The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-02-16

national flag With the admission o
oklahoma to the Union has led tn
effect Of stimulating Investigations In
to origins and traditions that hav
for years passed unchalenged Whil
iconclasm has swept away many .
the myths dear 10 the hearts OF school
boys FOR generations, the renewed in
terest IN the subject, tempered anS
governed by the modern methods o
historical research. has thrown foo,
OF light upon many of the obscure pro
hlems Of the evolution Of the Star,
ana Stripes.
Particularly Is this true Of the stir,
ring phrase old Glory" which. since
the war with Spain In Cuba and tn,
PHILIPPINES, has become the popula,
! designation Of the starry banner i
is 4 phrase with blood and iron in Il
that appeals irresistably TO patriotic
/ imagination and voices an ambitious
aggressive optimism that harmonlzes
with the now dominant spirit Of ma
tionallsm. No other nation in the
world has SO significant pet name for
| its standard.
| There have been a number OF theo-
rieS as to the beginning OF the phrase,
and not few myths have won a brief
currency In explanation Of its origin,
but after sitting out the falst currency
the honor of inventing this striking
descriptive phrase appears to belong
10 an old sea captain, aud the hour OF
its birth was in the storm ana stress
Of life aud death struggle OF the repub-
lie in the civil war. Investigators now
agree that the father Of odd Glory"
was Captain William Driver, Of Nash
vile Tenn, and that the first flag to
float under this title Is now preserved
in the museum at Salem, Mass. where
Capt. Driver was born in 1903.
Driver came of sturdy New England
stock and was a typical American
sailor OF the days when the Stars and
Stripes was a familiar spectacle In
every port Of the world. He won fame
as the rescuer Of the mutineers Of the
British Ship Bounty In 1881. Driver
was In command OF the brig Charles
Doggett at the time, and restored the
mutineers to their homes on Pitcairn
Island. In 1887 Driver gave up the sea
and removed to Nashville, Tenn, where
he died in 1886.
The flag that flew at the peak Of the
Charles Doggett was "Old Glory" and
destiny had decreed that 1t should play
an important role in the civil war.
Just before the brig left Salem on its
cruise in 1881, party Of friends pre-
sented Driver with large and beauti-
full American flag. 1t was done up in
stops, and when sent aloft and broken
out in the breeze, Driver, in his en-
thusiasm, christened it "Old Glory"
When he went to Nashville ne took the
flag with him.
When the civil war broke out, it /
found the retired shipmaster, a deter /
mined Union man, but ne was without
sympathy even in his own family Like
most men bred in the habits Of com
mand on the sea, he was dctatorily
in his beliefs and his senti-
ments were known throughout the city
Naturally he gained the i'll will Of the
more radical of the Confederates, and
his knowledge Of their enemity made
him tremble for the safety Of his cher
iz-ci flag which for more than TWEEN
ty years had proudly foated from the
roof Of his house on every holiday.
When Tennessee threw off ner al
legiance to the Union and Joined her
sister States Of the Confederacy, Capt.
Drivers "Old Glory suddenly disap-
peared. With passion flaming In those
lays Of intense feeling, the Confed-
crates declared that the flag must be
found and destroyed. But the most
searches were in vain,
Not trace Of it could be found and
Driver assailed the hunters for the old
banned with chuckling derision. With
needle and thread, when the days Of
danger came Captain Driver had quilt
ed the old flag into a comforter on his
d, and it remained his belfellow,
lnsuspected by the Confederates and
even by members Of his own family,
until Feb. %, 1862, when the Federal
troops entered Nashville and the Stars
and Stripes foated once more over the
State capitol.
Driver Immediately ripped the pro-
,ecting stitches out Of the old comfor-
-er and released the flag he had so
guarded and obtained per-
mission to raise the historic ensign in
he place of the small regimental COL
ars which 1uarn anatinp nunr the CITY |