The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-06-26

HE history Of our glorious old IA g
Is Of exceeding interest, and brings
back % Us & throng OF sacred and
thrilling associations The banner or
ST. Andrew was blue charged with a
white saltier or cross in the form OF
the letter Y. and was used IN Scotland
early as the eleventh century The
banner Of St George was white,
charged with the red cross, and was
used IN England as early as the first
part Of the fourteenth century By a
royal proclamation dated April j. lfO0,
these two crosses were Joined together
upon the same banner. forming the an
Client national flag OF England.
II was not until Ireland. Ia 1901. was
made a part Of Great Britain, that the
present national flag OF England, so
well known as the union jack, was
completed But IL was the ancient ia g
Of England that constituted the basis
OF our American banner Various other
flags had indeed been raised st other
times by our colonial ancestors But
they were not particularly sssOciat ted
with, or at least were not incorporated
into and made q part OF the destined
stars and stripes"
It was after Washington had taken
command OF the first army OF the rev
Olution. al Cambridge. that he unfolded
before them the new flag of Is stripes
OF alternate red and white. having upon
one OF its corners the red and white
crosses Of st George and st. Andrew.
on Z field Of blue And this was the
standard which was borne into the city
Of Boston when & was evacuated by the
British troops and was entered BY the
American army
Uniting. as IL did the flags OF Eng
land and America, u showed that the
colonists were not yet prepared TO
sever the tie that bound them TO the
mother country. By that union OF flags
they claimed 10 be vital and substan-
tisl part OF The empire Of Great Brit
ain. and demanded the rights and privi-
leges which such a relation implied.
Yet il was by these 13 stripes that they
made known the union also OF the Is
colonies. the stripes Of white declaring
the purity and Innocence OF their cause
and the stripes Of red giving forth de-
6ance TO cruelty and opposition
On the 14th day OF June, 1777, IL
was resolved by congress That the
hag OF the I3 United States be I5
stripes, alternate red and white and
The union be l3 white stars in the
blue field This resolution was made
public September 3. I777, and the fiag
that was first made and used in pur-
suance Of il was that which led the
Americans TO victory at Saratoga. Here
the Is stars were arranged in a circle
as we sometimes see them now, il
order better 10 express the union OF
the states
In 1874. there having been two more
new states added 10 the union, IL was
voted that the alternate stripes. as
well as the circling stars, be fifteen in
number. and the flag, as thus altered
and enlarged. was the one which was
borne through all the contests of the
war Of 1912. But IL was thought that
the flag would at length become toe
large II q new stripe should be added
with every freshly admitted state Il
was. therefore, enacted, in 1913, thai
q permanent return should be made Il
The original number Of 13 stripes, and
the number OF stars should hencefortf
correspond 10 the growing number 0,
states.
Thus the flag would symbolic ths
union as il might be at any given Pc
riod OF its history. and also as il was
at the very hour OF its birth. Il was
AT the same time suggested that these
stars, instead OF being arranged in q
circle should be formed into a single
star-a suggestion which we occa-
sionally see adopted. In fine, no par
ricular order seems now 10 be OBJ.