The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-10
THE FLAGS OF THE NATIONS

so the chronicles relate, fallen from
heaven in answer to a rayer OF Kin
waldemar, when, in 1919, he was fight
ing. against the pagans OF the Baltic.
Whether or no the flag came to the
Danes ready made, ii does date from the
18th century.
Switzerland's flag is as old as her re-
public, and the white cross on a red
ground was adopted by the cantons
when they united to fight for freedom.
because they believed the cause of free
dom as sacred as that which inspired
the Crusades, and as worthy to use the
cross.
The Spanish flag would be misleading
to one unfamiliar with history. The m
perial standard originally contained the
arms of CASTLE and Leon, but later
those of Sicily, Austria, Burgundy.
Flanders. Antwerp and Portugal were
added. The design of the standard was
| not changed. when sovereignty over
those countries ceased, and so the i'm
perial flag of Spain to-day is a striking
record of the steps by which the coun-
try has sunk from greatness to insig-
| nifcance in the list of nations.
Greece, when freed from Turkish
control. adopted for her flag the blue
and white colors of Bavaria, in compli-
] ment to the Bavarian prince who was
her first king.
The crescent, which is now the distin-
gushing feature of the Turkish flag,
was originally a popular device with
Christian nations; but when Mahomet
II. conquered Byzantium he assumed
the crescent as a token of victory be-
cause 1t was the emblem of Diana. pa
troness of Byzantium. and the device
was Immediately dropped from all Chris
tian banners.
The dragon Of China ~antedates chron-
icles. Japan's flag bears a blood-red
sun, in recognition of the original name
of the country, Nippon. which means
1.-THE rising sun" The white elephant on
the flag of Siam commentaries Xacca,
the founder Of the nation, who, by
Buddhist calculation, went through So
900 changes in the course OF metem-
psychosis, and, in the eight t~housandth
incarnation existed as a white elephant.
From that blissful state he was promot-
ed to rank among celestial deities, and
the white elephant has since then been
worshiped in Siam.
Flag devising is a branch OF heraldry
and il governed by ironclad rules. out
side of which there is no salvation for a
nation. In heraldry white stands fol
silver and yellow for gold, and the strict
rule that metal must not be placed upon
metal, nor color upon color, governs tins
arrangement Of colors in flags. The red
yellow and blue flag of Venezuela is q
glarlng offense against this law, as II
the red and blue flag of Hayti, anc
those two nations are, from a heraldit
point Of view, I'm a very bad way. How,
ever, some remarkably good fightinf
has been done under banners that would
make a stickler for heraldic law gnas
his teeth.
In time of revolution men do no
calmly sit down and figure out a fias
by rule and compass. They are apt Il
snatch up the first thing that comes t.
hand and use it as an emblem, or 4
adopt a device that appeals to the no
heads and hearts that fight under II
though ii may make heraldry shudder
Our own rattlesnake flag is a good ex
ample of that, but there was some yer!
pretty fighting done under that mucl
criticised emblem.
Perhaps a certain amount OF sentt
ment th.t chung to flag folds is lost II
, this day, when flags are a part of gov
eminent stores and regular pattern
and are turned out by the thousand b,
improved machinery. Flag maklnI
wasn't so practical in old days. blu
! was more romantic. and the womel
, wove and embroidered the standard
/, under which the men fought for hom
! and freedom or for conquest. The frs
I flag which bore the dreaded Danis
! raven was made by the daughters o
. the famous Ragnor Lodbrok. Katherin
of Aragon. Queen of Henry VIII, in
letter written TO Wolsey at the time o
I war with the Scots, excused hersel
from many words about the war b,
: saying:
M bert is veray good to II. but
p am horrible besy with making stand
ards"
After the Monmouth rebellion score
: of gentIewomen in the west of Englan
suffered in the Bloody Assizes becaus
they had made the banners undo
& which the Protestants fought.
The Covenanters in Scotland. the sol
diers OF Garibaldi in Italy, Kossuth an
his men in Hungary. the Poles in thei
. hopeless struggle for freedom. III
/, Greeks in their rebellion against IN
. Turks. all fought under flags made b
J the women Of their party, and many c
Z the early American flags had a simila
l origin. but the demand is too great e
? day for any such source of supply. ant
too. our women are horrible besy
y about so many other things.
n Flag etiquette is a complicated al
fair. and punctilious observance of ii
: demanded by all nations; while acc
!. ! dental offenses against it have often lie