Evening journal., 1902-06-14
This IS THb
FLAGS BIRTHDAY
Revolutionary Society Mem
berS Celebrate Occasion
Description Of Some Of the Flags
That PIOated Before Present
"Old Glory"

Today is the 125th anniversary Of
the adoption of the flag by Congress,
and the occasion is being appropriately
observed by the Sons and Daughters Of
the American Revolution.
Introductory exercises were held in
the NewCentury Club building last
evening and today the Daughters So
ciety has charge of the celebration.
Delaware is particularly interested
in the celebration for the first Ameri-
can flag unfurled in battle had its bap-
tism of fire at Cooch's Bpldge. There
is scarcely a Delawarean who has not
seen the home in Philadelphia of
Betsy Ross, No. 239 Arch street, who
made the first American flag
AprOpos to the celebration it may be
Interesting to tell of the many and
varied flags OF America. Columbus, in
1892, bore the Spanish ensign with the
arms of Castle and Leon. In 1897 John
CabOt's expedition brought over the
English flag or ST. Georges cross, a
red rectangular cross on a white
ground. 1t is probable that this was
the only flag planted during the six
teenth century on territory now be-
longing to the United States.
The Mayflower used this flag as a
secondary banner, bringing the Kings
colors or Union Jack, a combination of
the st. George and St. Andrews cross
at the masthead. When this union flag
was changed by act of Parliament, in
England. in 1861, the General Court of
Massachusetts also made the change
for the colonies.
In 1907 Parliament readopted the
Union flag. and this was again used by
the English colonies in America.
A Dutch ensign of longitudinal
stripes-orange, white and blue-was
carried by Hudson's expedition. In
1850 the orange stripe was changed to
red. and eventually became the sug-
gestive design for our own dear flag.
A green pine tree flag, once belong
ing to a NewburypOrt militia, after a
design adopted by the Massachusetts,
Council in 1776, may be seen in Inde-
pendence Han. This has a green pine
tree on a white ground, with the motto,
IAN Appeal to Heaven"
A companion to the Pine Tree Flag
was the Rattlesnake Flag, an idea said
to have been suggested by a picture
published by Franklin in 1854.
So much for the very early flags. In
pointed by the Colonial Congress to
prepare a design for a colonial flag, and
the one they presented had a field COM
posed of thirteen equally wide, longi-
tudinal, alternate red and white stripes.
with the Union Flag of England for a
union. This became the recognized
standard of the colonial army and
navy, and of the thirteen new and in
] Tta1rr A nm
til June IA, 1777. The story of the de-
signing and making of the first national
/ flag is too familiar to need repetition.
AN ERRONEOUS IMPRESSION.
The popular impression that the
stars and stripes of our flag were
taken from the arms of the Washing
ton family is erroneous. It is simply
an interesting coincidence. These col
ors grew quite naturally from the
Union Jack. the thirteen stripes CORE
spending to the red and white, and the
blue field OF stars to the remaining
color. The idea of adding a new star
for every State was formally adopted in
1918. In design our glorious flag OF
the free" should have a union one
third its length, and cover the width OF
seven stripes. Six by six and one-hali
feet is the. regulation size for an in
fantry flag.
There is no official rule for the ar
lrangement of the stars on the union OF
field. but an army flag usually has
them grouped to form a large central
star. while in the navy they are in
parallel rows. The size OF the stars
is regulated by the size Of the flag.
There is no reason for the differ-
ence in the size of the stars as observ-
able on different flags except the taste
lof the maker.