Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-08-16
FLAG DAY.
Interesting Facts Concerning
Origin and Significance.


please give me the origin and
significance of Flag Day Is it a
national holiday? Is it worth while
having the schools celebrate it by
special observances 2"
These three questions were sent to
a veteran newspaper man in Washing
ton and he was particularly amazed
because they came from the superin-
tendent of public schools in prosper
Gus little Western city. To be entire
ly truthful about it, the newspaper
man did not know how to answer
those inquiries. Consequently he went
to veteran officials of the Senate and
of the House of Representatives for
the information. He was surprised to
ascertain that not one of them knew
anything about Flag Day." except
that once a year some patriotic people
were disposed to give prominence to a
display of the Stars and Stripes. But
there was nothing official nor definite
in that
This situation melted a desire for
facts and led to a merry chase of
photographers and educators. Not one
VI lIIcil SCcIlieu " nave any pooltlN''
knowledge Finally, the Library of
Congress was visited and books were
dug up by the assistant librarians,
John Morrison and Hugh Morrison,
and, from information thus obtained,
the writer is able to set forth some in
teresting and valuable facts.
In the first place, there is definite
date for Flag Day." and no other date
will do. 1t must be June IA, and that
day only, or it will have no patriotic
official significance. This is of first
ing of Flag Day. we must investigate
Importance. For proper understand
the origin of our national emblem.
The Stars and Stripes first APP
peared floating over the headquarters
of General George Washington. on the
heights of Cambridge, near Boston, on
January 2, 1916. This is a fact which
is not usually impressed upon the
minds of the children in our public
schools. With that fact the children
should also be impressed with the CO.
ordinate and correlative fact that the
flag was made originally under the
direction and under the military
orders of George Washington; and
that it contained in every fold the
personal defiance of British rule by
George Washington himself.
History records the fact that, at the
signing of the Declaration of INDIE
pendence, Charles Carroll added to his
name the words. "of CarrolltOn," Sd
that he, the signer, might be easily
distinguished from all Of the othe,
CAROLS in America. Charles Carroll
has been commended for his personal
courage, and very properly, too.
But George Washington ante-dated
him in a display of personal RESPONSE
bility in that great struggle. Wash
ington took his family coat
which consisted Of three bars running
across the escutcheon and three stars
in the upper portion, and of that he
evolved our national emblem. With
splendid courage and defiance he took
this heraldic family design and caused
to be made flag with 10 stripes, re.
presenting the 10 colonies. Instead of
using the stars of his crest he set on
the blue ground the cross of st
Andrew and ST George This original
flag, made of his family coat Farms
he f1oated over his headquarters. Thus
on January 2, 1916, George Washing
ton promulgated his individual De-
claration of Independence and this was
followed on July 2, 1916, by the official
declaration of the United States The
British soldiers, when they saw that
flag, imagined that it was token Of
submission to the King, whose pro-
elimination had just been promulgated
Very soon they discovered their error
The British Register of 1776 says
1.-THE rebels burnt the Kings speech
and changed their colors from plain
red ground to a flag with Ii stripes as
symbol of their union of IL colonies
That, bear in mind, was the first
floating of our flag. That Is was in
vented and flung to the free air of hea-
ven by Washington is not generally
known; indeed is known to but very
few people, because it is not empha-
tically taught in our public schols.
From January 2. 1776, to July 4, 1776
six months elapsed before the promul-
CATION of the Declaration of the indie
pendence of the United States. More.
over, almost another year elapsed be-
fore the national emblem was officially
sent upon it's mission of universal Love
and Liberty. Thus, Washington was
one year and a half in advance of the
Congress in finging this "Old Glory
Of ours to the free air Of heaven.
On June IA, 1777. mark the date) the
Congress sitting in Philadelphia, off,
cially
Resolved, That the flag of the 1;
United States shall be of 13 stripes Of
alternate red and white; with Unior
of IS stars of white in a blue field, rep
resenting the new constellation"
Remember. please, that the British
Register Of 1776, officially records tina