New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1921-11-30
FLAGS AT PEACE
CONFERENCE
Gala Display ReViVGS Observers
Interest


in the limitation OF armament confer
ence, and the war department sugges-
ton that these flags should be flown
again during the final two weeks of
the conference led to the Issuance by
the National Geographic society of
the following bulletin concerning
these ensgns
The display of flags of the nine
participating nations Is one of the
chief points of scenic interest in the
national capital. as well as in other
places visited by members of the
delegation or wishing to pay honor
to the great conclave of nations now
in progress.
Curiosity first is aroused over the
arrangement Of the flags as pre-
soribed by the war department, which
arrangement Is from left to right.
looking from a building toward the
street Portugal, China. Japan,
France, United States (center), Great
Britain, Italy, Belgium Netherlands.
In addition there seems to be confu-
sion in the case of several nations
about which Of their. flags to display,
AT first glance that order may
seem meaningless, but If 1t be com
pared to the seating of dinner guests,
the reason for the arrangement be
comes clear, America. the hostess, is
in the center, with two of the major
allied powers to the right and two
upon the left. The other four ma
lions which were invited because of
their special interest in problems to
be discussed are disposed of alpha
betically; Belgium to the one side.
China to the other, with the Neither
lands and Portugal, because of the
fortunes of the alphabet rather than
any distinction of importance, upon
each end.
1T Is interesting to note that this
order was followed punctiliously by
the president in his address of well
come to the conference.-the Is, the
British Empire, France, Italy, Japan,
Belgium, China, the Netherlands and
Portugal.
"A brief description of each flag to
be displayed is herewith given. The
information therein is from Flags Of
the World by Byron McCandless and
Gilbert Grosvenor the authoritative
reference work on flags of all ma
|
lions.
Great Britain's Union Jack.
The national flag of the British
Empire, the union jack, combines the
lcrosses of st. George, st. Andrew, and
St Patrick. When the union of the
two crowns of England and Scotland
took place upon the accession of
James VI of Scotland to the English
throne as James l., the cross of St.
Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland,
and that of St. George, the patron
saint of England, were combined, and
all ships were ordered to fly at their
maintop the new flag, while at the
foretop the English were still to fly
the red cross of st, George and the
Scots the white cross of St Andrew.
That St Georges cross was placed
over st. Andrews was distressing, to
, the Scots, who made it the subject of
an appeal to the king. After the
death of Charles l., the union of
Scotland and England was dissolved
and the ships of parliament reverted
to the use Of the simple cross of st.
} George, while those of Scotland took
up the cross of St Andrew again.
When Cromwell became protector he
restored the union flag, imposing the
Irish harp upon its center.
After the Restoration, Charles II,
removed the harp, and SO the original
union flag was revived and continued
in that form until 1901, when, upon
the legislative union of Great Britain
and Ireland the cross of st, Patrick
was incorporated To combine these
crosses without losing the character
; istic features of each was not easy.
Each had to be distinct and at the
same time retain a border which
would denote it's original ground. To
place the red cross of St Patrick on
the white cross of st. Andrew would
have obliterated the latter, and vice
versa Therefore it was decided to
make the white broader on one side
of the red than the other. This
$ breaks the continuity of direction OF
the arms of St Patrick's cross, but
:. permits the Irish and Scottish crosses
to be distinguished from one another
Frances Familiar Tricolor.
The familiar and inspiring tricolor
of France dates from the year that
gave the United States its Constitu-
: tion-17S9. The best auth critics are
9 doubtful as to the true story OF its
+ origin. but there are three principal
theories as to the derivation of its
com bination of colors The first OF
these, and the most authentic, is that
fter the taking of the Bastille, when
Lafayette had been appointed by ac-
clamation commander in chief of the
National Guard, he devised for the
Guard a new cockade made of the
white of the royal family and of the
colors of Paris time out Of mind,
which were and continue to be red
and blue. From this stockade, most
. historians believe, came the French
national flag. Another version links
the tricolor with the three historic
flags of France--the blue of the
Chape de Martin, the red of the orr
famine, and the white of the Bour-
bons The third account of the tri-
color's origin is that it is copied from
the shield of the Orleans family, as it
appeared after Philippe Egalite
knocked off the f1eur de lis. During
the first and second empires the tri-
color became the imperial standard,
but in the center of the white stripe
was placed the eagle, while all three
stripes were richly powdered with the
golden bees of the Napoleon family
Italy's Emblem.
When Napoleon made the north
ern provinces of Italy into king
lao, IL, 1SO5 he gave If a flag of