The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-06-10
OLD oLoRYs DAY.
Why June IA Has Been Singled Out for
Distinction.

1
How many people can tell why it should
&c singled out from all other days for
sueh honorable distinction? writes Isabel
Morriil Ball in tho Washington Star.
now many who read this could make
enc simple statement that it is the birth
Gay OIL Old Glory? Not one in twenty, in
all probability. And far fewer than that
number would be able to state that it is
the one hundred and nineteenth birthday
OF the lag, and that on June Il, 1777,
the Continental Congress, then sitting
in Philadelphia as Congress now sits in
Washington, passed the memorable reso-
luton that the flag Of the United States
be thirteen stripes, alternate red and
white; that the union be thirteen stars,
white in blue field, representing a new
constellation
1t was thus the flag was born.
When you relate stories of the flag, are
you we'll enough acquainted with it's his
tory and with the history of the flags Of
other countries to tell the listle ones that
the star spangled banner is the Oldest flag
in the world OF nations? Old England,
the mother country, has flag that was
changed to it present form in 1901. The
French tri-color Yves adopted in 1894.
The German and italian flags are no
older than the existing regimes of those
countries. The Spanish flag was estab-
llshed in 1855. Even the Chinese flag. the
emblem of a nation which claims to have
the Oldest civilization Oh earth, is quite
half n century younger than the Ameri-
can flag.
The English star is six-pointed, a
reminder of the rowel SPURS of heraldry.
The American flag has five pointed stars
How many Of you could tell why this
happened? Betsey Ross, Washington's
shiItmaker, who was the first flagmaker
also, loyal woman that she was, refused
to sew British star on an American
flag. even ut Washington's suggestion,
and shipped a five pointed star out of a
pieoe OF paper to show how much prettier
it would be. Her suggestion was adopted.
Not many know, either, that for ninety
years the American flag was made of
English bunting imported expressly for
the purpose. Not till the 23d of Febru-
:
airy, 1885, did truly American flag float
on the breeze of the western world. That
flag was q present from Benjamin +.
Butler to the United States Senate, and
was made from bunting manufactured
at his own bunting factories. 1t was 81
feet fly by IL hoist, and was the first real
American flag to be unfurled above the
Capitol of the United States.
Another note of interest about the flag
is the fact that sixty-four different ban
ners represented the young nation on
land and on sea. up to the time that the
Continental Congress adopted national
design. Counting the Presidents flag.
the whole number OF American flags,
colonial 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 it is the coat of arms of the
United States. The coat Of arms is the
spread eagle, with arrows in one talon
and olive branch in the other thirteen
stars above. ard the "E pluribCs unum''
pennon caught i'll the beak. Its chief use
is found at sea, when that flag flying at
the masthead designates the presence of
the President of the United States 1t
was designed by Chester A. Arthur when
he was President.
There is SO much for Americans to
AOesl II ebocQu uuO nag uIhU ~ 10 Slltzll WUll-
der that the great multitude of our
foreign population, whose native flag is
to them only symbol of serfdom, should
be needless of the beauty of ours OF that
they should wantonly desecrate it. Men
do not treat tonderly. q thing that they do
not venerate, and it is only those who
know the full Significance of the words
privilege" and responsibility" as APP
piled to citizenship who are possessed of
the intelligent patriotism which compre-
bends the content that comes of love of
country and idealizes that country's flag.
How should one love liberty, who does
not understand the meaning of the word?
How shall he become enthusiastic over
the free schools, who knows nothing Of
their purpose and work? Why should he
be willing to die for the flag who knows
nothing OF it's history or Significance?
These questions presented themselves to
the mind of Col. George T. BaIcb, who
was resident Of New York city, where
the full effect of the unpatriotc foreign
born population was fel5 in the public
demonstrations on holidays, and on days
Of public rejoicing, among the foreign
born when they celebrated their national
anniversaries, 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 FREQ kindergartens. III
U1lcso eCHUUlS lAIC Uu6
aid and influence of phiianthropists, the
children of every age and Color of school
ags, who from extreme poverty, irregular
hours caused by working for a living, or
because of speaking only q foreign lam
guage, are not admitted to tho 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 Is, 600.
In June, 1891, Col. Balch visited every
one of these schools. and by dint of much
talk and persuasion got enough Ameri-
canism hammered into them to get the III
to properly salute the flag after little
formula arranged by him.
The salute is simple in its require
ments, and the tiniest child can learn it.
There is @ color-bearer, ordinarily the
'honor" pupil of thu room, the one who
has been the best boy of the week in his
studies and department The color bear
or takes his place upon the platform at
the teachers side. ut a given signal, and
the children ell rise. 10 music, if posi-.
Bile, or without, il not to be had, the
children, sulting the action to the word,
say in unison: I've give our heads and
our hearts to God and our country One