The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-31
FLAG DAY WILL Be
: WIDELY OBSERVED
Patriotic Organizations Appeal
for General Acknowledge
ment by Citizens.
HISTORY OF TIE EMBLEM
HOW THE FLAG DEMANDED Ma
TIoNAL RECOGNITION.

With Memorial day behind them,
the patriotic organizations of Salt
Lake are now looking forward to a
more general observance Of Flag day,
June II. Committees are being ap-
pointed by the G. A. r. and kindred
organizations and appeals are being
sent out to all citizens to observe the
day by displaying flags.
June IA is the anniversary Of the
official adoption of the national
standard by Congress in 1777, and
was first recognized on June Il, 1894,
when the governor of the state Of
New York ordered that the flag be
displayed on all public buildings in
honor OF the one hundred and seven
teenth anniversary of its adoption
The governors proclamation was is
sued at the request of the Sons Of the
Revolution. The day was also OBJ
served in Philadelphia at the request
of the Colonial Danes of America.
Since that time the day has become
more and more generally observed
throughout this country and at the
American legations in foreign lands.
Special effort has been made to OBJ
serve the day in the public schools.
Congress Sets style.
The history OF the present national
standard goes back 10 a session of the
old Revolutionary statesmen in the
old city hall in Philadelphia in 1777,
when a committee was appointed to
consider a report on the subject Of a
general standard for the troops in all
the colonies On June IA of that year
Congress passed the resolution that
the flag of the United States should
-
and white, and that the union should
be of thirteen white stars on a blue
field, representing a new eOnsteIla-
ton
Tradition has it that General
George washington, who was a mem
Der of the committee, with Robert
Morris and Colonel Ross, took rough
sketch oS the proposed flag to a Mrs
John Ross, an uphOlsterer, who was
noted as seamstress, and who lived
on Arch street, and asked her If she
could make a flag from the design.
The sketch, it is said, represented a
six pointed star, but Mrs. Ross was
partial TO q five pointed star and
deity cutting such a pattern, she
presented II to the committee for aD-
prevail The change met with favor
from the committee and the revised
star was decided upon.
Il
Mrs. Ross then made a flag. which
was approved by Congress. and which
was at once raised in Philadelphia
and copied everywhere by the patri-
OTIS. The Betsy" Ross house in Phil
adelphia IS still standing and is a
mecca for tourists in the Quaker city.
When Kentucky and Vermont were
admitted to the union in 1894 the
stars and stripes were increased TO
fifteen each, but in 1913 Congress
voted to restore the original thirteen
stripes and to add a new star on the
4th of July following the admission
of a new state. This action was TAX
en- partly on account OF the sentiment
contained in the representation of the
original colonies and because the ad-
GltiOn Of new stripes with the admiS-
sion of every new state would soon
increase the size of the flag TO IN
Wieldly proportions.
The frs flag was soon hOisted on
the naval vessels of the United States
The Ranger, carrying the stars and
stripes and commanded by Captain
Paul Jones, arrived at a French port
along in December, 1777. and her flag
received on February Il, 1873, the
first salute ever paid to an American
flag by foreign naval vessels.
The subsequent history of the great
standard, its heroic defense at all
times and the growth of it's prestige
and respect in the eyes of every for
eign government are we'll known