Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-04-09
LONG MAY SHE WAVE
Centennial Anniversary Of Old Glory
Occurred April 4th.

Centennial Anniversary of Old Glory
| Occurred April 9TH.
| Today the American flag is waving
over the shell-pitted battlefelds Of
Europe. carried side by side with the
colors of France. Great Britain. Bel
gian and other nations allied in the
great war for freedom and democ-
racy.
| At home probably l0.0O0,000 Ameri-
can flags are waving serenely in the
varied breezes Of our spacious land.
significant of the calm and dignified
yet deep and lasting patriotism of the
people Of the United States.
| Be this our native land or adopted
country. We pledge allegiance to that
flag. uncover as We pass. and wear II
In miniature as token Of our loyalty.
And yet how many Americans are
sufficiently well acquainted with the
origin and history Of "Cld Glory" to
be able to recall that last Thursday.
April 4, was the centennial anniver-
| sary Of the adoption OF the American
| flag In its present form, the flag con-
| sisting of thirteen horizontal stripes
Of alternate red and white. represent
ing the thirteen original states. with
white star in a blue field for each
state OF the union.
Naturally there were many forms
Of early flags. especially colonial types
used by the individual colonies and
militia regiments before the flag of the
United States was established by the
continental congress on June ii, 1fI7.
This act required that the flag OF the
United States be OF thirteen alternate
red and white stripes, and that the
union be thirteen white stars on a
blue field. representing Il new constcl-
lation, but ii did not define how many
points the stars should have, how
they should be arranged. nor make
provision Tor additional ones.
The men who carved the nation
from the chaos of political strife did
! not forcsce the possibilities Of forty
eight commonwcalths when they de-
signed the flag. All the empire their
minds could then compass was hedged
about by the territory Of other ma
tionS. So when new states began to
appear. Washington added that a new
stripe and new star be added for
each newcomer.
BY 1918. when territorial expansion
was proceeding on u stupendous scale.
1t was seen that tine flag was about
/ to become an unlovely, cumbersome
affair, for 1t tl:cn had twenty stars
and twenty stripes. SO congress enact
ed law that gave us the flag OF to-
|day-thirteen stripes for the original
lcolonies, and stars arranged in parallel
|Ifnes on the union, one for each state
5as 1t was admitted. The war depart
tment determines the order In which
the stars are to be placed, and the
revised flag comes into official use the
Fourth Of July following the admis-
sion of the state bringing the star.
Many styles and forms of the stars
M 1stslnes aas were In existenes.np
TO lSfE"Hl. .y4P Was not until President
Taft's administration that definite
specifications were drawn up. On Oc-
tober 20, 1912, an executive order con-
cerning the flag was made ard it pro-
vided for the specific arrangement OF
the stars. They were to be arranged
in six horizontal rows Of eight stars
each. Starting in the upper left-hand
corner and placing each row from left
to right, the star corresponding toI
each state Is named in the order OF
the states ratification of the constt-
tuition.
The following LIST shows at glance
which state Is represented by each
star:
First Row-No. /, Delaware; e
Pennsylvania; 3, New Jersey; 4, Geor-
gia; 5, Connecticut; 6, Massachusetts,;
I, Maryland; s, South Carolina.
Second Row-No. 9, New Hamp-
shire; 10, Virginia; II, New York; H.
North Carolina; lS, Rhode lsiand' H.
Vermont: 10, Kentucky; 16, Tenn
essee.
Third Row-No. II, Ohio; Is, Lou
isiana: 19. Indiana; 20. Mississippi; 81.
Illinois; 22, Alabama; %, Maine; "a.
Missouri.
Fourth Row-No. 25, Arkansas; 70,
Michigan: %, Florida; %. Texas; ~,
Iowa; 80, Wisconsin,; 81, California;
81, Minnesota.
+. Fifth Row-No. 33, Oregon; "a,
Kansas; 35, West Virginia: 36, Neva-
da; 81, Nebraska; 3S. Colorado; 49,
North Dakota; 40, South Dakota.
Sixth Row-No. Al, Montana; AZ
Washington: 43, Idaho; A, Wyoming;
As, Utah; 46, Oklahoma; ~, New
Mexico; 4S. Arizona,