Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1907-07-13
TOWN AND VICINITY.
"OId Glory 5" History is Uniuut

Green's History of the English People. in
several volumes, handsomely bound offered
by l.. +. HollOmon to the student of the
high school who would write the best ESSAY
ON The American Flag was Yesterday
awarded to Raymond Rickard.-Harrison
burg lNa.) Daily NcrS.
MIR. Hollomon, who offered the above
set of books, was Il guest of the Hotel
Gladstone Wednesday, TO the JOURNAL
he said, in part-'it is astonishing how
little the people III general know about
the history of the greatest and most
beautiful national emblem ever adopted,
the American flag; and that very few
people know that while our country is
one of the youngest of nations, it has
the oldest flag, 1t having been adopted
January II, III; while the Spanish flag,
next i'll age, was not adopted until 1873,
the French tri.color was adopted i'll 1874,
and the Union Jack of England 1901.
The design of our flag said Mr.
HollOmon, "waS taken from the Coat-Of-
arms of the family of Gen. Washington,
and was adopted out of compliment to
the commandments of the colonial
armies.
OEIoGNNI REsoIrrIoN
The resolution. under which the flag
was adopted, provided for the 10 stars on
Il blue field, and like number of stripes
alternately red and white, conforming
to the original l3 states.
The flag remained unchanged for
eighteen years, or until May |, l795,
when two stars and two stripes were
added to represent the two States, Yer
mont and Kentucky, which had been ad-
mltted to the union January II, 1874.
''ThiS form was retained until July t
ISIS, when by Act of Congress, approved
by President Monroe, April 1, 1918, it
was gwen its present form-that is, l3
stripes representing the original IL
States or colonies, with stars equal to
the number of present States, it being
provided that IA star should be added for
each added State, on the 4th of July next
succeeding its admission.
PAUL JONES SHIr THE FIRST.
The first ship to carry the flag into
foreign waters was the Ranger com
manded by John Paul Jones.
The first salute to the American flag
by foreign naval vessels was given
February #, ITS.
The significance of the symbols and
colors follow: Red, divine love; blue.
loyalty; white, truth; stars, heavenly,
knightly.
NAME OF OLD GLORY.
The name, old Glory, was first
given to the stars and stripes by Capt.
William Driver, of Salem, Mass, skip.
per i'll 1881. When in that year he was
preparing his brig, Charles Doggett,'
for voyage to the Southern Pacific, he
was presented with ii large American
flag, which, when unfurled to the
breeze, he christened Old Glory
After his death, in 1887, it was given
to the Essex Institute at Salem, where
it is faithfully preserved
lit remains to be stated that the star
III the coat-of-arms of the Washington
family being siX-pointed, was, at the
suggestion of Betsy Ross, changed to
one of five radiants. An expert with
scissors, she illustrated the advantage
sought by folding sheet of paper so
that with one cut a star of five points
was untolded. Washington, impressed
by an illustration SO unique, yet so sim
pie, adopted the suggestion, and the
amended star is the one which shines
Tor each State on the greatest of all
national anCippS