New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-07-16
HISTORY Of FLAG
At CHAUTAUQUA
Truman ]. Spencer Gives Brilliant
Talk on Old Glory
MEETINGS PROVE POPULAR
To-day Sessions Were all Well At
tendcd-This Evening Yale Profess
sor Will speak-Othcr News Items
From About Town,
From About Town,

sor Will Speak-Othcr News Items
| From About Town,
| me Chautauqua meetings, which
| opened here yesterday. were well at
| tended last night and today and the
| various programs as arranged are
| proving very interesting and bene-
! fetal Last evening, at the first big
| session of the ChautauQua, Presid ent
| Truman j. Spencer of Hartford, gave
an illuminating lecture on The Story
OF the Stars and Stripes" This was
| Illustrated with colored slides and
among other things the speaker said:
| The earliest flag of the mother
| country was that of Scotland the
| cross of st. Andrew, adopted in A.
| u. I4O. England adopted her flag,
| the cross of st. George, at the time
| or the CrusadeS, about A. .. 1900. At
| the accession CT James [ G606), with
| the union of Scotland and England,
| the crosses of st. Andrew and st.
George were united on the flag of the
united country. In 1901 Ireland
came into the British empire and
the red cross of st. Patrick was added
to the British flag, so that the pres
ent British flag has upon it the three
crosses. In the American colonies,
the flag of Massachusetts and Maine
was the pine tree. Our present Con-
necticut fag, three grape vines and
"Qui Transtulit Sustinet,'' was also
the flag of our colony. Rhode Islands
flag was the anchor, Hope; New
York's flag was the beaver, and the
seal of the city of New York still
has upon it the beaver. The flag of
Virginia was the rattlesnake, that of
South Carolina was the palmetto tree
These were all individual, sectional
flags When Washington assumed
command of the army at Cam bridge
on New Years Day, 1875 he UNI
furled a flag of thirteen red and white
stripes. Where our stars are now,
he had the two crosses ofs the mother
country, that of Scotland and of Eng
land Gas Ireland did not come into
the British empire until 18O1), typi-
flying the origin of our country from
the mother country. On June II,
l777, congress in session in Philadel-
phla adopted as the flag the thirteen
red and white stripes and thirteen
stars.
The entrance of Kentucky and Yer
mont into the Union in 1871 and 1892
caused the addition of two stars and |
toms administration Congress- voted |
the addition of q stripe and star for |
each state coming into the Union. |
And this was the Star Spangled !
Banner, floating above Fort Henry |
on that night in the war Of 1912, |
which inspired Francis Scott KEYS |
immortal hymn. Upon it are fifteen |
stripes and fifteen stars. By 1916. |
four more states had come into the |
Union, and it seemed to Congress that
1t would be impracticable to continue |
adding stripes as the stripes would
become so narrow as to be indiscern-
IDLE. On July 4, 1918. Congress
enacted the law that the flag should |
be thirteen stripes for the original |
colonies and one star for each state
On the 4th of July just passed, our
flag was one hundred years old In
1918 it had twenty stars. in 1918 the
stars are increased to forty eight. The
lecturer presented many interesting
side lights upon the history of the
flag, the story of Betsy Ross, pictures
Of Francis Scott Key. and other his
audience was present and was thor
oughly appreciative of this splendid
patriotic lecture.
At s o'clock this morning the baa.
kerry classes met at the Bristol cot.
tage under the direction of Mrs.
Wright and an hour later the initial
Chautauqua round table meeting was
held in the auditorium, the speaker
having been President Spencer who
spoke of the reading course for the
coming school year. The text books,
he said, will be LoWelIS "Imperial
Britain, Lauts "The Canadian Com
Phelps Essays On
Modern Novelties" and Gleason's In
side the British Isles. Miss Beach
instructed the first class in elocution
at the Beach cottage this morr;nA AMI
Miss Margaret Simpson had charge of
the cooking classes at the MiddletoWn
Mrs. Spencer had charge Of
the children's hour and was assisted
by Miss Grace Cushman, violinist
These meetings are held daily in the |
South Park cottage.
This afternoon Miss Julia White of
Hartford gave an address on "The
Child's Birthright". At 1870 O'Clock
today the assembly chorus organized
under Miss Esteile Cushman, who
has the distinction of being the only
girl army camp song leader under
the Y. M. C. A. Miss Julia Beach has
charge of the special class in calls
,henics.
Other mum bers on this afternoons
program weree talks by Prof. John
W. Wetzel of Yale. acting p.'sttr Of
the Asylum Hill church in Hartford.
and Rev. Otis Webb Barker OF Hart
.ord and this evening Professor Wet
eel will give q lecture at o clock on
Democracy Safe for Humanity
ConIon DCn.@e Charges.
Constable John F. COnlon teels