Evening star., 1931-12-20
Stars in i. S. Flag
Came From Ocean.
Biologist Declares
Symbols of States Traced
to Origin of Arms of
Washington.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

From the bottom of the sea instead
| OF from the heavens, 1t is probable,
came the stars which represent the
States on the American flag
Such Is the contention of Austin H.
Clark, biologist Of the Smithsonian In
stitution, who will present his evidence
in the form of an exhibit at the meet
ing of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science at New
Orleans during the Christmas holidays
The stars Of the flag, he says. are
not shaped exactly like the stars in the
sky. They are almost perfect repre-
sentations Of segments of the bodies of
certain ancient sea creatures. More
over, the idea Of the flag stars is sup
posed to have been suggested by the
coat Of arms of the Washington family,
and the British Museum catalogue is
authority for the statement that the
designs on this insignia were inspired
by mullets' picked up in the fields of
Northamptonshire England, the an
eestral home of the family of the first
President.
These stars, originally formed at the
bottom of the sea-" MIR. Clark says, lay
buried in the earth for millions of years
before they were first seen by the eve
of man. On the surface Of the soil in
the Midland shires of England there
are often found little flve-sided or star
shaped stones which are beautifully and
intricatety sculpsured on the two fat
sides. Wherever they are found they
always attract attention. Usually they
are regarded, or were in the past, with
superstitious awe as something super
natural. Because of this awe of the
common people they naturally appeared
on the coats Of arms of the important
families IN the regions where they were
found.
In the language Of heralorv these
stars are knCWn a7 'muliets.' Just as
the little star-shaOed stones NAV have
a central hole or be without one. so
the hersldic mullets may be SIMPLE
stars, or stars with a central hole
known as pierced mtllets' The cost OF
arms OF the WaShingtonS is technica lily
described SIS argent, three bar gules, in
chief, three mulletS of the second. In
other words 1t bears three star StcneS.
-
and isolated joints of the long stems
of peculiar creatures called crimoids,
or sea lilies, that live on the bottom
OF the sea. Those in the soil have
come from sea lilies that lived in the
long distant past upon a sea bottom
which now is turned to stone and has
been lifted above the surface Of the
sea. They have been freed from the
rock and separated from each other
by the disintegration OF the rock
through the action of rain, heat and
cold. Because these creatures have an
unusually heavy skeleton they are
readily preserved as fossils and great
numbers of fossil kinds are known.
Usually the most solid portion of the
creature is the stem, which may be
many yards in length. so that crinoid
stems and stem joints are among the
commonest of fossils.
FROM the present seas were known
ABOUT TOO kinds of sea lilies, and many
more remain to be discovered. They
i've In all seas everywhere. from the
tide pools down to depths Of about ga
miles. About 100 kinds keep their
stems throughout life. These have
stems OF various kinds. with joints long
or short. circular, pentagonal or sharp
star-shaped. At present those with
only in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of
Mexico, among the Malayan Islands
and along the coasts of Eastern Asia
IN America star stones are quite un-
common, being known from only few
localities in the West and extreme
Northwest.
The history of the stars on our flag,
which have risen slowly upward from
complete obscurity at the bottom of the
sea to the surface of land and have
then been raised aloft, is curiously par
allel to the history of the great idea of
representative democracy which was
completely suppressed in early times,
then dormant in mems imaginations,
now raised aloft and in full flower
The stars on the flag, DR.. Clark says,
never are referred to in the heraldic Ian
guage as 'mullets," although they have
the exact form of the star stones and
there Is no absolute certainty that the
washington coat Of arms Is the basis Of
the nag design.
Approximately so washington scien-
lists are scheduled on the program of
the. American Association meeting
through the week beginning December
%. Besides Dr. Clarks exhibit there
will be extensive exhibits by the De-
partment of Agriculture and the Car
negie Institution of Washington. Wash
1ngton institutions to be represented by
speakers are the Bureau of Standards,
the Public Health Service. the Smith
sonian Institution, the Brookings In
stitute and George Washington Uni
versity. Among the features of the
scientific sessions will be . symposium
on mental disorders arranged by DIR,
r. A. Mess Of George Washinaton Uni
versity. In which several local speakers