It is not generally known that the tassels which are pendent customarily from the upper part of banners and standards, and the fringe which surrounds them are relics of the practice of observing sacred emblems. They originated in pagan devices and the garments of priests and were consecrated to specific forms of worship.

Sacred history is full of instances of the consecration of tassels and peculiar fringes to special sacerdotal uses. Blue was early the emblem of purity and innocence and that fact accounts for the predominance of that color in the ecclesiastical badges of these early times. When the use of the tassels passed into profane customs, they were used as ornaments for national standards and for royal girdles, and it was not infrequent that they were first blessed by the priests. It has followed naturally that this use has continued up to the present time, although now it is retained probably because of the artistic effect of the swinging pendants.

THE LINCOLN FLAG.

The flag in the White House which formerly hung in the center of the largest window in the east room, has a unique history.

It is woven of silk in one piece without a seam. There are gold stars in the field and among them are seen the words in French, “Popular subscription to the Republic of the United States, offered in memory of Abraham Lincoln. Lyons, 1865.”

STATE FLAGS.

As the colonies had their flags of different kinds so the states one by one adopted special flags and nearly all the states of the Union now have a state flag or regimental color. In some states this emblem is established by law, in other states by the military department or the governor. There are a few states in which this special flag is covered with particular devices chosen by the caprice of the donor or the officials by whom the flag was authorized, but in all these cases, the state arms form a part of the emblazonment. There is a general feeling, however, that these special states flags should have no legal recognition, and that the only flag to be thus recognized should be the Stars and Stripes.

ORIGIN OF THE FLAG OF TRUCE.

It is interesting to know how and why the little white flag which is always looked upon with breathless interest in the emergencies that call it forth, first came to be used.

When carried by the lone soldier on horse or on foot between the armies it has a significance that is always respected, and on the sea the hoisting of this flag at the ship’s mast or the carrying of the flag of white by boat to the enemy stops the firing of the guns. The custom originated in the church in the tenth or eleventh century.

Curiously enough while it is the only flag that is to-day used by all nations of the earth alike, no regularly made flag of truce is found in the flag lockers of nations. It is improvised when the emergency arises for its use. In the late war with Spain, such flags of truce as were used were made of blankets, sheets, table cloths. It is a flag that commands the enemy’s respect. An account of the origin of the flag of truce lately published, is as follows:

“La peace et la treve de Dieu” (The peace and the truce of God) was an agreement between the turbulent barons and the church, as severe injury and loss was most frequently the result of the private warfares which constantly raged.

To protect itself, but more especially to preserve justice and moral order, the church established a system which has exercised a beneficent influence down to this day.

The agreement stipulated a cessation of hostilities on certain festivities and saint’s days, and from Saturday to Monday. The barons and warrior class pledged during the time of war to extend full protection to women, pilgrims, priests, monks, travelers, merchants and agriculturists; to abstain from the destruction or injury of farm implements, the burning of crops, and the killing of live stock of the peasants. Penalties in violation of this agreement comprised money fines, bafflings, banishment, and excommunication.

Originating in the south of France this system was soon adopted through the whole of France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and England, and in 1095 Pope Urban II. proclaimed its universal extension throughout Christendom.

In time the Crown assumed this protective power, and the phrase was changed to “La paix et la treve du Roi,” or “The peace and truce of the king.” The republics recognized the time-honored institution, and the simple unfolding of a white cloth will instantly cause a cessation of hostilities. The adoption of a white emblem appears to be lost in tradition, as authorities do not reveal it. Doubtless it is similar, or may have arisen through a belief in the white Samite which shielded the Holy Grail from the gaze of unbelievers. Emblematic of purity, associated with the mythical knights of the Round Table, and used in the Crusades, it is probable that this sacred truce flag may have originated from the Samite of the Holy Grail.

At the present time, if presented during an engagement firing is not required to cease; nor, if the bearer be killed or wounded, is there ground for complaint. The truce emblem can be retained if admitted, during an engagement. Penalties are incurred if the truce emblem be wrongfully used, the severest being the ignominious death of a spy.

The following was written at the tomb of Washington in 1833 by Dr. Andrew Reed, English philanthropist: