Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-18
WHAT FLAGS SIGNIFY.
The Colors of a Regiment or Ship Ars
Something More Than Mere lsik.

From the Outlook.
Flags are not merely so many yards Of
silk. They represent to a soldier what 10
noblest in his country's history and insti-
tutions. Their loss, under circumstances
short Of heroic. is an eternal disgrace &c
the regiment losing them. Only death
can excuse the color guard from de-
fcading them. and when the guard
has been shot or cut down otherp
should be ready to stand by the flag In
the navy a vessel never strikes her colors
except to acknowledge defeat
For this reason when In that great sea
duel between Paul Jones Bonhomuse Rich
ard and the English Serapis which tested
far into the night, the ensign was shot
away from the halyards, Lieut. Stafford
plunged into the sea after It, and Drawing
double doath-he was I'm fact wounded
while swimmins-saved II and Set Il again.
and IL was the Scraps vi ich finally struck.
The Cumberland went down in Hampton
Roads with Solors flying. and when re-
Gently the old Kearsarge. which sent the
Alabama to The bottom. struck on Roncador
reef, in the Caribbean sea, and aer crew
was obliged to take TO the boats the en-
sign was lief; fiuttering In the breeze.
Next TO our own nag, that of Great Brit.
ain interests us most Ii rs called the
union nag because IL is three flags IL
one. The flag of England is a red cross on
q white Held that OF Scotland a white St
Andrews Grass on a blue field. These flag
were combined when England and Scotland
united In l6SS; and on the union with Ire
land. the Irish flag, a rel ST. Andrews
cross on white field. was added. The
Union of the three countries is thus indi-
Gated on the union" The ST. Georges
cross of England remains as before and 10
the central feature OF the flag. dividing
IL into four quarters, occupied by the 81.
Andrews crosses, the white OF Scotland
and the red OF Ireland. which are placed
side by side.
Aboard British warship the union" 10
Loisted only when the queen or an admiral
Is aboard English ships sail under the
British ensign. Of which there are three
kinds-whi;e, blue and red-cach with the
Union in q square In the upper part OF the
hoist. that portion of the flag along the
staff. The navy. and, by special permis-
sion, the Royal Yacht Club. sail under the
white ensign, which has. besides the union.
the red cross Of ST George over the whole.
The blue ensign is q privilege allowed TO
those merchant ships which are oficered
by members Of the naval reserve and one
third of whose crews belong to the reserve.
II is also fiown by a few yacht clubs. The
red ia the u.crchantmans ensign. Until
1894 the British naval fleet was divided
into three squcdrons. each in command OF
an admiral, who was known by the color
of his flag as the admiral Of the blue"
the admiral OF the red and the admiral
of the white" This distinction was abol-
ished because Il was found puzzling I'm ac-
tion and was often eliminated. Trafalgar.
for instance, was fought under the white
.nsi-n The French and Spanish ships
went into action without setting their
cclors but were later Obliged TO hoist then
So as to be able TO strike them.