Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-06-06

WHEN OR WHERE " WAS FIRST
BORNE HISTORY RECORDS NOT.

0mhM1W0C VOJCCV 0HruC AAOHt Ou -
staa-Dear to the Hearts Of Fight.
ers In An Ages aad Nations.
Where in the whole world is another
thing meaningless in itself that has sig
iiied so much or served so greatly In
the dramav Of national life as the flag?
asks the London Globe.
One tradition says the Saracens first
carried an orthodox standard into bat
tie and thus gave the idea. as they gaze
so many others, to the crusaders. But
obviously the flag Is far older than this,
and it is interesting to tote its develop
ment from the first inanimate object
borne aleft on a staff so as to be gener-
ally visible down to the complicated
blazonry OF a royal banner in our own
ages. The Egyptians thus carried be-
fore their hosts the figure Of a sacred
animal on a spear. and the Assyrians.
as their carvings tell us, inspired the
hopes and conferred the attentions OF
their soldiers in the same way. The
royal standard Of the Persians fer
AAeAAAS was a. piaNh-ALatAs >
apron, and it is said a local prince in
passing 4 hermit's cell IN the way TO
battle one morning asked the inmate
for his blessing or something express
i've to put or that artleSS ~cogniZance.
The hermit, possibly a little touchy. as
even saints will be when disturbed at
breakfast time. threw the chieftain the
le< v,,,rl oal-c IN ~ ,o<,,r xrltal
was duly added to the apron; hence the
Persian sun The lion was an obvi-
Gus afterthought. The Turks used a
horses tail, the rank of a pasha being
known by the number of tails he car
ried. and probably this suggested the
much bifurcated pennon of early west
ern chivalry familiar to every one who
has studied the Baveux tapestry or ear
~ Illuminated missals.
In the middle ages. devoted to dis
play and military arrogance, the flag
stood in relationship to the great cap
tain's array as his personal armor
stood to himself; it insured recognition
in the melee and supplied a rallying
point for the fighters such as nothing
else could have done. This led to an
etiquette of flags which apportioned
shape and size to every rank of the
peerage, from the royal standard itself
down through a varied array of ban
ners, %gonfalons. pelnons. ensigns and
other bits of red rag" and kept the
heralds' college busy. besides supply
ing the poets with admirable local col
oring for their battle pieces. Does not
Scott tell us in some famous lines:
Then fell that spotless banner white,
Lord Towards lion fell:
But still Lord Marmion's falcon flew
With wavering flight, while iercer grew
Around the battle yell.
Here. it will be noted. the whole gist
and point Of the fight centers in the
penncns Of the leaders. and OF the same
vital Importance of the flag there are
~innumerable instances in medieval lit
| erature When the Douglas unfurled
his standard at Otterburn-a flag, by
| the way. which is still in existence-he
declared. and thought not without rea-
son. that the mere sight of that famous
cloth would put the English host to
rout And ven in comparatively mod
ern and prosaic times the belief that Il
dreaded captain vas beneath a certains
emblem has suficed to turn the scales
Of battle.
Thus in the French wal Of 1897 the
French Rear Admiral Sarcy when cruis-
ing with six frigates in the bay of Bali
came in sight of five or our Indianen.
one of them the WoOdford. Captain
Lennox. They were homeward bound
and all richly laden, and to all appear
ances they had NJ chance of escape.
when Captain LennoX rescued them by
an act Of great judgment and presence
of mind. He first of all hoisted in his
own ship Il flag which the French admi-
Aral knew well, that of the British Admit
@ral Rainier, blue, at the mizzen. and he
made all the other ships in his company
hoist pennants and ensigns to CORE
spond. But he did more. He detached
two of the Indiamen to chase and rec
onnoiter the enemy, and as these ad-
vanced toward the French reconnoiter-
ing frigate, the Cybele, the latter. com
pletely deceived, made all sail to join
her cOnSorts. on which the French ad-