The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-22
OUR COUNTRY'S FLAG.
Why the United States Ensign Has
Thirteen Stripes.

Oo-o- ~
taonaI Emblen and the Arrangement ct
the Stars and Stripes.
Beginning about five OF six years ar
public schools in the old Bay State inst
tuted what is rapidly growing into the
custom Of honoring the birthday of the
starry ensign. lI9he day, the recurring
anniversary Of the historic 14th of June,
17T7, the date Of the adoption OF the
'tstar spangied banner" was celebrated
with patriotic sdeclaanations and recita-
tions and sesgs. From Massachusetts
the innovation, commended for the pa
tridtian il sagoused among the coming
citizens Of tie. country, spread rapidly
through New England, boards of educa-
ton in some az the states officially recog-
MIXING the occasion and aiding in it's
oslsbratjsn. 1t b also journeying on its
way southwark and Westward and bids
fair to becomesthe red letter day of the
year 10 our ppDlic schools. Of the 49,
Les. 900 scl6si children about one-ffth
already pay tribute in some form to the
occasion.
AS observancacf the anniversary gains
In ags and popularity knowledge of our
cou1d1y's ensign will increase both
among opr youngsters and their parents,
the stchilafsnof q larger growth" Few
symboaismasHgd,ld bas more cherished by
I'll good Americans than. should be our
fass A1asyet isit due to lack of patri-
oEahsor W our NATIONAL hurry?-the av-
arage 2A1nerscan, the. schoolboy always
barred, stuftars. ahd stamners when you
ask nm The simple, primary question,
'Huwmanystars are there in the United
States agw d tersS a. minute of hard
thoukfS 6e is.appS 70 reply yithsany num-
banff p1nS8yD aa. 4 Even sthe third class
In history Shla have answered imme-
aiaaely withs one. voice, s'Forty-fourp'
There is fn10h more of romance in the
history of Wps Saoption of Uncle Sans
oplors ana 6oSe Of symbolism in the
choice of.3heif details THAN is commonly
thcnSht. aCaptain Preble devoted sew
era1, dhar&as ~. hisso 600 word History
of lie American Flag" to explain these
matters. Heresis the-story in short:
In the Sdpening days: of June, 1777,
when tbageoIoniaa troops had for more
than two gears been combating under
any local flags that captured their fancy,
congress- sitting at Philadelphia, APP
pointed d. commattee to devise a common
flag. Thefhames of the members of this
committee have been lost in the ancient
dust Of Congressional history, but it is
known that John Adams was mainly in
strumeftals insgufding it to its decisions.
On June IA congress unanimously adopt
ed its report, urging that 'the flag OF
the Is United States be Is stripes, alter
nate red and white; that the Union be
Is stars, white in blue field, represent
ing new constellation.
A sample flag of silk, made by a good
Quaker matron, was displayed in con-
gress, having its union square and the
stars forming the rim Of a circle.
Red, white and blue were chosen,
firstly, because orange, white and blue
were the colofs of the only other republic
of modern times, the old Dutch republic
Of the preceding century, and, secondly.
because they were the colors Of the New
York regiments. An easy change turned
orange into red. Stripes were chosen
because they were . symbolism of both
the New Ok and the old Dutch flags.
Stars axpeqpposed to have been selected
becausesfs figures being required for the
union, ttahSys were the most appropriate
for that number OF devices for blue
field
Though this flag was unanimously
adopted and was shown to agoodly num-
bar o. The inhabitants Of the Quaker
City sdu1zig tbe sdahmer following, it
was1pt officially announced until Sept.
s. PEM Jones, the noted naval hero, i'm
patientlF waiting for the equipment Of
his fast Big Ranger, at Portsmouth,
NJ Il: was TIE FIRST one outside Of the
QuakerhIwp 70 display the ensign. He
ran IL ap to The masthead Of his stanch
little rnan-o'7War and put to sea at once
to disclose til Che winds of the naid-At-
lantiC q banner as free as themselves
and TO gain tie honor off the Scotch
coast OF being the frst'to introduce the
star;sprent fagito European eyes.
On land. outside of Philadelphia, the
flag was frst flown during the battle of
bn6 DTddIuTWluo, Ao6tlIie5 npof0 Adddy
cite when that 20-year=old major gen
eral was wounded. A month later it
Haunted at the headquarters of Gates,
whenhe received the surrendering army
Of Burgoyne.
Uncle Sans first flag remained I'M
changed for IS years, though in the
meanSinae the government was formally
organized under constitution, and two
new states were added. In 1895 by the
exertions Of Senator Bradley Of the new
state of Vermont the number of stars
and that of stripes were each increased
TO Is, the additions representing the
Green Mountain State and Kentucky.
This amended flag was the one borne by
Harrison and Jackson ON land and by
Hull and Perry at sea in the war OF 1912.
In 1918 stripes were reduced to 10, and
the present law of adding new star for
each new state admitted to the Union
was passed. -Daniel D. Bidwell in New
York Ledger.