The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1921-07-01

make a flag for about one-half of what
it will cost her at a store. and still
have stronger and more durable one
when she has 1t finished. There are
two principal ways of proceeding in
the making OF an American flag. The
one used by most persons is 30 de-
termine first the width Of the stripes,
SO that If the flag is to be made OF
silk, ribbon may be purchased of a
standard width. From this the size
OF the flag may be determined. The
second method Is to decide either the
width or the length Of the flag and
then compute the amount of material
from the size decided upon.
Let US assume that we wish to
make a flag from two-inch silk rib
bons, since two-inch ribbon is a stand
ard size and may be purchased at any
dry goods store. Since the stripes
will be two inches wide, the width of
the canton, or the blue field, viii be
seven times two inches, or Il inches,
and its length will be the same, since
the canton Of the American flag is
square. The canton is also one-third
of the length Of the flag. Then the
flag will be three times IA inches,
which equals 40 inches and the width
| being Is times two inches, or 90 inches.
Thus, to use two-inch ribbon, one will
have a flag three and a half feet long
and little more than two feet wide.
Material Needed.
The next thing is to determine Just
how much two-inch ribbon must be
purchased, so that the stripes may be
made with little or no waste. There
are three full white stripes in the
complete length of the flag, which
equals 126 inches, and added to that
will be the three short stripes, two
thirds the length of the flag, or 81
inches, making a total of 30 inches.
or about six yards. For the red stripes,
1t is necessary to add one extra short
red stripe of II inches, which is
about half OF yard. Thus, for a
flag made with two-inch ribbon, it
will be necessary for the maker to
purchase six yards of white and six
and half yards of RED ribbon. The
canton will be seven inches square
and the stars may be made from
smaller widths of ribbon. There must
be IS stars arranged in six rows of
eight stars ct ch. BY using a ruler,
the exact position of the stars may
be determined and they can be easily
cur if q paper pattern IS made he
lorehand.
b. the second method, one deter
nincS the length OF lag-for example,
make the flag 81 inches long. BY ap-
plying the same process OF computa-
ton backwards, the size OF the can
ton will be seven inches square and
the width OF stripes one inch. The
amount OF material may be lie.
Jermincd by the same calculations used !
in the first method.
The official origin of the flag with
the Is alternate red and white stripes,
representing the United Colonies, in
blue canton, which was raised on
Prospect hill, Cambridge, on the first
day of January, 1776, has never been
satisfactorily determined. 1t is COM
monty thought that the continental
congress appointed George Washing
ton, George Ross and Robert Morris |
committee, authorized to design a
suitable flag for the nation and that
they called upon Mrs. Ross, who was
conducting an upholstery business on
Arch street in Philadelphia. The con-
tirmation of this report is not to be
found in the Journal of Congress.
There seems to be little doubt that
the American flag is q growth rather
than q creation. Few of the writer's
have declared that both the stars and
the stripes were derived from the coat
of arms of Washington's family, which |
contains both devices, but beyond |
that coincident no other evidence has
been produced to prove this.
Made Official Emblem.
On June il. 1777, the American con-
gress in session at Philadelphia adopt
ed the following resolution:
''Resolved, That the flag of the 13
United States be 13 stripes, alternate
red and white, that the Union be 13
stars. white in blue field, represent
ing a new constellation"
The credit of making the first flag /
IS given TO Betsy Ross. William J.
Candy, a grandson Of Mrs. Ross, de-
clared that Betsy Ross was shown a !
rough drawing of the flag, which was
explained by General Washington. She /
objected 10 the six-pointed stars, and |
suggested that they be fve-pOinted. |
General Washington is supposed TO /
have redrawn the sketch, changing
The stars TO five points At first Wash /
iGgton declared that five-pointed stars
would be hard TO make, but Mrs. Ross /
demonstrated that by one clip OF her /
scissors she was able TO make q per- /
feet five-point star.
In 1912, the United States congress
admitted Arizona and New Mexico into |
the Union and the stars then num- !
bered 4S. The law did not provide |
how the stars were TO be arranged, /
and for long time considerable di- l
versity existed in this respect. How
ever, on October % of that year. the
proportion was definitely fixed and
the manner in which the stars were I