Evening star., 1900-11-17

old significance during the hundred years
war, In which the Burgundians, allies of
the English, took the red cross of 81. An
Dire. while the Armaguacs. representing tho
national French party. adopted the white
cross. This latter was taken up by Cnarles
VII, who SuperpoSed the white cross on the
ancient banner of the dukes of France. of
blue sown With golden ieur de lis.
mis- great royal standard was that of the
free archers of Charles VII. and continued
down to the time of the French Guards of
Louis XIV to be the flag of the most favored
troops. In the sixteenth century nevcrt he
less, the white nag became the nag of the
colonel, that is to say, a chief named by
the king ana participating in his authority
In lESS every French regiment was in IN,
enjoyment of white flag of this kind the
his having become colonel general of all
the troops and the white flag the flag of the
etaI-maJor general. The simultaneous ex-
lstence in each regiment Of the royal white
nag and the flag OF the white cross. on 4
pIue background Sown with fieurs de lis in
dIcated in the army a series of corporatinns
united to each other by the kinsly emblem.
Ihis endured until the revolution
How They Lost n Chance.
II Is true that Louis NVIII. in 1915,
when restored to the throne of his fathers
reimposed the old regal white flag bearinl,
the fieur de lis and the arms of his house
on the French people. The attachment tn
the tricolor of liberty was so great. how
ever, that the thing could not last How
imagined from the remarkable case of the
Comte de Chambord. This last legitimate
helr to the throne of France had been
begged TO come back and sit upon the
throne after the defeats of the Franco
Prussfan war. The national assembly was
ready to elect him king. He himself had
come as far as Versailles where he re-
ceived kneeling committee, sent to listen
to his terms. THE national assembly must
insist on one thing they beseeched him.
the tr-color flag must be retained, The
people VIII not stand its being substituted
by another"
Had the Comte de Chambord accepted
the tri-color he had been King of France
He refused it. ''Messieurs" he said. II
cannot accept the flag under which fell the
mead of my brother, Louis XVI" They
pleaded with him in vain. The majority of
MS arlstocrauc followers even urged him
that the present flag was not the real flag
of the revolution. the vertical bands of red
Whlte and blue having been first given to
the army by Napoleon In 1872 at Is the
tri-coior, he insisted, "aud the family that
suffered so much from it cannot adopt 1t"
1t was for this scrupe that the legitimists
lost their last chance to the throne Of
France
Today. thirty years later, the attachment
or the French for their republican flag is
all the greater. However much they NAV
quarrel among themselves, its only rival
is the red flag of radical socialism. or COM
muniSm-or anarchy Even the wild Arab
chiefs of Algeria have learned to care for
1t and flash their swords around it. in an
outburst of enthusiasm, such as was lately
witnessed at In-Salah. When Capt Pein
hnally took possession of that stronghold
of the Touareg robbers a moving cere-
mony followed. The French flag was SOL
EMMY hoiSted in the presence of the mis-
sion, with its goum and its spahis troops.
Almost the entire native population ioined
the French in acclaiming the French colors
STERLING HEILIG.