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Show C? OUR FLAG. fc tab. On history's crimson feS& K pages, high up on tho f R . roll of fame, Hte K Tho story of Old Glory r 1 burns, in deathless to words or name. K It Is the old rod. white " and blue, proud em Rg& hlcm of tho free, fe It Is the Mag that floats V HR abovo our land of lib- Js LfcT "' M B Bcnjaii.ln-Sutton, f Tho "Star-Spangled Banner" Is generally gen-erally taken for granted. One seldom ,-, hoars Its why and whero- X foro culled In question. With its every display In Hl city nnd hamlet, on tur- Mk ret nnd hall, comes a lit- BM tie discussion ns to Its HH history and development. N& It trnnsplrcs thnt tho MEL American flag is, llko tho PESH humnn speclos, n thing HfjfifV of evolution. This Is so, LMlI 'Indeed, with tho Insignia JyAv of most countries, not-B not-B ably of Englnnd, whoso kMnfm flng hegnn with old King FmN Egbert's dragon upon K1m which was Incorporated HEJJmt&K tho threo Norman lions mK ot w,I,mm tno Conqueror. mVl When Edward 111. as-IlN as-IlN plred to the crown of &J Franco ho added tho Wj lleur-de-llB. James 1. dl 1 ponscd with both and L adopted St. George's cross and ilnnlly In 1801 B tho "Lion and tho Unl- corn" began their lonjt 1 fight for tho crown, 1 which hns since contln- nod on canvas, in every I latitude of tho world. 8 Tho colonies, of courso, lived under tho British ling. In 1080 the ling or New England was white, charged with St. George's cross In red surmounted with tho crown. In tho center was Inscribed JncobUB Rox, Whllo Manhattan was In possosslon oi tho Dutch tho ships waved a flag on which was a beaver, tho then lnslgnlu of tho New Netherlands. 1707 the colonies adopted the Union Jack ot Great Britain. This was formed by n combination of St. Andrew's and St. George's crosses, and of course was typical of tho fact thut tho two countries coun-tries had become ono whon Qudon Elizabeth died nnd tho Scottish king succeeded to -the English throne. At the lime of our revolt from British Brit-ish authority tho Union Jack was In genornl uso, usually bearing some patriotic motto of which "Liberty nnd Union" was tho favorite. Directly after aft-er the buttle of Lexington a now ling was improvised with tho motto of tho state of Connecticut, viz., "Qui trans-tullt trans-tullt sustlnet." This soon gave way to rcglmentul colors, ench being distinctive dis-tinctive in shado. At Bunkor Hill a hluo (lag was chosen to deslgnute Now England troops tho first sign wo seo of union in the colonial army. This (lag had St. Gcorgo's cross In ono corner.. It was growing' beautifully less within our limits and soon nftor-wards nftor-wards disappeared when Gen. Put num displayed a red banner on Prospect Pros-pect hill with the motto "An Appeal to Heaven." Tho colony of Massachusetts Massa-chusetts sent out cruisers In tho spring, supplying each with a whllo flag on which was painted a green pine tree. Whon nrmod vessels wore commissioned In Washington they wero furnished with Hags of similar kind. To Col. William Moultrlo of South Carolina is due the honor of raising tho llrst republican Hag. It had a whito croscont on a hluo ground. This was unfurled on tho east bastion of the fortress In Charleston harbor. Juno 14, 1777, tho Continental con gross, realizing tho Inapproprlatonees of longer using British colors, resolved "that tho (lag of tho 13 United Stutes bo 13 stripes, altornato rod and whlto; thnt the union bo 13 Btars, whlto In u blue flold, representing a new con-stollntlon." con-stollntlon." Tho 13 stars of tho ling of 1777 wore arranged In a circle, although thoro was no officially prescribed form. In 1701, after tho admission of Vormont and Kentucky into the union, It was resolved by congross that from and after May 1, 1795, "tho (lag of tho United States bo 15 stripes alternate red and white, that tho union be 15 stars, whlto, in a blue field." No provision was niado by this act for future alterations, nor woro any ohnnges made till 1818, 'although a number of now states wero admitted meanwhile Into tho union. On April 4 of that yoar a bill embodying tho suggestions of Cupt. Samuol G. Rold, who reeommondod tho reduction of the stripes to tho original 13 and tho adoption of stars equal to tho number of tho statos, formed Into ono lnrgo star, and a new star to bo added on tho Fourth of July next succeeding tho admission of oaoh now state, was np-provod np-provod by President Monroe, and tho , (lag thus established was uftorwnrd hoisted on tho ball of representatives r . 4 |