Rome Free Academy - De O Wain Sta Yearbook (Rome, NY)

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THE SENIOR ANNUAL 31 D. A. R. ESSAY Our Flag, Its History and What It Stands For. ‘ee the colonies of America were still a part of England, their na- tional flag was the British ensign, but when the rebellion against the oppres- of the the colonies adopted flags of their own. But many were unwilling to give up their English flag entirely and they modified it in many ways to suit their own uses. Thus, the flag that the soldiers bore at Bunker Hill was blue with the cross of St. George on a white field and a pine tree in the upper left-hand corner. other early flags were: The pine tree flag of the navy, white, with a pine tree and above it the motto, “‘An appeal to Heav- en; and the rattlesnake flag of South Carolina, yellow, with a rattlesnake with thirteen rattles, coiled and above it the threatening “Don’t Tread On Me.” ‘These were but temporary standards, and with the desire sion mother country arose, Two ready to strike words, for independence came the necessity for an emblem representing the colonies asa whole. This need was felt especially in the navy, for a ship sailing without a flag was liable to capture as a pirate ship. The first truly American flag was the Continental Union flag, or ‘‘the flag of the thirteen stripes,” raised at the Conti- nental camp at Cambridge to celebrate New Year’s Day, 1776. It consisted of thirteen alternate red and white stripes with the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew in the union. flag to receive a This was the first foreign salute. On November 16, 1776, Captain Robinson of the “‘Andrea Doria” saluted the Dutch flag on the Island of St. Eustatius, and DeGraaff, the commander of the fort, re- turned the salute with thirteen guns, for which act, on complaint of Great Britain, he was recalled from command. On June 14, 1777, Congress passed the following resolution: ‘‘That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” This resolution shows the conception our The word “States,” used almost for the first forefathers had of their country. time, implied that the colonies were no longer independent, but united under one government. ‘The the flag itself as a symbol, of national sov- central idea of ereignty, implies their right to enter as body the family of nations. time after this resolution was a political A short passed the flag was officially presented to This was the birth of our national flag, our Stars and Stripes. John Paul Jones. There are several theories about the ori- gin of its form. Some claim tha: it was suggested by the coat-of-arms of Wash- ington, which bears stars and stripes. Another theory is, that the idea was taken from the constellation Lyra which, in the hand of Orpheus, signifies har- mony, that the blue in the field taken from the edges of the Scottish cov- enanter’s banner representing the league was covenant of the United States against oppression, and that the stripes were a blending of the red flags of the army with the white flags of the navy. How- ever that know that Washington and a committee of Congress may be, we all called on Miss Betsy Ross, of Arch stree’, Philadelphia, to ask her aid in planning a flag. She looked at the rough sketch they had brought and made several prac- tical suggestions which were later carried And this flag of our nation, young as this nation is beside other nations, is out. older than the present banners of Groat Britain, Spain, Germany, which have all been adopted since 1800. ) = France or

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THE SENIOR ANNUAL R. F. A. Orchestra A lee: musical organization, known as the Rome Free Academy Orchestra, is the commendable result of a worthy effort on the part of a number of enter- prising students who believe in keeping up the good name of the Rome Free Aca- demy. Organized in 1904, and known as Prof. Barringer’s orchestra, they have pushed aside the barriers until they have won the favor, not only of the student body, but also of the citizens of Rome. At many entertainments they have gra- ciously added to the program well ren- dered which have brought forth merited applause. On the rolls of the orchestra may be found these honor- ary members: Misses Lois Thalman and Helen Williams, Chester Birnie, Leo Willson, Allen Grower, Edward Jones, selections Ray Caddick and Franklin Chapman, the following being the present members: Stuart Gerwig, Harry Hitchcock, How- ard Poole, Cletus Raffauf, Wallace Ross, Harry Turney and Clarence Williams. The orchestra’s first public appearance was at the graduating exercises of the class of 1905, and was drilled by Miss Tucker. Since then it has been under the leadership and capable management of Harry G. Hitchcock. The orchestra owns a large library of music, both classic and popular, and at many school rhetoricals they have’gratuitously graced the program with pleasing results to themselves and to the elocution teachers. Thus endeth this brief history, and that the orchestra may have continued success is the sincere wish of its many friends.

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32 Tur SENIOR ANNUAL It was John Paul Jones, our great naval hero, who first raised this national emblem on a naval vessel, and the Stars and Stripes of his ship received their first foreign salute by a French fleet un- der Piquet in Quiberon Bay, February 14, 1778. But it is our own Fort Stanwix which has the honor to have raised the Stars and Stripes in victory for the first time. It was on the memorable August 6, 1777, after the battle of Oriskany, when Old Glory first floated triumphant- ly in the breeze over five captured British standards above Fort Stanwix. It wasa rude flag, hastily constructed out of an old army pieces of red flannel, but it cheered and gladdened the exulting hearts of the lit- coat, a white shirt and some tle garrison as no flag of silk and satin ever could. What did that flag mean to those brave hearts in that little fort in the wilder- against over- life protection against the tomahawk of the Indian the British; it was the reward of unceasing watchful- ness ? It meant victory whelming odds; it meant and and the guns of ness, unswerving courage, days of toil and nights of terror. What does the flag mean to us in this day of peace and prosperity? As it floats above us, shimmering in the sunlight, What does it stand Why do our hearts beat quickly and our eyes grow what does it tell us? for, this emblem of ours? dim as we gaze upon its shining folds? It is because it represents all that we are thankful that that we hope for in this great country of that our for, all we love and all ours. It stands for so much voices catch as we try to express our feelings in words. In the first place it is a memorial of the valorous deeds, the bright hopes and the noble purposes of our forefathers. It reminds us of Bunker Hill, Valley Forge and Yorktown. All the struggles of the thirteen little colonies fighting side by side for liberty, are represented in the The stars red and white constellation” of thirteen stripes. “new thirteen shows the hope that the new-born nation would become a great country, and the addition of a new star for each state ex- presses expansion and prosperity. The colors in the flag are representa- the tors and express the great principles of tive of noble purposes of our ances- our nation ‘With its red for love and its white for law and its blue fer the hopes that our fathers saw of a large | berty.” The red expresses valor, courage, patri- otism, a love of country. And patriot- ism means not only to be willing to die for one’s country, but to live for one’s the a patriot should live. country, courage to live as The white stands for purity, the pure foundations of our the truth, loyalty, justice and education. And not try these great principles of our forefathers, government, and blue stands for should we to carry out expressed in the very banner of our land? Written upon it in symbols are the words “Liberty, Fraternity and as we widen our boundaries until the sun Union,” and, never sets upon our dominions, our flag should carry with it, not only love of country, but purity of government and In the heart of every one of the call the Stars and Stripes their own, should be the deter- justice. many millions who mination to live up to all that it repre- sents, to be worthy of Old Glory. Our flag has never been unfurled in an Our Our cause. flag has never defeat. the Barbary pirates who had resisted all other nations. Our flag taught England interfere with our commerce in of 1812. Our flag, when the di vided ignoble known flag subdued not to the nation its principle of freedom, and when, af- ter a bitter struggle, it had triumphed, war against itself, stood by