The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-05-25

.er OF st. George was white, charged
with the red cross. n was used IN
as early as the first part OF
the 18th century. BY a royal procia-
nation. dated April IL, 100. these two
crosses were Joined together upon the
same banner, forming the anclent ma
tional flag of England.
It was not until ireland, in 1901, was
a part OF Great Britain, that the
present national flag Of England, SO
we'll known as the Union Jack WIS
But it was the ancient rag
of England that constituted h basis
our American banner. Various other
flags had indeed been raised at other
times by our colonial ancestors. But
they were no particularly associated
with, or at least were not Incorporated
into and made a part OF the destined
Stars and Stripes"
1t was after Washington had taken
command of the first army of the rev
olution, al Cambridge, that he unfold
ed before them the new flag of 13
stripes of alternate red and white, hay-
ing upon one of its corners h red and
white crosses of st. George and st.
Andrew, on a field of blue. And this
was the standard which was borne
into the city of Boston when it was
evacuated by the British troops and
was entered by the American army.
Uniting. as it did, the flags of Eng
land ana America, 1t showed that the
colonists were not yet prepared 10
sever h tie thai bound then to the
mother country. BY that union of
flags. they claimed to be a vital and
substantial part of the empire of Great
Britain, n demanded the rights and
privileges which such a relation i'm
piled. Yet it was by these Is stripes
that they made kncwn the union also
of the IS colonies. the stripes Of white
declaring the purity and innocence of
their cause and the stripes of red Civ
ing forth defiance to cruelty and oppo-
sition.
On the 14th day of June, 1877, it was
resolved by congress, That the flag of
the 13 United States be IS stripes, al
ternate red and white, and the union
be IS white stars in the blue field
This resolution was mad public Sep
TENDER 8, 1717, and the flag thai was
first made and used iii pursuance of it
was that which led the Americans to
victory at Saratoga. Here the IS stars
were arranged in a circle, as we some
times see them now, in order better to
EXPRESS the union of the states.
In 1894, there having been two more
new states added to the unicn, it was
voted that the alternate stripes, as we'll
as the circling stars. be Is in number,
and the flag, as thus altered and en-
larged, was he one which was borne
NTOuSn jill the CUTl9SCS Oh the war OF
1872. But it was thought that the flag
would at length become too large if a
new stripe should be added with every
freshly admitted state. 1t was there
fore enacted, in 1918, that a perma-
nent return should be made to the or
iginal number of 10 stripes, and the
number of stars should ~henceforth cor
respond to the growing number of
states.
Thus the flag would symbolic the
union as it might be at any given Pc
Rod of it's history, and also as it was
at the very hour of it's birth. 1t was
at the same time suggested that these
stars, instead of being arranged in a
circle, should be formed into a single
star-a suggestion which we OCCASION
ally see adopted. In fine, no particular
order seems now to be observed will,
respect to the arrangement of the con-
stellation. 1t is enough if only the
whole number be there upon that azure
field-the blue to be mathematical OF
perseverance, vigilance and justice
each star to signify the glory of the
state it may represent. and the whole
to be eloquent forever of a union tina,
must be Q n and inseparable.'
What precious associations cluster
around our flag! Not alone have GU
fathers set up this banner in the name
of God owe the well won battlefield,
of the revolution. and over the cite:
and towns which they rescued from
despotic rule; but think where alst
their descendants have carried it, am
raised 1T in conquest or protection
Through what cloud OF dust an,
smoke has it passed-what storms o
shot and shell-what cenes of fire am
blood! Net only at Saratoga, at Mon
mouth and at Yorktown, but at Lun
dy's Lane and New Orleans, at Buen;
Vista and Chapultepec. 1t is the sam
| GLORIOUS cid flag which, inscribed wit
the dying words of Lawrence. Don
| give up the ship" was hoisted on LAX
Erie by Commodore Perry just on tn
eve of his great naval victory-th
same OLD flag which our great chief
tain bore in triumph to the proud cit,
of the Aztecs, and planted upon tn
heights of her national palace. Brav
hands raised it above the eternal re
sicns of ice in the Arctic seas and hav
set it ur on the submits of the loft
mountains Of the distant west.
Where has it not gone, the pride Q
its friends and the terror of it's foes
!. What countries n what seas has
not visited? Where has not the Amer
i lean citizen been able to stand beneat
it's guardian folds and defy the world
With what joy and e%xultation seame
.. and tourists have gazed upon it's star
: and stripes, read in it the history {
, their nations glory, received from
!. the fall sense of security, and draw
from it the inspirations of patriotism
, By it, how many have sworn fealty t
: their co,intry!
!, What bursts Of magnificent elo
) Guence it has called forth from We
: ster and from Everett. What lyri
, strains Of poetry from Drake an
Holmes. How many heroes it's fold
have covered in Death! How mar
: have lived foc It, and how many ha,
: died for it! How many, living an
q dying. have said, in their enthusiast
: devotion to it's honor. like that your
wounded sufferer in the streets of Ba.
Z timore. oh, the flag? the Stars an
Stripes!" and, wherever that flag ha
gone it has been the herald Of a hette
day-it has been the pledge of freedom
of justice. of order. of civilization. ar
:, of Christianity. Tyrants only hay
y hated it, and the enemies of mankin
. alone have trampied it to the cart
All who sigh for the triumph of trut
and righteousness love salute
Rev. A. P. Putnam.
.