The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-02-20
How The Stars And Stripes Came
Into Being

TITS matterof fact lhatdnring h
early days of lbe Rev lntion The col
ehists made use st flags Of variou
deyiccs.
Ii Is nowadays generally accepted
as fact that the final idea Of the Star
tia Strives as national flag wa
borrowed from or suggested by th'
coat OF arms of Gen. George Wash
ington's family.
In The spring Of l777 Congress APP
pointed cOmn.itice "suthorized t'
design suitable flag Tor the nation
The committee seems TO have con
sisted OF Gen. George Washington
and Mr.. Robert Morris. They caIled
upon Mrs. Elizabeth Ross OF Phlld.
delphia, and from a pencil dra wing b,
Gen Washington engaged her TO make
flag. Mrs. "Betsy" Ross was q
milliner whose principle customers
were the Quaker ladies. She caut
from good colonial stock. The story
goes that during this call at that little
old bnilding at 239 Arch street, Phila
zen. Washington, after explaining his
drawing to Betsy Ross, directed thai
the stars be six-poinied ones. Mrs
Ross objected 10 this, and argued thai
the stars in the sky seem to have but
five points. Following her argument
by practical demonstration, she
folded piece of paper, and with a
single clip of the scissors cut out a
perfect fve-pointed star. This was
too much for the committee, and with
out further argument Betsy Ross
prevailed.
This flag, the first of number she
made, was cut out and completed IN
the back parlor of her little Arch-street
home.
1t was the first legally established
emblem and was adopted by Congress,
June IA, l777 under the action which
provided for stripes alternately red
and white, with union of thirteen
white stars in field of blue. This act
read as follows: Resolved, That the
flag of the United States be thirteen
stripes, alternate red and white; that
the uniot be thirteen stars, white in a
blue fieh,repIesenting new constel-
lation :"
Words in those days were few
actions we're rapid, and spoke loudly.
In May l777, Congress made an order
on the Treasury to pay Mrs, Ross
el4 l2{ I'd. for flags for the fleet in
the Delaware River. and contract
to make all Government flags.
Becaus of the admission of Vermont
and Kntucky, the flag was changed
by anEct Jaa, ID, 1894, which provided
that alter May /, 1895, the flag of the
United States should consist of fifteen
starsand fifteen stripes.
BuI in 1918 the flag was lees
tabIbhed as thirteen horizontal stripes
adequately red and white, the union
to rulsist of twenty stars, white in
blue, field, one star to be added OH
tho, admission of every new State,
SUD- addition to be made on the 4th
day of July succeeding such admis-
sio,. This flag went into effect July
4,&SlS, and remains the present regu-
ladon national emblem of the United
States of America.
Some description of the symbolicni
Of the colors in the flag is not without
interest.
Red is.supposed to represent courage
md divine love; integrity of purpose
ruth and purity i blue, steadfastness
md loyalty.
The quaint two-and-a-half-story
lweliing on Arch street for more than
wo hundred years has withstood time
nd the elements, though threatened
With destruction from fire and modern
innovation, still stands an
loquent monument to Betsy Ress aud
o the American flag
The very bricks of this old house
anne over as ballast in the bold of the
Welcome" Civilian Penn's ship,
nd were placed in position under the
upervision of William Penn himself.
st. Nicholas,
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