Daily Arizona silver belt., 1908-02-05
FLAGS or ALL AGES.
The Eilgle Has Always Been Favorite
 on Military Designs.

At i recent small muster of friends, who occasionally get together and dis cuss all sorts of topics, the subject of flags came up for consideration. The dean ,f the members of the coterie, a veteran who proudly wears the bronze buttor, of the c. A. R.. upon the lapel of his coat, did the greater part of the talking.
 "I have been, said he, always in terested in standards and emblems of all countries, and have made it point to read everything that | could get hold of about flags of all kinds, national and otherwise. Before the days of the flags that wave in the breeze the na- tiors of the earth had their standards or enblems. They were principally ban. ners, and date far back to the days of the Old Testament, when there was more fighting going on than at any time since that era, considering the compara- tive small size of the world and the multitudes of nations then on this little earth.
 "Pharaoh, the Egyptian monarch, as we find from the old books, was con siderable of fighter in his day, had great many regiments in his armies, and every company had it's own stand ard. If you please to go to work and search the Scriptures it will be seen that the Old Testament is replete with allusions to banners and ensigns. The tribes of Israel marched through the wilderness, and each one of the weary wandering armies carried their distine
 tive standards, and there were some very curious devices among the com binations. Birds, beasts, reptiles, and fish were frequent among the emblems.
 "The eagle was always favorite,
 and is to the present day. We read
 that the standard of Roman legion,
 was silver eagle, with expanded
 wings, on the top of spear sometimes
 holding thunderbolt in its claws;
 hence the word aquila was used to sig
 nifty a legion. Yes, by all odds, the
 eagle has always been among the leai'
 ing military ensigns. Then there were
 bulls. and lions. and bears, and wolves,
 while away back in the ages even in
 medieval times the ugly dragon wAq
 in fashion on the standard of many Of
 the old English kings. It is an ugly
 beast, and no wonder it frightened the
 souls of fearful adversaries.
 "There have been volumes written upon flags from which 1 have gained
 what little know said the veteran
 "and I believe could talk on the sub
 feet a whole night long. In my op'n ion, the most beautiful flags in exist
 ence, save our own glorious Stars and
 Stripes are the ensigns of our mother
 country. Most of the banners of the rival houses in England in the olden time were beautiful. The Crass of St
 George and the Blue Blanket of Scot;
 land are among the notable ones. Al
 able writer in an article on the subject
 of flags published about forty year'
 ago says: 'The flag of the Covenanter'
 of Scotland was first unfurled in lo3s
 and was displayed at the battle oi
 Drumclog in 1879 and at Bothwel'
 Bridge in the same year. This oit
 emblem, which is cherished with pc culiar reverence by the Scotch people
 is prescribed by the Antiquarian So
 ciety of Edinburgh.
 "in our country, up to the days ol , the revolution, most of the eolonies II their show of allegiance to the moth CT country retained the English stand ards. and, as a rule, did not give muei heed to independent standards. Massa ehusetts sported pine tree as her de vice as she did on her coins of tha period. South Carolina hung out he first independence flag just after thu battle of Fort Jackson, on Jame Island, September l3. l775. It had { sort of Oriental look about it, as I had a crescent in one corner of a blu field, but I cannot believe it would b. thought much of today, because th' crescent is Turkish emblem al through. It is now used on the flag of Egypt, Tripoli, Arabia, and who'll lot of Oriental lands, and l think Il also in full favor in Japan.
 "Every one has heard of the rattle snake flag that was presented to con gress in February, l776, by Colone Gadsden. The snake was coiled on yellow field and in fighting position and underneath were the words, Don tread on me. It was never in ver1 great favor, but it is on record that II It's day many considered it as full oi meaning.
 "Some of the books tell different tales about the flags that were used by the patriot army at the battle of Bunk CT Hill. One account goes on to stat' that that famous fight was fought by the Americans under red flag bear ing the motto, Come if you dare An other says. 'The Americans displayed flag with the cross of St. George, thu ground being blue and in the upper cor
 ner nearest the staff pine tree. "But summing them all up, where Il there a flag that waves on land or set like our 'Old Glory with it's five pointed stars Originally it was intend ed the stars should be six-pointed) that Betsy Gr;scom made under thu personal direction of General Washing to Cr;soop, aa many know was tn,