The herald., 1894-01-14

Loeb katrine, not q river or lake but
has swelled with the life-tide OF free
dom.
The origin of the thistle as her ma
tional emblem is said to be this; About
the year 1910, in the reign of Malcolm
l., the Danes invaded Scotland, intend
ing to storm STAINS castle, a fortress OF
some Importance. Midnight wac the
time selected for their attack, aud, as
their presence was unknown and un-
looked for, they expected TO succeed
without much trouble in gaining pos-
session. The Danes advanced slowly
and silently, and, to prevent the possl-
bility of their footsteps being heard,
took off their shoes. They reached the
place, and had only to swim the moat,
place their scaling ladders, and the castle
was theirs when, another moment, a cry
from the invaders themselves warned the
inmates to sense of their danger; the
guards few to arms and the Danes were
repulsed. This sudden change had
arisen from simple cause. 1t appears
that the moat instead of being filed
with water was dried up and overgrown
with thistles, which, piercing the un-
them to utter the cry which alarmed
thistle the means OF preserving Scot
land, and was thenceforth adopted as
her national emblem.
FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.
In the earliest days of the revolution
each state seems to have set up it's own
particular banner. There we're prob
ably no colors worn by the handful OF
Americans hastily assembled at Lex
ington and Bunker HILL and after the
continental army was fairly organized
there seems to have been chaos of
flags as numerous as the battalions that
com posed that army, while the pine
tree and rattlesnake flags were the
favorites borne by war vessele.
THE 13 stripes OF the flag seem
to have been strips OF cotton
cloth basted on an English flag,
and raised by Washington during
the siege of Boston to announce the
union of the colonies to the British
(who, however, understood it as token
of surrender). Under the British flag,
with this addition, the reyolutionists
fought until June IA, 1777, when con-
gress ordered that the union be 13
states, white, in blue field, represent
ing q new constitution"
Although we are comparatively new
nation, our stars and stripes may claim
antiquity among national flags. They
are older than the present flag of Great
Britain, established in 1901; than the
present flag of Spain established in 1885;
than the French tr-coor decreed in
1894; than the existing flag OF Portugal.
the Italian tri-color or the present flag
of Germany.
Senior of the fret five lieutenaDts OF
the new Continental navy stood John
Paul Jones, who has recorded that the
flag of America WAS hosted by him
with his own hand on board the Alfred,
being the first time it was ever displayed
by regular man. of-war. In a letter to
Robert Morris, Jones says: sit was my
fortune as the senior first lieutenant to
hoist the flag of America the first time
it was displayed. Though this was but
a slight circumstance, yet | feel for its
honor more than | should nave done
had it not happened"
The first military incident connected
with the new flag occurred on the I'd of
Auguet, 1877, when Fort Schuyler was
invested.
The garrison had no flag when the
enemy appeared, but their patriotism
and ingenuity supplied one In conform
ity to the pattern adopted by the Cont
mental congress. Shirts were cut up to
form the white stripes, bits of red fan
mel from artillery cartridges were joined
for the red, and the blue ground Tor the
stars was composed of cloak belonging
to one of the officers. Before sunset
this curious mosaic standard, as precious
to the beleaguered garrison as the most
beautifully wrought flag of silk and
needle work, was floating from one of
the baetions.
Beyond doubt the stars and stripes
were unfurled at the battle of Brandy
wine and at Germantown; they wit
messed the operations against and the
surrender of Burgoyne after the battle OF
Saratoga; and the sight of this new
constellation helped to cheer the patri-
OTIS of the army amid their sufferipgs at
Valley Forge. They waved trium phant
at the surrender of CORVALLIS at York
town; looked down upon the evacuation
of New York, and shared in all the glo-
ries OF the latter days of the revolution.
Everything connected with the frigate
Constitution, "Old IroDsides," OF glori-
GUS memories and victories, is of inter-
est At the time Hhe was launched.
October 81, 1897, new states had been
admitted end the flag increased to 10
stars and l5 stripes, and she was the
first frigate to carry it upon the deep,
blue sea. Congress foreseeing the want of
symmetry that would arise from adding
new stripes with the adoption of new
states, adopted the flag in it's present
form, 1918, adding star to its blue field
on the 4th OF July following the Admis-
sion of new state.
The flag of 10 stars and Is atripea was
worn by Old Ironsides before Tripoli
and throughout the war of 1872. 1t WAS
the flag worn by the Constellation in
her actions with the French frigateH
L'Insurgent and La Vengeance the flag
that waved over Derne, being the first
American flag placed upon fortress of
the old world; the flag of Lake Erie,
Fort McHenry and New Orleans, snd
which was carried around Cape Horn
the cape of Good Hope in the Essex, the
first United States vessel to show a
pAnnsnt beyond either.
The flag worn by the United States
brig Enterprise in her action with the
British brig Boxer. September 4, 1873
and afterwards the pail which covered
the body OF Captain Burrows, had 15
stripes and 15 stars this flag, which WAS
old on the day of the engagement, and
patched with still older one, was after
the action found to bear the marks of SO
shot holes, chiefly musketry.
The Bear flag. which was raised at