The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-19
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS
The red, white and the blue.


 flag and march to Capitol park. I know that June IA is Flag Day, but don't let's wait until then to show our colors. Let's do it on this Liberty Day.
 On the 14th of June, TIT. Congress re- solved that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars white in a blue field, representing new constellation.
 This resolution is the first recorded leg isation relating to the adoption of a national flag in this country. Robert Morris, the financier, and George Ross, a signer of the Declaration of In dependence, were appointed a commit- tee to consider the subject of adopting general standard for all the colonies. Accompanied by General Washington they, according to some historians, called at the house of Betsy Ross in Philadelphia and asked her if she could make flag from a design, a rough drawing which the Father of our Country exhibited 1
 l We are told that she replied with diff dence and becoming modesty that "she did not know, but would try" Now comes an interesting story. Noticing that the stars as drawn had six points, she told the gentlemen that the correct star should have but five points. They knew | it, but thought stars with six points could l be more easily made than the irregular l fve-pointed ones. (F>unny isn't it, that while George couldn't tell lie about cherry tree, he was willing to fake bit on star points?)
 Woman-like, Betsy did not argue with l mere man." but in a truly feminine way deftly folded scrap of paper, and then with single clip of her scissors she displayed a true, symmetrical, five pointed star The men saw their point cut out and it was a woman who stood out for a real star for our national flag.
 
 Some writers assert that the first and original United States flag, instead of 13 stars, each representing revolted col- ony or state contained only 12 stars, be- cause Georgia was not entitled to vote Don't let this be told in Atlanta.)
 
 r On January 1S, 1794, Congress enacted: That from and after the first day of May, 1795, the flag of the United States be 15 stripes, alternating red and white; that the union be 15 stars, white in blue field" The two additional stars were added because Vermont and Ken- lucky were admitted to the union
 This flag was the national banner from 1795 to ISIS, during which period occurred the war of 1872 with Great Britain. But soon five additional states-Tennessee Ohio, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi were admitted to the union and required representation on the flag. In the war with Mexico the national flag bore 29 stars in the union. During the late civil war 1t had 35.
 So Congress, on April 4, 1s1S enacted: First, that from and after the 4th day of July next, the flag of the United States be IS horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; that the union have 20 stars, white in a blue field.
 second, that on the admission of every new state into the union, one star be added to the union of the flag; and that such addition shall take effect on the 4th of July next succeeding such admission. No changes (other than the addition Of new stars) have been made in the na- tlonal flag since 1NS The stars have been added, one by one, until now the official flag of the United States bears 4s white stars in blue field, arranged in six rows of eight stars each. Two,l stars were added in 1912 by the admis- sion of Arizona and New Mexico to the union
 The garrison flag of the army is made of bunting, Ss feet fly and 20 feet hoist 13 stripes and in the upper quarter, next the staff, is the field, or ''union,' of stars equal to the number of states, on blue | field, over one-third length of the flag, extending to the lower edge of the fourth red stripe from the top.
 ! In none of the acts of Congress relating | to the flag has the manner of arranging the stars been prescribed, and in conse- ouence there has been a striking lack of uniformity in this matter In the | oldest flags now preserved, the stars were inserted in parallel rows across the blue field The navy has observed this custom since 1878. sIn the army the stars have always been arranged in hori- zontal rows across the blue field, but not l always in vertical rows. The army and navy having gotten together on the ar rangement of the stars, there will be no further confusion in the matter.
 That the 13 stripes have been adhered to comes from two facts brought out in a debate in Congress-frst, reverence for the standard of the revolution. the IS | stripes representing the states whose valor and resources originally effected American independence Second. because an increase in the number of stripes would make the width of the flag out of proportion to it's length, unless the stripes were narrowed, and this would have made 1t hard to see them at distance
 The national colors, carried by regi- ments of infantry and artillery and the battalion of engineers, on parade or in battle, are made of silk. But American bunting only Is now used in the manu- facture of the Stars and Stripes, and these flags are woven for the govern