The Lamar register., 1898-06-22
THE HAWAIIAN FLAG.
HISTORY OF AN EMBLEM SOON
TO VANISH.
Em-res.ciss That Had to DO Nth
M.kinx Ia what 1t r.-i, 4. Direct
Descendant Of Another fi-E That Is
r~.sinx Away.

~~@ak away
All histories thar are printed of the
Hawaiian republic fan TO tell of the
interesting story connected with the
adoption OF the nag OF that country.
The Incident bears not little romance
and shows In way the ingenuity OF the
natives The adoption OF the emblem
dates back about twenty-five years.
when the country was still monarchy
snd King Kamehamsha II. was on the
throne. The country was continually
visited by the warships OF the direrea;
nations OF the world and fhe ruler OF
the HzwaiiAns had a eielcalt time 10
keep his little land fron being seiEsd
by some foreign power,
The story is handed down TO pos
terity- The exact date Of tae oeenr-
renee is no; known. though It was In
the year isT3. The king OF the key to
the Pacific avoke one morning TO tnd
a French SarShip anchored safely In
the harhor OF Honolulu He became
alarmed At the proSpee; Of a conquest
and sent at once for his prime nieis-
ter. He vas advised By him to run up
a taE. and shoS the visitors that tho
country belonged TO someone. and rot
a no mans land. To be piilagsd a; viii
by the firsg foreigners who came along
The king. heeding the advice. cast
about for : piecc OF buntins 10 repre-
sent his ration. and fell upon an old
British Gag. This he hAd run up to the
top OF bis highest aagpoie. The bant-
ing had hardly time 70 uufari ltself 10
the breeze ~hen one OF the chief ad-
yisers to the king came running 10 bin
and told him that he would have 70
take the flag down. as the nrst thing BE
knew u be did not an English man-ef-
would arrive. ard. tAc eomrsrdsr ana-
ing his nations eoiors rying ever Hon-
uislu. world take Possession IN the
name OF the qucc7. ThIs friEhtsasd
Kanehansha. and he started another
hunt fer . tag This time the ssArehsfa
uneartsed an American emblem. TAX
Ing the two nagz the ruler bad them
made into one The JACK IN the corner
OF the Ergiish emblem was len. while
the stripes OF the American Gag were
added TO Il. Thus the Hawaiian Gag Al
FIRST had Iairiecn stripes and = Jack.
the sam. as the EzElIsh- The king.
when he had disposee o, bis French
visitors. had csas TO ihsrk over the
matter. IL vas decided thai 8; would Be
better 10 have only eight stripes. repre-
seniing the eight islands o, the nation
The extra pisces were Gu; OF. leaving
the eight stripes. with a white enc On
the top. The jack siilI carries the ST
George erczs. the ST. Andrews cross.
and the ST. Pntrick's cross. the same
as the EnEiish. Soon after tbs sdop-
,ion OF this Gag the whites, who had
begun 10 settle on the tslard. came
more and more into poser each ysar
until. as q result the monarchy vas
nnriiy ovcrthrown and the republic
pizced on rrn basis. with white ha-a
At the head OF tho government The
natives. who arc supcrs1itscns. believe
the change in power from the cogper-
coior@d people to the whites Is directly
due 10 the fact that the white stripe Is
directly over the red IN the dag. They
say that had the red been nrHt the
whites would never have gained foot
hold on the island sufieien; 10 warrant
their taking the reins of the govern
meut In their hands. AS result OF
this superstition the legislature Of Ha-
wall scarcely ever meets but what some
new bin 70 change the position Of the
stripes on the Gag Is brought up. TIE
wisest OF the meu among the natives
are kept constantly at work on the
drawing up of such measures. and their
members in the congress are syor busy
trying 10 put the bills through Tho
belief Is that az soon as the order OF
the stripes Is changed. the red having
the preference. the copper-colored ma
tives ~ili again ascend to power and
have full sway in the government.