Arizona republican., 1921-07-04
Bv Frederic J. Haskin

WASHINGTON, D. C., July If you hoist the Stars and Stripes on the glorious Fourth or display min iature flag on your person. be sure you know the rules before you go ahead. Every patriotic society in the country has a jealous eye on the ma tional flag to see that 1t gets the full measure of respect on all occasions. The fact you you do not pretend to be an expert on flag etiquette win not save you from being regarded as an American of doubtful pedigree if you inadvertently display the flag with the stars in the wrong corner.
 Not so many years ago the flag was treated with enthusiastic but misguided familiarity. On any occa- sion when. the American revolution or the republic were apt to be men, toned hall was decked out in flags. They were looped and twirled and fastened into rosettes. They were nailed to chandeliers and railings. and if a corner of flag here and there trailed on the floor no one thought anything of it.
 A large bunting flag was regard ed as the most appropriate covering for the speakers desk. The gavel was laid on the flag and if the chair man found it necessary to rap for order there was no alternative but to bang on the patriotic table cover. pitcher of ice water, set by the gavel, generally completed the set ting for a rousing meeting.
 The piece de resistance of the pa- triotic evening was generally solo dance by some star pupil of dance ing school, in which the performer appeared in a costume made out of a flag or put together to resemble a flag The dance usually began with Hail Columbia" and progressed on through a list of patriotic songs to "The Star Spangled Banner" as a climax.
 But all that is over. For some years the flag has been under the protec- ton of nobody knows how many members of all the patriotic societies History and heraldry have beer tapped to ascertain the exact eti' quette suitable on every possible oc. casion at which the national emblem appears.
 Points to Remember
 It has been discovered that whe1 the flag is used to decorate a room or building it should always be hunt in straight lines and never drape' nor twisted. It should not be nailet but hung by loops or through ring in the binding.
 If it is used to cover pulpit O desk nothing should be placed on to of it unless 1t is Bible. It mus never in any circumstances be allowe to touch the floor for fear some on might step on 1t. If it is hung as banner, that 1. with the stripes horizontal, as W usually see them. the field of starr Or union should be in the upper lei hand corner. If 1t is hung on ent | stripes running up or down. the un ion should be in the upper right han | corner.
 | If these rules are followed, fla | decorations are sanctioned by pa | triotic experts. Some of the patriot | societies, however, hold that it | really more desirable to use buntin | in decorating the walls of a room l Red, white and blue bunting may | l draped or festooned in almost an l way desired
 | The only technical point in usin | bunting is that it has top and bot l tom. Unfortunately for the bewi 1 dered flag hanger, the experts do nc agree as to which is the top side ( | bunting. Four years ago a deput 1 quartermaster. general decreed ths | the proper Order, TOT EOOu tdste, red, white and blue, red at the tol This, he said. was in accordance wit | the heraldic colors of the flag, whic always are read in the order | l named
 Another authority differs. He mair
 tains as firmly that bunting shou
 be hung with the blue at the to
 followed by white, then red, so {
 to follow strictly the rules of he
 aldry as they are shown in our shiel
 The shield. you will remember, h;
 a blue field at the top, and below tn l the write and red stripes. As the
 is a disagreement over this, and
 bunting after all is not the flag, tf
 is not so important as some oth
 points of flag etiquette.
 It is more important, for instanl
 to remember that a flag worn on t
 coat lapel should always be wo
 on the right side. It should be sm
 and there should never be any bJ
 ton or other decoration worn abo it.