Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-06
Why June IA Has Been Singled Out
for Distinction.
TIE ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN FLAG
The Star Spang|ed Banner the
Oldest Flag Among Nations.
L e A G HING TISM
June IA Is Flag day!

honorable distinction?
How many who read this could make the
| simple statement that 1t is the birthday Of
Old Glory? Not one in twenty, in all prob
| ability. And far fewer than that number
would be able to state that it is the one
| hundred and nineteenth birthday of the
| flag. and that on June a. 177T, the CONT
mental Congress- then sitting in Philadel-
phia, as Congress now sits in Washingt ton,
| passed the memorable resolution that the
| flag Of the United States be thirteen
stripes, alternate red and white; that the
union be thirteen stars white In blue
| held, representing a new constellation"
1t was thus the flag was born
When you relate stories of the flag are
| you well enough acquainted with its his
tory. and with the history of the flags of
other countries to tell the little ones tina I
the star spangled banner Is the oldest flag
| In the world of nations? Old England the
| mother country, has a flag that was
| changed to it, present form in 1901. The
French tri-color was adopted in 1904. The
German and Italian flags are older than
Ihe existing regimes OF those countries
The Spanish flag was established in 1855
EVen the Chinese flag, the emblem Of ma
tlon which claims to have the oldest civil
lzatlon on EARTH is quite half a century
younger than the American flag.
The Efve-Pofnted Star.
The English star is six-pointed, a re-
minder of the rowel spurs of heraldry
The American flag has fve-pointed stars
How many of you could tell why this hap
pened? Betsey Ross, Washington's shirt
maker, who was the first fiag-maker also
loyal woman that she was, refused to sew
BRUSH star on an American flag even al
ashingtons suggestion, and shipped
nVe-pointed star out of piece of paper to
mi n 10,
suggestion was adopted
NOT many know, either, that for ninety
Years the American flag was II ade of En-
shsh bunting imported expressly for the
purpose Not till the sd of February 1866
dlG a truly American flag feat on the
breeze of he western world. That flag was
present from Benjamin F. Butler to the
United States Senate and was made from
ouhuhs manufactured at his own bunting
factories. 1t was q feet fly by 70 hoist
ana was the first real American flag to be
un1u1led above the Capitol of the United
States.
Is the fact that stxty-four different ban
hers represented the young ration on land
ana on sea, up to the TINE that the Cont
lentai congress adopted a national design.
counting the Presidents flag, the whole
number of American flags, colo NAL and all,
number sixty-six. When the children ask
you what the Presidents flag is like what
will you tell them? Its ground is blue and
almost square. On 1t is the coat of arms
OF the United States. The coat of arms IS
the spread eagle With arrows in one talon
ard olive branch in the other, thirteen
stars above. and the "E pluribus unu,n"
pennon caught in the beak. Its chief use
| is found a sea, when that flag flying at
the masthead designatcs the presence Of
the President of the United States. 1t was
designed by Chester A. Arthur when lie
was President
Educating the Foreign Born.
t.,
about the flag that it is small wonder that
the great multitude of our foreign popu-
lation, whose native flag is to them only
symbol of serfdonl, should be needless of
the beauty of ours or that they should
| wan tonly desecrate it. Men do not treat
tenderly a thing that they do not venerate.
and it is only those who know the full
significance Of the words privilege" and
responsibility" applied to citizenship
who possessed of the intelligent patiot-
ism which comprehends the content that
comes of love of country and dealiZes that
countrys flag. How should one love lib
erty, who does not understand the mean
ing of the word? How shall he become en-
thusiastic over the free schools who
knows nothing of their purpose and work.
Why should he be willing to die for the
flag who know nothing of it's history or
Significance?
These questions presented themselves to
the mind of Col. George T. Balch, who
d
the full effect Of the unpatriotic foreign
born population was felt in the public dem
onstrations on holidays, and on days of
public rejoicing, among the foreign born
when they celebrated their national ami
versaries, and he set himself to solve
the very difficult problem how to over
come the un-American customs.
HIS first work was in the free industrial
schools and the free kindergartens. In
| these schools are gathered, through the aid
and influence Of philanthropists, the chill
dren of every race and color, of school age
| who from extreme poverty. irregular hours
caused by working for living, or because
Of speaking only a foreign language are
| not admitted to the public schools. There
are twenty or more Of these schools in New
York city, the hot bed of, the propagating
house for this patriotic movement, and the
attendance is close in the neighborhood of
$1,000.
In June, 1891, Col. Balch visited every one
of these schools, and by dint of much talk
and persuasion got enough Americanism
hammered into them to get them to proper
ly salute the flag after a little formula ar
ranged by him.
The School Children's Salute.
The salute is simple in its requirements,
and the tiniest child can learn it, There is
a color-bearer, ordinarily the honor pupil
| Of the room, the one who has heen the best
| boy of the week in his studies and deport
| ment. The color-bearer takes his place
| upon the platform at the teachers side. at
| a given signal, and the children all rise.
| TO music, If possible, or without, If not to
be had, the children, suiting the action
| to the word, say in unison: 1--WE give our
| heads and our hearts to God and orr
country. One country! One ianei1aset and
one fag!'' AS the first sentence IS uttered
the color-bearer dips the flag in salute. and
holds 1t thus till the last word is uttered.
and tLen restores 1t to position
The work has gone on and on, gaining in
effect and influence, till that simple flag
salute Is used in every state In the Union
and in the territories.
Colonel Balch exhausted his private for
tune in his work In New York CITY. but
Charles Loring Brace, founder Of the Chill
| dren' S Aid Societies of New York. became
much interested in the patriotic work and
| Joined with him in pushing it in every di
| rection. The result Of their labors In the
metropolis is more directly seen in the an
sence from the rooms Of the schools men
toned of the foreign flags that used to
| d1Splace Old Glory on days of publi, re-
| joicing or mourning, and the general desire
| to elevate the stars and stripes on all oc-
| casions.
Spread of the Idea.
Illinois was the first to take I'D the
| idea, after New York, and from a gather
ing of \ few thousand in 1871 tho 1Atb 30