Milford chronicle., 1932-06-10
THE AMERICAN FLAG

Will q ds
the nation celebrates the Two Hun
dredth Anniversary of the Birth ol
George Washington. For to General
Washington, tradition credits a lead
ing part in the very designing of the
flag, and what he did to give il
meaning is and will be known Ia
every American as long as our
country lives.
On June IA, 1777, Congress resol-
we'd: "That the flag of the thirteen
United States be thirteen stripes, al
ternate red and white, that the I'm
ion be thirteen stars, white in a
blue field. representing a new con-
stellation." ...s-
In these simple words, authority
was given to General Washington to
design the flag, and on the same day
tradition has it that he went to the
house of Betsy Ross on that visit
which has become one of the finest
pages of American folklore. With
him, according to the account, went
Robert Morris and George Ross, one
of the Signers of the Declaration of
Independence and the uncle of Bet
sy Ross deceased husband
On entering her modest house in
Arch street, Philadelphia, they are
! said to have found Mistress Ross
busy at her needlewOrk and hum
ming a tme-softly, however, so
| that she might hear the tinkle of
the bell on the door of her shop at
the front of the house-and General,
Washington thus simply stated his
! errand.
Mistress Ross. we nave come to
ask you to help in making a flag for
our country We do not feel pleas
ed with the grand union flag be-
cause of the Kings colOrs in the
canton, so we have planned an
other"
The grand union" flag referred
to by Washington was the one lie
himself had designed and first flung
to the breeze ON January l, 1916,
during his siege of Boston. This
was at time when the Revolution
lists still felt they were fighting, not
the British king, but his ministers;
hence WashingtOn's flag consisted
OF the thirteen alternate red and
white stripes, but bore in its can
ton the kings crosses OF ST. George |
and st. Anthony. By 1777 the ReVO-
lutiOnists were fighting solely for
an American nation, and they want :
ed an American flag. aI /
Mrs. Ross. it is said, undertook |
the making of the tias eagerly, snd |
with an exalted sense of the unus-
ual honor conferred upon her. Not
only that, she even suggested TO :
Washington a slight correction in
the design, which bore six-pointed
stars instead of the five-pointed
type of heraldry. With snip of her
scissors she cut folded paper and
held forth a perfect fiVe-pninted
star to show what she meant. For
few minutes longer the design was
discussed, and as quickly as nimble
fingers could execute the task, Mrs.
Ross had the flag in being.
So, in this hOmely fashion which
so well suits the American spirit,
was born the emblem designed by
Washington, coming almost like
direct gift from him, TO fly ever
since over the nation that he also
designed. Today, every American is
to ponder on the stupen-
dous human events and influences
that have flowed from this simple
incident at the house of Betsy Ross
a century and a half ago.
When that flag was designed and
made there was not a true Republic
in existence. Since then the princi-
Piles set in motion by George Wash
ingtOn and his fellow patriots have
extended themselves to the utter =
most parts of the earth. More than
an emblem of sovereignty, the flag 1
hat Washington planned has been
a symbol of human freedom, of
equal opportunity, and political
liberty wherever mankind has
sought and fought for these things. !
Flags have flown for the vanity =
If kings. Flags have been hated by
of people, as representing
nothing but conquest and oppres-
lion. Many of the cruelties, preju-
Ices, injustices that men have for
ed on each other have been
wrought under the sanction of some
similar emblem The flag that will =
ly from thousands of masts today,
s the one given us by George
to float as the first
right banner of unstained honor, ]
Ver a people for whom he prepared
great destiny. $
1t drew the early patriots from -
homes, from the secur- ,
Ly of their occupations and. from il
he love of their families, to fight =
or the larger world which we in !
crit What to them was a far ideal /.
; to us the great reality. No good -
.merican will neglect to ask him
elf how well he preserves the cour- +
ge, the spirit of sacrifice belonging -
} those men and women who gave .
s this priceless heritage, on this A
anniversary of the day -
hen their flag was born.
Hardly had the American flag ap- =
cared when it began to play an inn -
Iortal part in our history. 1t first
as flung in the face of the enemy 3
ss than two months after its Gre -
Lion, at Fort StanwiX, on August
1777. 1t was first carried into 10
lttle by George Washington's -
oops at the Battle of the Brandy
inc, September II, .1777. 1t was 81
rst saluted by the British at the -
lrrender of Burgoyne, October II,