The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-05-27
OLD GLORY AND OTHER FLAGS:
 THEIR HISTORY

pamphlet entitled "The United States Flag; Its History, Symbolism and Regulations for Display" compiled by Philip R. Dillon from the official regulations of the war and navy de. partments and from the most authori. tative historical sources, and pub lished by the American Penman:
 The Salute or Pledge to the Flag l pledge allegiance to my flag
 And to the republic for which it
 stands,
 One nation-indivisible
 With liberty and justice for all
 Ancestry of the American Fiaq
 The present American flag is de- seconded from the English gunner known at St. Georges cross, a rec tangular red cross upon a white field; it was very old flag. adopted at the time of the First Crusade. about the year 1O96 A. D. The cross of St. Andrews, the Scotch ensign, a diagonal white cross upon blue field. was also adopted in those early days.
 In 1707. when complete union of England Scotland and Wales was established, Great Britain adopted the Meteor Flag" red ensign with the two crosses in the canton the canton being top quarter next the staff. It quickly became the GUS tom to call the crosses the jack" and the union jack"
 On Jan. ?. 1776. Washington raised at Cambridge. Mass, the first flag emblematic of the union Of the col onies. It had seven red and white stripes, and in the canton Were the crosses of St. George and St. An. drew on blue field It continued the official army flag of the Revolu- tiOn until congress adopted the Stars and Stripes on June 1, TIT.
 Finally, on March f, lSlS. congress enacted the law which fixed the form of the flag for all time
 Dimensions of the Flag ] War department regulations:
 The garrison flag has 3S feet fly and 20 feet hoist.
 The post flag has l9 feet fly and 10 feet hoist
 The storm flag has feet inches fly and , feet hoist
 Navy department regulations:
 The flag shall be 19 of the hoist. The hoist of the union shall be 7-l3 of the hoist of the flag. The flag of the union shall be .76 of the hoist of the flag 1 The width of each stripe shall be 1-13 of the hoist of the flag. 1 When the Flag is Flown
 At all army posts in time of peace the flag is raised at ''reveille" and lowered at retreat" Theoretically, 1 it flies from sunrise to sunset, but, actually, in summer reveille is sound ed after sunrise and in winter it may be sounded before sunrise
 In the navy the flag is raised at g a. m. and lowered at sundown.
 The flag is not lowered at sun down when battle is raging, for to lower it at such times would mani festly be signal of surrender.
 No laws compels civilians to lower the flag at sundown but good taste should impel every citizen to follow. so far as practicable, the tradition of the army and navy in the sun. down ceremonial.
 The saeredness of the Flag
 It is tradition in both army and navy that the flag. when lowered, must not touch the earth in camp or garrison, nor the roof of bar racks or armory, nor the deck of ship. The assistants to the sergeant or quartermaster receive the folds in this arms as the flag comes down, and thus tenderly fold 1t and carry it to its resting place for the night
 The flag should not be used to cover the top of table, and no ob. ject should rest upon it. The Bible has long been excepted from this rule.
 It may be used to cover a casket of the dead In this use. the union shall be at the head.
 Old custom in the army and navy ordains that it shall never be wash. ed. Theoretically. it is always pure and clean. When flag is torn or frayed out by the wind 1t is never again hoisted until it has been re- paired. Flags rent and torn in bat tie are not repaired, but are kept in their proud decorations as precious relics.
 To throw an old flag into the rag bag or use it for any menial pur. pose is crying insult. When the ensign has become so worn by wind and weather that it cannot be re- paired, or has suffered some irrepar- able accident, assemble with dignity xl