Evening star., 1925-06-07

| Is stars, white in a blue
tion.''
That resolve, passed by the Cont
mental Congress sitting at Philadel
| phia, on Saturday, June IA, 1777,
| authorized and established by statute
| the flag of our Nation Today the
| 14Sth anniversary of that event, brings
to mind the fact that, though America
is comparatively young among the
| family of nations, its flag is one of
the oldest in the world. The existing
Spani flag was not authorized until
| 1885, the French tri-color was first
established in 1894, the present flag
of Great Britain was not decreed until
| 1901, and Italy's flag of today was
first adopted in lS4S.
1t was only about II months after
the Declaration of independence was
| signed that the flag law was passed,
so our ensign, being barely year
younger than the Nation itself, has
| figured prominently in practically all
| the important events of our country $
| history. Countless flags of the same
pattern as the one which flies so
dauntlessly over the length and
breadth of America today have
through their presence in battles. at
ceremonies, and on exploring expedi-
| tions, become prizes of the past well
worth preserving.
They are priceless treasures. Finan-
cially worth little or nothing. their
intrinsic value, engendered by their
associations, is inestimable.
There is the 13-starred flag which
John Paul Jones flew over his ship.
the Bonne Homme Richard, and later
| transferred TO the Alliance, and which
recalls the famous admiral's state.
ment, The flag and I are twins,
when informed that his commission
bore the same date as the flag resolu-
ton. There is the more youthful flag
| which Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary
raised at the North Pole, April g.,
1903. and there is the still more youth
full flag which was displayed at the
| top of the Eiffel Tower. in Paris, on
April %, 1917, and saluted by the
French in celebration of America 8
entrance into the World War on the
side of the allies.
These are but three of the thousands
of memorable banners that are to be
found in museums, State capitols,
| the military and naval academies
and similar public buildings and pri-
yate residences throughout the
country. The Jones, Peary, and Paris
colors were particularly mentioned
because they have an additional claim
| to distinction: they are at present
| housed in the same hall with Ameri-
cas- foremost flag treasure; the bit
! Of bunting that inspired our National
Anthem the original Star Spangled
Banner.
| 1t is in the spacious hall immedi-
| ately inside the main entrance of the
Old Museum Building, less than a
score of yards from the door, that
| the faded and torn remains of the
| flag which Francis Scott Key i'm
mortalized are exhibited.
| In IT'S present state of preservation
| The Star Spangled Banner is 32-feet
| fly by % feet hoist. 1t was made
within Is stripes and an equal num-
Der of stars, but one of the stars is
| entirely gone and a sector of one of
| the stripes is missing. The blue field
upon which the five-pointed stars are
mounted in five indented parallel
| lines of three stars each, takes up
more than a fourth of the entire area
| of the flag. Each of the famous ban
| ner's stripes is nearly two-feet wide,
while the stars measure two-feet
| from point to point. The union rests
in the ninth stripe, red one, diff
| ference from our present flag, in
| which the union rests in the eighth,
which is white. Decay of the bunting
| has resulted in the flag being prac-
4 tlCdly Will iiOlCSy thC "Ditc
| having suffered much more in this
respect than the red and blue.
|
| ORIGINALLY the dimensions OF
~ The Star Spangled Banner may
! have been greater. as it was made
in accordance with the regula tion
| governing all flags worn by our mill
tary and naval forces during the War
of 1872. some of which were 40-feet
In length.
Mrs. UsPtckessgiu=o baltimore