
thereof shall bear in their maintoD thei
Red Cross. commonly called St Georges 81
Cross, and the White Cross. cOmmOnlyl
called St Andrews Cross. Joined tO-j
gether. " land in their foretOp our subj
jects of South Britain shall wear thei
Red Cross only. as they were wont; andi
our subjects of North Britain in theirt
foretop the White Cross only. as fheyi
were accustomed" In 1907, when thei
Scotch and English Legislatures werei
united, the distinctive flags ceased to bel
used, and the united flags as arranged
in 1906 became the single ensign for thei
United Kingdom. 1t was the sovereignt
that made the union and established
the national flag. and an establishment
of distinct Legislatures again would mott
alter the flag. Ireland would take pre-
sumably for its local ensign the redt
cross of St Patrick This Irish banneri
ought to have appeared in the Unioni
flag of 1906, but it did not. Ireland hadl
no distinct recognition in the union tiagi
until 1901. when the Irish and Britishi
Legislatures were united. 1T that datel
the union jack underwent a furtheH
change, and the red diagonal cross off
st. Patrick on Il white field was intro-I
duced. Since that date the union jaekl
has shown the red cross and white mari
gin, recalling the banner of S.. GcOrge;l
the white diagonal ana blue field OF St
Andrews banner, and the red diagOaalt
cross of St Patrick showing over thel
white diagonal cross of the Scotch ban-I
ner. The blue ground of the Jack is,
therefore, due TO Scotland. and the redl
and white as crosses and margins tOl
England and to Ireland. Duilyl
NeUS.