The Winslow mail., 1925-06-12
SUNDAY is FLAG DAY.

years ago on that date the Cont
mental Congress of the United
States adopted a resolution creating
the red, white and blue flag the
official emblem of the nation.
Appropriate patriotic services
will be held all over the United
States commemorating the ami
versary. The Elks Lodge will, as
in years past, hold solemn cere-
mony in honor of the flag.
The Order of Elks is, SO far as
we have been able to ascertain, the
only fraternal organization which
has adopted the observance of Flag
Day as an obligatory ceremony on
the part of it's subordinate lodges
throughout the country. Every
lodge is required, under the grand
lodge law, to hold Flag Day exer-
cises, using a special ritual, a very
beautiful ritual, created for that
purpose. The Elks Flag Day cere-
mony was designed to be public
function, intended to stimulate in
terest in and knowledge of our
flag, its history and that Of the
making of America.
The national banner, of which
our present flag is direct descend
ant, was designed in response to a
general demand for an emblem
more specifically representative of
our own country than the Grand
Union flag, which bore the distinc
lively British crosses of st. George
and st. Andrew. The Continental
Congress, on June IA, 1777, formally
adopted a resolution:
"That the flag of the United
States shall be thirteen stripes,
alternating red and white, and
that the union be thirteen stars,
white on a blue field, repre-
senting a new constellation.
while the fact has never been
automatically established" we
quote from the Elks Flag Day rir-
ual, sit is generally conceded that
the first flag of this design was
made by Betsy Ross, of Philadel
phia. 1t is also generally believed
that George Washington, as COM
mitteeman, submitted the design tc
her, and that it was upon her sug
gestion that the satrs were made OF
five points, as in France, instead of
six, as in England"
Although the exact details as to
the making of the first flag of the
Stars and Stripes pattern may new
er be fully authenticated, it is
known that the design was adopted
on June IA, 1777. In 1877, one hun
dred years after the birth of the
flag, the federal government, in
Washington, and the governments
of many cities, celebrated the cen
tenary with appropriate exercises.
1t is possible that June IA was eel
ebrated again here and there be-
fore Flag Day was ever spoken of
as such, but it is generally believed
that the first effort was made by
IT.. Ci~rarJ 1909
DR.. Cigrand, then school teach
er in Fredonia, Wis, and writer
of books and articles on the history
of the flag, called attention to the
significance of June IA in an article
in the Chicago Argus. At that
time he also caused his pupils to
write essays on the theme-a fore
runner of the Flag Day essay con-
tests which are today so generally
sponsored by Elks lodges all over
the country. DR.. Cigrands enthusi
asm, coupled with that of other
interested persons, notably LIE Roy
van q S1N1A wal NSIS1 OH VI
Chicago, resulted in 1894 in the
formation of the American Flag
Day association. This was an Hi
nois organization which later
formed the nucleus of the National
Flag Day Society, the object Of
which was to promote the celebra-
ton of Flag Day nationally on
June IA every year The custom of
observing the anniversary of the
birth of the flag became widespread
and received the support of five
presidents of the United States It
was not until 1916, however, that
it was recognized by official action.
In that wear President Wilson
issued on May 81 the following
proclamation, calling for national
observance of the day:
my Fellow Countrymen:
Many circumstances have
recently conspired to turn our