The daily Alaskan., 1914-09-23
OUR EARLY FLAGS
Colonial EmblemS That Led Up
 to the Stars and Stripes.
THE STORY OF OLD GLORY,

Twice Has the Design Been Changed
 Since the Official Adoption of Our
 First Flag In 1777-The Stars tho Distinctive Feature of Our Banner.
 The American flag is a growth rather than a creation. Its history can be traced back to the twelfth century, or nearly coo years prior to the first flag day" June II, TIT.
 During the first crusade in 1895 Pope Urban II. assigned to all of the Christian nations as standards crosses varying In color and design, emblem atic of the warfare in which they were engaged. To the Scotch troops was assigned the white saltire, known as the white cross of St. Andrew, on R blue field The British used yellow cross, but century and a quarter later they adopted a red cross on a white field, known as the red cross of St. George
 When James VI. Of Scotland ascend ed the throne of England as James I. ! he combined the two flags and Issued a proclamation requiring all ships to l carry the new flag at tbeir malnmasts. At the same time the vessels of south Britain were to carry at their fore masts the red cross of St George and the ships of north Britain to carry the white cross of St. Andrew.
 The new flag was known as "king colors," the union cOlOrs," of the great union" and later as the union Jack" and was the one under which the British made all their permanent settlements in America.
 The people in the New England colo nies were bitterly opposed to the cross ln the dag. In 1885 some of the troops In Massachusetts declined to march under this flag. and the military com missloners were forced to design other flags for their troops with the cross left out. The design they adopted has not been preserved. In 1852 mint was established in Boston. Money coined in this mint had the pine tree stamped on one side Of 1t. The pine tree design was also used on New England flags, certainly by l7O4 and possibly as early as 1885.
 At the outbreak of the Revolution the American colonies had no lag com mon to all of them. In many cases the merchant marine flag Of England was used with the pine tree substituted for the union jack. Massachusetts adopt ed the green pine. tree on a white ield wRh the motto. An Appeal to Heaven" Some of the southern states had the rattlesnake flag with the mot to Don't Tread on Me" on a white or yellow field This flag had been used by South Carolina as early as 1764.
 In September, I7T5, there was dis. played in the south what is by many believed to be the first distinctively American dag. It was blue with a white crescent and matched the dress of the troops, who wore caps inscrib- ed Liberty or Death"
 The colonists desired to adopt a con- mon flag, but they had not yet declared Independence and were not at first seeking independence, They took the British flag as they knew it and made a new colonial flag by dividing the red deld with white stripes into thirteen al ternate red and white stripes. Tais Is known as the Cambridge flag, because 1t was first unturled over WashlngtOn's headquarters at Cambridge, Mass, on Jan. 1, ITT6. It complied with the law nf HOT hv having the union jack OD