The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-04-30
MADE NECESSARY BY
OKLAHOMA'S ADMISSION
Sixiy-Six thousand Stars
Have 10 Be Removed
From Old Flags

Armed with surgeons scapes. Aa'
dozen OF the women employed at THE
government arsenal in Philadelphia
are buslly engaged In ripping the stars
or the army flags and sewing on new
ones in the order required by the
.new arrangement. which provides for
"a star for Oklahoma. Il Is big task
20 rearrange the stars ON eli the mill
tafy flags, but II must be completed
by next month, when tie new official
flags arSi 10 be distributed ready for
the unfurling on Independence Day.
First, the stars are ripped off by
girls who are provided with the seal
pels. AS these same stars are used
again. IL Is necessary to remove them
with care, and every stitch has to be
cut so that the star vii come off in
tact. A row of girls Is at work remov-
ing the stars. After the field has been
cleared of the superiluous stars the
flag is passed to man who stands all
day long at a big table and with a
piece of chalk marks the exact places
on the blue ground where the new
stars are to be sewn. Then the flags
are handed 70 the sewing machine con
tingent, where the stars are placed in
the order required by the new forma-
ton, and the flag is ready for the
packers.
The New Arrangement.
The decision of the government ar
ranges the stars in the following for
lnaiion: One row Of eight stars on the
top. then a row of seven. two rows OF
eight, another row of seven, and finally
another row Of eight on the flags
that are arranged IN the old way the
forty-live stars were placed on the
top row, seven on the second, eight
in the third. seven on the fourth, eight
on the fifth and seven on the sixth
row. II will, therefore, be seen that
| 20 rearrange the stars II Is not nee
essary 10 remove the entire collection,
but only to cut off tho lower three
rows ana place them in the order
stated There is no way OF arranging
the stars symmetr,cally witnout re-
moving the entire rows, for the flag
must look finished, and it would not
| look so with stars pushed in without
regard TO the length OF the lines and
the general appearance of the field
Three Thousand to be Changed
AS there are 1000 OF the flags TO
be finished for army use by May the
/ iimmensity OF the job can be estimated
SiXtysiN thousand stars have TO be
removed from the old flags and that
number, plus 5000, sewn on by the
sewing machine contingent. TO pro
vide new stars an employe Is kept
! hIfnk pll A.
consultations from the bales OF mater.
ial. The stars are cut by land with a
mallet ana die The workman selects
q die Of the size required by the flag
and punches The stars out of the ma
lierial by blows with mallet each
blow making fifteen stars A good
many OF the old stars win be una
lfoidably ruined in the process OF re.
nloval and these viii have 10 be re.
placed with new ones. Also on many
Iof the flags the stars are so worn as
t0 be worthless ard these will be re-
iplaced entirely by new ones. so that
the man with the mallet has large
share in the work OF Encouragement
with teh exception of tins man and
the workman who marks the spot
whore the star Is 20 be- replaced. the
luaRWOrkers are all women.
On The other nand, the naval flags
are an being rearranged by men, tat
iackies being more ad spt al the worl
lof sewing than are the soldiers. The,
lwill rearIange the flags themeselve,
without sending them Go the govern
ment departments. Each ship will al
tend 10 the changing of its own flagi
the work being done by hand, as wa,
tnat on the original flag made b,
Betsy Ross The naval flags win b,
unmrled for the first time az thl
same time as The new flag Is flown
officially all over The land This will
be on Independence Day. that beinl
the date provided by law for the fly
ing Of flag that Is rearranged 10 ad
init OF a symbol for new state
Problem Of More stars.
Various ideas have been advance