Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1909-08-26
MANY SrlCIAL FLAGS,
ijnCIe Sam Has Some Which Are
Very SeIdom Seen.
,rOLORS OF The PRESIDENT.
mot Until 1882 Die the Chief Exeeu-
Awe Of the Nation Have a Personal
Banner, but Now He Has Thee, the
Naval, Army and Peace Flags.

Awe of the Nation Have a Personal
Banner, but Now He Has Thee, the
Naval, Army and Peace Flags.
AS the United States grew and the
government expanded many new de-
apartments were added. and with them
many special Lags have come into ex-
,istence. Least often seen and yet
-most Interesting Of these twenty-five
or thirty special flags is that Of the
spresident of the United States. He
has n wealth Of them-in fact, no less
3than three-but they are seldom seen
sin public. There are two each Of these
ifags, one of bunting and one of silk.
zThey are exactly alike, with this ex-
hception, but the one of silk is called
4fhe presidents colors."
The president of the United States
lind no personal flag until 1882. If he
4went aboard a ship his presence was
adenoted by the national dag hoisted
Aat the main truck, and his presence in
"a garrison or post was denoted by the
Sraislng of the big garrison flag. These
lwere not entirely distinctive as denot-
ling the presence Of the president, for
9these flags were hoisted on gala coca
Asions when the president was not
Saround. The lack Of a distinguishing
mag for him was felt by the navy Also
aand the secretary Of the navy by gen
Aeral orders, Aug. 10, 1882. established
Ia flag for the president Of the United
Estates. The general orders described
Athe flag as of blue bunting with the
Acoat of arms of the United States in
Athe center The flag was to be hoisted
9at the main Of the vessel when the
3president was aboard and be carried at
1.-THE bow Of the launch on which be
1came aboard.
IN the army there was no distin-
tguishing flag for the president Of the
sUnited States until just before the
tOutbreak Of the Spanish-American war.
fColonel Theodore Bingham, who was
sthen superintendent Of public build
k1ngs and grounds, called the attention
SOf President Mckinley to this lack Of
Ia distinguishing flag for him and
5stated that he thought the commander
I'm chief of the United States army and
tnavy ought to have a distinguishing
flag. President Mckinley did not like
1.-THE suggestion, but the secretary Of
Iwar did. and a flag was made. 1t was
designed by Frederick D. Owen and is
in beautiful thing to look at. The Off
ciai description of the flag is as fol-
lows:
40 sc Of a LOT
bunting. thirteen feet fly and eight feet
%hoist In each corner is a five pointed
star of Eve inch radius to the tips. In
the center of the scarlet field is a large
ififth star. also of FIVE points, two feet
anime inches in radius to the tips. In
side of this star is a parallel star
separated from it by i band Of white
three inches wide. The inner star
forms the blue field upon which is the
coat Of arms Of the United States. On
the scarlet field around the large star
are forty-six small white stars. one for
each state, equally scattered in the re
entering angles and all included with
in the circumference Of an imaginary
circle three feet and a quarter in
radius. In the upper point over the
angle is a constellation Of thirteen
stars, representing the original thirteen
states OF the American confederation.
Mr. Owen explained that in the olive
leaves, its berries and the arrows is
6ymbolized the original thirteen. ii is
also not a little singular that the Off
eial seal should bear in its motto ex-
Actly thirteen letters and that the gen
eral order which created the dag was
also numbered thirteen. The magniti-
cent silken colors of the presidents
flag are of scarlet, and the design IS
embroidered upon this so exquistely
that it is impossible to tell right from
wrong side when looking at the Gag.
The colors on the flag are what is
called ''proper"-that is, natural-the
eagle being brown and the olive
branches green, with red berries. This
nag is to be displayed only in time of
war.
Yet another flag has the president.
In 1902 the ~ ace" flag was adopted.
This third flag differs in IA good many
respects from the other two. In the
first place, the great seal Of the United
States is correctly depicted. On the
other flags the design Of the seal is
seven red stripes and six white ones.
which is correct, as the flag design
was adopted by the Third congress,
but when the great seal was adopted
the designer, not knowing much about
the flag, as the forefathers intended,
and six red stripes. And that is the
seal today. There was a long discus
sion whether the seal should not be
changed to agree with the stripes on
the flag, as the forefathers intended.
but it was decided that as it had
been adopted II should remain. This
''peace" flag thus has The seal correctly
depicted The eagle is snow white,
Its feathers being outlined 10 deep
black. There is n different arrange