The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-23


good fighting has been done under banners
that would make a stickler for heraldlc
law gnash his teeth.
In time of revolution men do not calmly
sit down and figure out a flag by rule and
compass, They are apt 10 snatch up the
first thing that comes to hand and use II
as an emblem, or to adopt a device that
appeals to the hot heads and hearts that
fight under it,, though it may make heral-
dry shudder Our own rattlesnake flag is
a good example of that but there was
some very pretty fighting done under that
much criticized emblem.
Perhaps a certain amount of sentiment
that chung to flag folds is lost in this day,
when flags are a part of government stores
and regular pattern, and are turned out
by the thousand by improved machinery,
Flag making wasn't so practical IN CD
days, but it was more romantic. Inc
women wove and embroidered the stan
dards under which the men fought for
home and freedom or for conquest The
first flag which bore the dreaded Danish
raven was made by the daughters of the
famous Ragnor Lodbrok. Katherine of
Aragon, queen of Henry VIII, in letter
written to Wolsey at the time of war with
the Scots. excused herself from many
words about the war by saying:
My heart is veray good to it, but I am
horrible besy with making standards"
gentlewomen in the West of England suf-
fered in the Bloody Assizes because they
had made the banners under which the
Protestants fought
The covenauters in Scotland, the soldiers
of Garibadi in italy Kossuth and his men
in Hungary, the Poles in their hopeless
struggle for freedom, the Greeks in their
rebellion against the Turks all fought I'M
der flags made by the women of their par
ty, end many of the early American flags
had a similar origin but the demand is too
great to-day for any such source of sup
ply, and, too our women are horrible
besy about so many other things.
Flags etiquette is a complicated affairs,
and punctilious observance of it is de-
manded by all nations, while accidental
offenses against it have often led to most
embarrassing situations. 1t is a deadly
insult to hoist the flag of one friendly ma
ton above that of another nation, and in
consequence of this when national flags
are Used for decoration, each must have
its own Flagstaff. Trouble has often arts
en- over this point on occasions of ship
decoration. One of the naval signal flags
bears the tri-color of France, with the red
and blue transposed, and another is the
Dutch flag upside down. The use of these
flags in decora ton had such a disastrous
effect upon French and Dutch nerves that
at last these special signals were barred
from festive occasions.
Many hotel keepers who were rash
enough or ignorant enough to show re-
spect to an illustrious guest by hoisting
the flag of his nation above their own on
their Flagstaff have learned lessons in re-
gard to flag etiquette. Indeed, one Scotch
innkeeper walks with a crutch as the re-
suit of an attempt to honor a famous
French guest a the expense of the feelings
of his highland neighbors.
Tho orIetora IF i1cinfy a niace Of old hunt
ing fastened to a cask as target for gun
practice at sea has furnished material for
other misunderstanding While an Eng
ush man-of-war was in port at Larnaca,
Cyprus gun practice was ordered, but as
the ship had been out long time, stores
were scarce and not piece of old bunt-
ing could be found. One of the marines
came to the rescue with a handkerchief
which he had bought at Malta while dis
turbances We're pending at Naples, and
hich bore the Italian colors, red white
and green. The handkerchief was fastened
to cask and the firing began. In the
midst of the practice a small boat was seen
q be lowered from a French ship anchored
at some distance. The little boat, directed
hy a gesticUtating officer, approached the
target but did not go very near it. Then
the boat scurricd off to shore.
At dinner time the English officer sent
men out to see If the target would do for
badly deniOraliZed, but still serviceabe
While the officers were at dinner the cask
sank, taking tie handkerchief down with
ii. AT midnight the captain was astonished
by being routed from his bunk to meet the
French and English consuls and number
of irate French officers. The French cap
tain had reported that the English were
using French flag as a target, had stirred
up the French residents to demand repara-
ton for the dissertation, and the whole
town was in an uproar. The English cap
tain explained, but he wasted his breath.
The French captain and officers had seen
the flag They had gone close to it, wish
ing to rescue it at the risk of their lives
but had finally decided to appeal to the
consul. The next day the case came up on
shore. The English sWore 10 the facts; the
French denied them.
DO you think you know more about
that piece Of cotton than the man who
has been blowing his nose upon IL for ten
Inonths?" snorted the exasperated British
officer.
The target was under six fathoms Of
water and the case seemed hopeless, but
finally a lucky cast of the grapnel brought
up the offending rag and the muddy. tai
tered bit of cotton was triumphantly borne
to the consulate, where it brought about a
settlement of the difficulty. Trouble of the
same sort arose between English and
Turks at Beyrout, and there are other
instances Of such misunderstanding
Honor and respect are shown by dipping
colors on land and by hauling them down
smoothly and instantly replacing them at
sea. In the latter case they must not re-
main stationary second for a flag low
cred or a half mast is a sign of mourning
or defeat. and in the case of a salute to
a visiting digntary, for INSTANCE, grief
would hardly be the proper sentiment.
For MANY wears the English demanded