Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-29

| bearers.
There never was an emblem like the Amer.
lean flag, because no other flag on earth ever
meant 80 much to its people. 1t is essentially
''the flag of free hearts, hope and home" and
the people of free land adore i. accordingly.
The trail down the history of time is set thick
with mile posts and memorial stones where
the shadow of the flag has fallen, some
times to succor the fainting, often to
| shroud a hero's form. Here Its shreds
mark the far north limit where its folds
| kissed the arctic icebergs. and in the orient
| tradition tells OF the flower flag of the
free that enc day lifted its rainbow radiance
against the skv in the parts of the celestial
kingdom. causing wondering comment.
Although Congress adopted the design for
| the flag in June of 1777, the official order TO
| that effect was not proclaimed until on Sept. 8.
Eight days later the battle of Brandywine was
fought. September IL, 1777, and the stars and
stripes foated for the first time legally con-
stituted national emblem above British vic
| DRY. 1t was a Illuminating precedent, seldom
| observed since.
That was not the first military incident con-
| nected with the flag. however. From the hour
| that Congress adopted the design flags multi
| piled upon the earth. The troops in Fort
| Stanwix later known Fort Schuyler, were
| without a national ensign. On August 2, 1777,
| the enemy appeared before them and laid siege.
\ Ingenious minds inside the beleaguered fort set
to work and manufactured a flag on the plans
| announced by Congress. The white stripes
| were cut from the ammunition shirts of the SOL
diers The red was pieced up from the stray
| articles of scarlet clothing and the blue field
was made from a cam!et cloak said to have
| been captured from the enemy at Peekskill. 1t
| was a curious mosaic, and it is thousand pities
that the flag was not preserved. Evidently the
mania for relics ha not then developed
! The men who were making history were SO en-
crossed in the business in hand that they
bal e..
| features of the fight they were waging.
FRANCE FIRST RECOGNIZED Us.
France was the first foreign nation to recog-
| nize the power of the Omitted Colonies Of
| America and gave the first naval salute to the
star spangled banner February Is. 1778,
| when the Ranger, Commander Paul Jones'
sailed through the French fleet in the French
bay QuiberOn The treaty of alliance with
France. the first treaty of the new republic
with foreign power. had been signed in Paris
| on February g. just nine DAYS before.
Great Britain was made to feel the power of
| the stars and stripes al in different way
| a few weeks before the French episode. On
January 90. 1878. the American sloop-of-war
Providence took possession Of the little Bahama
| island New Providence. The sailors liberated
some twenty Americans who had escaped from
British prison ships and run up the American
flag above Fort Nassau. They captured big
gunship which was British prize, spiked the
guns of the fort carried the arms and ammu-
milton on board the Providence and. after hold
ing the foreign island two days and frightening
away the British sloop that came to invest the
FORT the Americans put to sea, first burning
the two prizes. That marks the first date of
the American flag flying above a foreign port.
The Political Magazine of London tells what
CONSERVATION the stars and stripes created in
England: 1.-The ship Bedford, Capt. Moores.
| belonging to Massachusetts. arrived in the
| Downs on the Sd of February, 1888, passed
Gravesend the Sd. and reported at the Gus
| tom house on the 9th instant. She was not al
| lowed regular entry until some consultation had
taken place between the commissioners of the
| customs and the lords of council on account of
| the many acts OF parliament in force against
| the rebels of America. She was loaded with 4S7
| butts of whale oil. is American built manned
| wholly by American seamen wears the rebel
colors and belongs to the Island of Nantucket
in Massachusetts,. This is the first vessel which
| has displayed the thirteen rebellious stripes Of
| America in any British port
The stars and stripes had appeared on British
| soil before that. however. In the Life and
| "reminiscences of Eikanah Watson" who was a
noted philanthropist and sturdy patriot of
| Philadelphia. the following incident is related
1t is of interest because it is probably the first
authentic painting of the flag:
| AT the close of the revolutionary struggle
having on the occasion of Lord Howe's relief Of
| Gibraltar received 100 guineas, the result of
| wager, and the same day dining with Copley
the painter. he resolved to devote that sum to
portrait of himself. The painting was finished
all but the background, that beng reserved by
| Copley to represent a ship bearing to America
| the intelligence of the acknowledgment Of in
dependence-a rising sun gliding the stars and
stripes OF the newborn nation stream
| ing from her gaff. All was completed
save the flag, which the painter did
| not esteem prudent to insert, as his
| gallery constant resort Of the royal
] family and nobility II 6iOe6 wit fha '
says Watson, 'on the glorious 5th of December,
| 1882 after listening with him to the speech Of
the king formally receiving and recognizing
| the United States of America as one of the
nations of the earth. Previous to dining and
| Immediately after our return from the house of
| lords COpey invited us into his studio, and then
and there, with bold hand and master touch
and American heart'-the painter was Mr.. John
Singleton Copley Of Boston-'attached to the
| ship the stars and stripes. Thus while the
words of acknowledgment were still warm
from the kings lips, the late rebel, but hence
forth free colors. were displayed in his own
kingdom and within few rods Of his own
palace
INTO THE CHINESE SEA-
| Preble says that the first vessel to carry the
stars and stripes into the Chinese sea was the
ship Empress, Capt. Green. She sailed from
New York on the odd February, 17s4-Wash-
| ingtons birthday. When the thirteen stripes
and stars first appeared at Canton it is said
| that much curiosity excited among the
people" says Preble. News circulated that
| a strange ship had arrived from the farther end
| Of the world bearing flag as beautiful as a
/ flower. Everybody went to see the kow-kee-
| cheun. or flower flag ship This name at once
| established itself in the language, and America
| Is now called Kow-kee-koh the flower flag
| country, and an American Kow-kee-koch-yin,
| flower flag countrymen. Foreign names,
| however unmeaning originally when written in
Chinese acquire significance which is often
| strikingly curious. Thus two Chinese charac-
tiers, Yong-kee (Yankee), signify The flag Of the
ocean, and Washington, or Wo-shung-tung as
1t would be written, signifies Rescue and glory
| at last"
The flag was first carried to Japan by the
ship Franklin of Salem, Capt. James Devereaux.
He reached Japan July 10, 1899. His log book
| Is in the Essex Institute at Salem.
| The stars and stripes clrcumnavigated the
globe the first time in 17S9-9O on the ship
| Columbia. Capt. Gray. The Columbia river
| was SO named for this 'globe-trotting" ship. 1t
| had many curious encounters, and q medal was
| struck III commemoration Of them.
The Washington of Nantucket, Capt Geo.
Banker. displayed the stars and stripes in q
Spanish port the first time on July 4. 1872. in
! the harbor at Callao in Peru.
On August Is. 1874. when Mr.. Monroe, az
United States minister to France, presented
his credentials he was received with the
"fraternal kiss by the citizen president and
| loud matioua nv the au1ience was