Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-06-14
THE AMERICAN FLAG.
This is the 127th Anniversary
Of Its Adoption by Congress.

otic mind to remember that the stars
and Stripes are not included among
the eternal yerities. Whenever we
Justify sing that 'The StarSpangled
Tanner forever shall wave'-with q
mighty accent on the -v-e-r'-it is
| somewhat chilling to think that there
"as 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 ma
tional 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.
2I9 Arch street holds a story which has
| rot ye: been SO well or so clearly told
as the need Of the occasion demands.
Until W. j. Candy comes TO the res
cue, the full truth will probably not be
known. Diligently engaged in compil-
ing all the discoverable data upon the
subject, he promises that the fiction
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
| 10 speak.
Mr.. Candy, however, is now eighty
years of age. AS the grandson Of
Betsy Ross. and the possessor of rec
| OIds accessible to no one else, he is the
| natural historian OF his famous grand
| mother; but his work progresses slow
| ~, and the ration waits.
If you wish to see q mans eyes blaze
with honest Indignation ask Mr.. Candy
if this noble woman was actually the
daughter Of q 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 ro-
! mance-writing and OF national history.
The design for the flag was indubita-
bly, the work Of General Washington.
| Despite great deal of fanciful evil
dence on the subject, the component
| parts OF the flag all appear in the Coat
of-Arms Of the Washington family.
One searcher in heraldic traditions finds
| both star and stripe in the original
| shield OF the DE Wessingtons;" traces
| them down to the different colored star
and stripe Of the ''Weshyngtons;" finds
them more complete in the original
| arms Of the Washingtons; and ampli-
| fies them into u shield for Washington
| himself which is identical with the or
| ramcntaI 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
| cur country was born.
| Having drawn the design for the flag,
with the blue ground, the white stars
and the red stripes duly marked, Cen
eral Washington's next question was as
| TO what woman should be selected to
make the first emblem. George Ross,
a member OF the Congressional Com
! -sittee and one of the signers Of the
| Declaration Of Independence naturally
| suggested, for reasons which will APP
pear later, his niece by marriage,
| Betsy.
| Given the design, that spirited wo-
man 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
| Washington'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 five
pointed star from folded white cloth
| she made the thirteen stars ffve-point-
| ed. The General had scattered them
| irregularly oNer the blue field; but she
thought that they would look better in
q neat circle. and 50 arranged them
Thus did woman's will make history.
| With the diligcnt haste which char
acteriZed the events of the time, the
flag was soon completed, and on one
bright June morning General Washing
| ton, accompanied by the Committee
Robert Morris and George Ross. called
at the house on Arch street 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 dis
| played. The Committee report was IA
vorablc. Congress greeted it with ac-
| claim. and by resolution, on June IA
| 1111. the flag was officially adopted and
ia tionally born.
| The selection of Mrs. Ross for the
work was natural, first, because she
was notable patriot, and second. be
| cause her husband was an upholsterer
He carried on his trade in the same lit
tie old house on Arch street. and she
| assisting him therein. was well adapted
to the task. The room in which the
| work was done, eleven by sixteen feet
| in size, is as it was then. The rough
| board flooring is unchanged; the blue
| Dutch tiles of the fireplace are nearly
all originals, though two of the re-
stored ones, being fresher of face, were
deity distracted by a patriotic but
absent minded worshiper not many
| weeks ago. Let him learn from this
that he stole restored ones, and feel
remorse and other things as best he
can.
The rough, plastered walls and CELL
ing still remain, though wallpaper
constitutes an anarchronism on one
side and a gas-jet has replaced the
candles by which the fair Betsy