Evening star., 1928-06-14
Our Flag and Flag Day
BY 4. w. DAVIDSON.

and justice for ALL"
What glorious picture to visualize.
that of the boys alld girls who on this
14th day of June will pledge allegiance
to the flag of their country!
Flag day may be said to have orig
mated with the action OF the Governor
Of New York in issuing q proclamation
directing that the 14th of June, 1907,
be observed by flying the flag from the
state buildings and recommending that
1t be similarly flown from the homes of
the people. Philadelphia in the same
year also began the celebration Of this
day.
Four years later, on June IA, 1901, the
District of Columbia, In response to
popular demand, held appropriate exer-
cises at the New National Theater and
Joined in the celebration OF Flag day.
1t was In the Fall of ITS that the
Colonial Congress, then in session In
Philadelphia, appointed a committee of
three, of which Benjamin Franklin was
one, to consider and recommend a de-
sign for a colonial fag. The committee
met in conference with Gen. Washing
ton, then In camp at Cambridge, Mass.
The outcome Of this conference was a
flag, the field Of which was 13 red and
white stripes, with tte union flag Of
England for union.
December 13, TITS, witnessed the
presentation, consideration and approval
Of the only official flag of the CO.
operating American Colonies and adopt
ed by Gen. Washington as the general
flag and recognized standard of the
Colonial Army and Navy.
At Cambridge on June 2, 1776. in the
nf tho y,1ilit af1d tho
mentioned committee Of three, Gen.
Washington himself hoisted the newly
accepted banner upon a towering and
| specially raised pine tree pole.
There was, however, no generally
recognized colonial standard of the mill
| tary forces on land or the naval vessels
at sea. as evidenced by the frequent use
of many different flags, even after the
| Declaration of independence. This Is
| confirmed by many official and private
letters of Army and Navy officers dur
ing ITS and 1776. in which they de-
scribe the colors they carried on cer-
| tain occasions.
| A change was made in the flag or
| June IA, l777. Congress on that date
resolved that the flag of the United
| States should be the same 13 stripes
| alternate red and white, but with II
| ~~AN
union flag of England.
| On January 13, 1894, the nag wa:
again altered by act of Congress TO Is
red and white stripes and Is stars. AT
| first a new stripe and new star were
added for each new State, but soon II
was realized that the flag would grow
! too large and become unwieldy.
| On April 4, 1918, Congress agar
| altered the flag by returning to th'
/ original Is stripes, to represent tht
original 13 colonies, and provided thai
a new star be added to the field when 6
new State was admitted to the Union
The new star Is always added on July
following the admission of each State
| into the Union. This standard wa
| displayed over the House OF Representa-
tives April IA, on'' 10 days after the
approval of tn act.
Since the year 1918 the original /;
| stripes have been retained--seven rec
| ana six white. At present there are Al
| tive-point stars on the field Of blue
with one point upward, arranged in siS
horizontal and eight vertical rows.
| It is historically stated that the frs
| American flag was made at Philadelphia
| by Betsy Ross. After the Continental
Congress had decided on the design ot
| the flag committee, c .nprising Georgt
Washington, Robert Morris and Georgt
Ross. called upon Mrs. Ross and re-
quested her to undertake the making
! of the flag. She accepted, an, 1t wa:
| she who suggested that the five-pointec
star be used instead - the six-pointec
one. Mrs. Ross afterward received tht
contract to make all Government flags
and her daughter. Mrs. Clartssa Wilson
| continued to do so until 1857. The
house Of Betsy Ross has been cony .rtec
into the American Flag House" by thu
Betsy Ross Memorial Association.
The following Interpretation of th'
far at the time Of its adoption Is giver
| in an interesting book by Robert Aller
| Campbell, entitled "Our Flag:
| "Colors--Red signifies war. II neces
| sary; white, arbitration, intelligence
| justice; blue, industry and economy.
Thirteen stripes These suggest thl
l3 colonies. united In npe Nation fol
common defense and mutual assistance
THE blue field-This represents thu
overarching sky. In which the IS star;
form a new and glorious and perma'
nent constellation"
| y X X
| It Is far crv back to the flat
brought from Englan1 by the colonist:
to America. This flag was termed ths
| Great Union Flag Of Great Britain.
and was the union Of the three crosses
Of st. George, St. Andrew and st. Pat
rick. which marked first the union OF
England and Scotland into the King
dom of Great Britain. and then Of tina;
kingdom with Ireland.
| 1t is of record that the colonies, wher
they began to feel the pressure oi
British rule, place upon their banner q
| rattlesnake, cut In 3 pieces, represent
ing the 13 coloni :" To this bannel
they added motto. Join or Die
| When the colonies became more united
In their purpose OF resistance TO British
rule they placed upon their flag vel
| formed rattlesnake in the attitude ol
about to strike. and the motto "Don't
| Tread on Me-"
In the early New England days the
| Puritans objected strongly to the rec
cross of st. George on their flag. This
| flag. white, with a rectangular rec
cross extending across tbs entire length
OF the banner, was the British standard
used by the Cabots and other English
navigators, and was thought TO be the
first, and during the sixteenth century
almost the only. flag planted In any
part of the territory which Is now the
United States.
The Puritans did not object to this
cross from disloyalty To the mother
country. but from conscientious objec-
ton to what they deemed an idolatrouS
symbol. In those early stages OF the
Revolution each State adopted flag of
It's own. Among them Massachusetts
flag bore a pine tree; New York's. a
white flag with black beaver: South
Carolina's. a rattlesnake. and Rhode Is
lands, white flag with a blue anchor
upon 1t.
| n " n
Could any more beautiful tribute be
paid TO the Stars and Stripes than that
OF Senator George +. Hoar many years
ago:
II have seen the glories of art and
architecture and OF mountain and river; (;
have seen the sun set on Jungfrau