Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-19

hundreds of thousands of them are
manufactured every year in the citv of
Philadelphia, but there are nag
towns in New England also which
contribute largely to the patriotic ont
put. Most of the bunting, which is a
sheer wooden material. comes from
New England; 1T is of a loosely-woven
texture So that the wind may blow
through it. The stuff fer the finest
1ags reaches the tiag-makers in big
rolls-some red, some white and some
blue. The blue, of course, is for the
union in the corner While the red
and white are for the stripes.
Each roll of red or white bunting is
wound as tightly as possible, and is
| then placed under a raZor-edged knife.
| by winch 1t IS cut into a series OF meas
ured slices like piece of meat. Each
| slice, on being unrolled is long striD
! exactly the width of the fiag-stripe
that is wanted, The strips are next
cut into the requisite lengths for the
| stripes of the flag that is to be. and
are sewn together .by machine with the
blue Union in one corner. The white
stars, however, are sewn upon the I'm
! ion by hand, and this work mas to be
done with the greatest care, each star
being first basted on and then having
its edges turned under before the final
sewing is performed. The stars are cut
out of white linen and sewed upon each
side Of the blue field; they are made
very simply, With a pair Of scissors and
tin pattern.
This is the way in which the very
best flags turned out. The kind next in
quality are the So called woven flags
which are produced complete by a
loom, thirteen stripes, union and all
Flags of this sort come from the loom
in continuous strip or piece which is
thcreupon cut up into separate editions
Of the national coIors. the latter being
hemmed and thus finished as fast as
they are emitted from the machine. No
particular skill, such as is needed in
the other case for making the copies of
Old Glory symmetrical and perfect is |
here required; the machine does it all. |
The material, however, is the same and |
it may as well be explained right mere
that bunting is the best stuff for flags |
because it is soft and does not whip |
in the wind like stiff material; be- |
sides, it holds its color we'll
one may pay anything from one cent |
to $50 for flag of the United States. |
The latter price will buy a beautiful |
silk flag. twelve by eighteen feet in |
size. The cheapest flags are stamped |
on muslin with the colors red ana |
blue. and are then tackled or pasted |
upon sticks; they are not guaranteed |
=
ny Nag which the small boy wears on |
the lapel OF his coat. Such flags are |
put through a printing press like |
calico skirts and come out ali c0!ored |
at the rate of one hundred a minute
Girls then snip them apart with sharp |
shears and glue them to small sticks |
hardly bigger than matches. The best |
flags have a canvas band seam along |
the back. through which a rope may |
he run for fastening them to the pole
tackle
Anybody is t liberty to make United |
States flags. Thus it comes about that |
all sorts of patterns of the national en-
sign are on the market and in use. But
if any one desires TO have the colors as
they ought to be. reference must be
army and navy This standard. altered |
from time to time by the addition Of |
fresh stars is preserved and will con- |
tnue to he kept by the secretaries of |
war and navy In the war department |
at Washington close by Secretary Al |
gers office. is displayed in d glass case
the true regulation flag of this country |
To exhibit it better ii is Illuminated by |
a brilliant electric light. This is the
orginal: all the others must be imita
tions or else they are not correct.
The secretaries Of war and the navy |
are the custodians of the flag of the |
United States. If a new star is TO be
added. they determine just where on
the blue field it is to be put. Until |
quite recently there was some confus-
ion as to the arrangement Of the stars,
no law governing the matter. Indeed.
Congress has never adopted any en-
actment on the subject. beyond a re-
qurement that one white spansle |
should be added for every new state
admitted to the Union. IN 1918.
however. the President directed |
that the stars on the navy
flags Should be arranged in par
allel horizontal rows. The same meth
Cd had been adopted by the army al an
earlier period. it appears, but the stars
on the flags of the war department
were not In vertical rows. The navy
having accepted vertical rows, there
was difference in design which was
not corrected until President benjamin
Harrison ordered his secretary of war
and secretary Of the navy to agree be-
tween themselves on one pattern.
The proper design for the blue field of
Old Glory is fiXel and absolute; other ar
engagements of the stars, which common
" are distributed more or less higgiedy-
piggledy, are wrong. Several spaces are
purposely left in the regulation pattern
for the spangles which will represent
states Vet to be admitted. The last state
let into the Union was Utah, in 1896, and
She took her position at the riSht-hand
end of the fourth row. There are SIX
rows of stars in the flag of the United
States. numbering forty-tive in all Room
is not needed for many more, inasmuch
as the only territories remaining avail
able for future states are New Mexico,
oklahoma and Arizona. In this account
however no thought is taken of the
great reservation known as the Indian
.,r,i+nyu from, which ba C1ica named