The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-06-12

L included among the eternal verities. Whenever
we Justify sing that THE Star-Spangled Banner for
ever shall wave with a mighty accent on the
"v-e-r|t is somewhat chilling to think that there
was a time when they not only did not wave, but had
not been seen and had not been thought of.
1t was in Philadelphia, of course, that the first
human eyes saw our first national banner of red,
white and blue, because Philadelphia enjoys far
more than her proper share, perhaps, of the honors Of
the nations early history; and the familiar little old
house at No. 77o Arch-st. holds a story which has not
yet been so well or so clearly told as the need of the
occasion demands.
truth will probably not be known. Diligently en-
gagged in compiling all the discoverable data upon the
subject, he promises that the fction-writers, who have
concocted all sorts of myths concerning Betsy Ross,
shall be put eternally to shame, and the truth be craven
upon its enduring marble, SO to speak.
Mr.. Candy. however. is now eighty years of age.
As the grandson of Betsy Ross, and the possessor of
records accessible to no one else, he is the natural
historian of his famous grandmother; but his work
progresses slowly, and the nation waits.
If you wish to see a mans eyes blaze with honest
indignation ask Mr.. Candy if this noble woman was
actually the daughter of a pirate captain. Yet this
not only has been said, but repeated in thousands of
copies of a best selling book" to the lasting shame
of romance-writing and of national history.
The design for the flag was individually the work of
General Washington. Despite a great deal of fanciful
evidence on the subject, the component parts of the
flag all appear in the Coat-of-Arms of the Washington
ldHily. Vic SdiS III dIillOi Illus Otu
star and stripe in the original shield of the DE Wess-
ingtons -; traces them down to the different colored
star and stripe of the "Weshyngtons" -; finds them
more complete in the original arms of the Washing
tons; and amplifes them into a shield for Washington
himself which is identical with the ornamental shields
now nationally used for decorative purposes on the
Fourth of July. That there Is some truth in this is
proved by the tablet over the gateway at the English
country-seat of the Washington family. which, now
centuries old, shows star and stripe craven and placed
there long before DIR country was horn
Having drawn the design for the flag. with the blue
ground. the white stars and the red stripes duly
marked, General Washington's next question was as
to what woman should be selected to make the first
emblem. George Ross, a member of the Congressional
Committee and one of the Signers of the Declaration of
Independence, naturally suggested, for reasons which
will appear later, his niece by marriage, Betsy.
Given the design, that spirited woman promptly
went to work. Instead of the most costly silk, as
might have been the case, the first flag was worked
in bunting, which was furnished by Uncle George.
Having a will of her own, she promptly altered General
Washin gton's design IN at least two important respects.
He had drawn siX-pointed stars. Finding that she
could, with one clip Of the scissors, cut a hve-pointed
star from folded white cloth. she made the thirteen
stars hve-pointed. The General had scattered them
irregularly over the blue field; but she thought that
they would look better IN a neat circle. and so arranged
them. Thus did womans will make history.
With the dihgent haste which characterized the
events of the time, the flag was soon completed, and
on one bright June morning General Washington, &C
companied by the Committee. Robert Morris and
George Ross, called at the house on Arch-st. to inspect
a flag which was to become great in the eyes of nations
and mighty upon all seas. The beautiful banner,
eight by twelve feet in size, was duly displayed. The
Committee report was favorable, Congress greeted it
with acclaim, and by resolution, on June "a. 1877.
the flag was officially adopted and nationally born.
The selection of Mrs. Ross for the work was natural,
first, because she was a notable patriot, and second.
because her husband was an upholsterer. He carried