Whenever the Speaker of the House of Rep resentatives or the Vice-President of the United States, presiding officer of the Senate, call these legislative bodies to order the American flag is hoisted above their halls, as a sign that these bodies are in session. Upon the adjournment of either, their respective flags are lowered.
The National salute to the flag requires one gun for every star.
According to naval regulations on the Poto mac River, on all vessels passing the tomb of Vashington, the •flag is lowered to half mast, nd the bugler sounds taps, guards present, of Leers salute.
Few people seem to comprehend the exact taline and subordinaries of the shield of the Jnited States. Stores with their profuse deco ations at holiday times never have it correct :nd store windows can and should be made !ducational. Our shield does not contain Stars. :t is a blue chief (on top) and the pales or tripes below are red and white; but these 13 >ales are seven white and six red, while on he flag there are seven red and six white tripes.
The only emblem which is permitted above iur flag is the sign of the cross and this only luring community, army, navy or congrega ional prayer; and in the midst of devotional iervice. Every battleship carries this Christian lag and the new regulation demands that this 'White Pennant with blue Cross," float above he Stars and Stripes for one hour every Sun day — and placed at stern. The navy and marine bands at this religious function play 'Onward Christian Soldiers," closing with the national anthem.
Tassels, which are often pendent from tip of flagstaff, come to us from ancient times and are symbolizers that the banner is of sacred history. To those flags which had been in actual battle and had returned with victory or under which great heroism was the authorities in public ceremonials often at tach the tassels as marks of distinction. In modern times the tassel has less important significance, though tassels should be granted to flags which are in actual army or navy service or have had or will have a memorable career. The same is true of the fringe on flags. It, too, had a similar distinguishing meaning.
While we frequently speak and write of our tricolor, strictly it is but a bicolor, as white is argent. and supposed to represent silver in heraldry. The blue in our chief is of highest tincture, considered the superlative, and hence neither in the flag nor shield should it be at the bottom or hung upside down. Hence, in streamer cloth decorations, the blue should be at top, the white next, the red below. And when the blue bunting or streamers contain stars, the blue with the stars belong at the zenith or top.
This same blue °streamer bunting" is often used to decorate vehicles and the commonest sight is to see it bound or wound about the spokes and even the tires; this is emphatically unpatriotic as at every revolution of the wheels the colors are crushed through the dirt and dust. Decorate the machines, wagons, buggies
and carriages, but in a manner that will pro tect the national tints from being dragged through the mud or slopped in any soiling material. When you wear the flag as an em blem on your coat, waist or shirt, see to it that no other token is pinned above the flag, other wise it will show one of two things, either you have purposely disregarded the flag or that you are ignorant of heraldic or patriotic usages.
The stars on flags are often misplaced and too often are put on upside down. A star to be right must have one point directed to the zenith. Even when stars are in a circle every star must have one point to zenith. Expensive flags sometimes have the stars in gold; this is wrong, our stars are always white, or in heraldic langauge, argent or silver.
Whence the Name of "Old the outbreak of the Civil War, there lived a man at Nashville, Tenn., who in his eagerness to preserve an American flag, which had been presented to him for a brave act while in the navy, had it safely concealed in a bedquilt. To his family and trustworthy Federal friends he said: "The north will save the Union, and I will yet see my old flag— 'Old Glory'— floating from the flagstaff of the State house of this city." His prediction came true, for when General Buell captured the town this same old faithful patriot, Stephen Driver, took his flag from its hiding place, brought it to the Federal general and it was hoisted on the staff of the capitol building of Tennessee, while the old man shouted to the happy throng: °There once again floats Old Glory." The Department of Justice has issued a warning against the desecration of the Ameri can flag by aliens, in the following words: " Any alien enemy tearing down, mutilating, abusing or desecrating the United States flag in any way will be regarded as a danger to the public peace or safety within the of regulation 12 of the proclamation of the President, 6 April 1917, and will be subject to summary arrest and punishment." In the meaning of the Federal law regarding the use of flags in connection with trade-marks it has been determined that the flag must not be used in connection with advertising matter of any kind. This applies equally to the coat-of arms of the United States (see GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES). It does not, however, apply to the use of the colors, red, white and blue, concerning which there are no statutes.