323. Maine's present flag dates from the 

 year 1909. It consists of a field of blue, the 

 same color as the blue field in the flag of the 

 United States, the flag being five feet six inches 

 long and four feet four inches wide. In the 

 center there is embroidered in silk on both 

 sides the coat-of-arms of the State, in propor- 

 tionate size. The edges of the flag are trimmed 

 with modern fringe of yellow silk two and a 

 half inches wide. A cord and tassel, to be 

 attached to the staff at the spearhead, is eight 

 feet six inches long and composed of white 

 and blue strands. The length of the staff is 

 nine feet, including the brass spearhead and 

 ferrule. The laws protecting the State flag are 

 the same as those protecting the national flag. 

 Any one who uses it for purposes of adver- 

 tisement or who mutilates, tramples, or other- 

 wise defaces or defiles it, whether public or 

 private property, shall be punished by a fine of 

 not less than five nor more than fifty dollars. 



324. Missouri formally adopted an official 

 flag in 1913. It is rectangular in shape, the 

 vertical width being seven-twelfths the hori- 

 zontal length. The field consists of one red, 

 one white, and one blue horizontal stripe of 

 equal width, the red at the top and the blue at 

 the bottom. In the center there is a band of 

 blue in the form of a circle inclosing the coat- 

 of-arms in the colors established by law. The 

 width of the blue band is one-fourteenth the 

 vertical width of the flag, and the diameter of 

 the circle is one-third the horizontal length of 

 the flag. In the blue band there are set at 

 equal distances from each other twenty- four 

 five-pointed stars. Within the circle on a ground 

 of white is the coat-of-arms of the State. The 

 sinister (left) half of the circular shield shows 

 the American eagle as it appears upon the 

 great seal of the United States. The upper 

 dexter (right) quarter is blue, with a white 

 crescent. The lower dexter quarter is red, 

 with a grizzly bear. It is supported by two 

 grizzly bears. 



325. Arkansas as early as 1876 used an of- 

 ficial State flag- at the Centennial Exposition 

 in Philadelphia. This was a red field bearing 

 the arms of the State. But this design was 

 never recognized by the legislature. Instead, 

 in 1913, a committee, of which the Secretary 

 of State was chairman, examined a number of 

 designs and selected one for the emblem of the 

 Commonwealth. This the General Assembly 

 adopted by concurrent resolution, approved 

 February 26, 1913. It consists of a red field 

 upon which is imposed a blue-bordered white 

 diamond bearing the word "Arkansas" and 

 three five-pointed 'stars, in blue. On the blue 

 border of the diamond are twenty-five five- 

 pointed white stars, which proclaim the fact 

 that Arkansas was the twenty-fifth State to be- 

 come a part of the American Union. 



326. Michigan's present flag dates from 

 191 1, when an act was passed to adopt and pre- 

 scribe the design of the coat-of-arms and a 

 State flag, and their use, and also to prohibit 

 their desecration in any way. The law pro- 

 vides that the flag of the State shall be blue, 

 with the coat - of - arms superimposed on the 

 center. The coat-of-arms consists of the de- 

 vice and inscription of the great seal of- the 

 State presented by Lewis Cass through the con- 



stitutional convention held preliminary to its 

 admission into the Union. Only the words 

 "The Great Seal of the State of Michigan, 

 A. D. 1835," are omitted. The coat-of-arms 

 consists principally of a shield with the device 

 "Tuebor" (I will defend), supported by an elk 

 and a moose, rampant. An American eagle 

 with wings outstretched forms the crest. On 

 the lower part of the shield is a rising sun and 

 a man, dressed in rustic garb, standing on a 

 peninsula, his right arm raised and his left 

 resting on a gun stock. On an unending scroll 

 below appears the motto, "Si quaeris peninsu- 

 lam, amoenam, circumspice" (If thou seekest 

 a beautiful peninsula, look around). 



327. Florida has had several State flags, but 

 the present one dates from 1899. In that year 

 the Florida Legislature adopted a joint reso- 

 lution providing that the dimensions of the flag 

 should be three-fourths as wide as long, and 

 that in the center of the field should be placed 

 the seal of the State, its diameter to be one- 

 third the length of the flag and its ground to 

 be white. Red bars with the width one-eighth 

 the length of the flag extending from each 

 corner toward the center to the outer rim of 

 the seal. In the seal appears a view of the 

 sun's rays, a highland in the distance, a cocoa- 

 nut tree, a steamboat on water, and an Indian 

 woman scattering flowers in the foreground. 

 The words "In God We Trust" appear on the 

 inner rim of the device. Florida's seal was 

 adopted by the Constitutional Convention of 

 1868 and has been ratified by succeeding con- 

 ventions. 



328. Texas. — The lone star flag of Texas 

 dates from the days of the Republic. The 

 third Congress of the embryo nation fixed its 

 design, which has never been altered. It con- 

 sists of a blue perpendicular bar next to the 

 staff, one-third the length of the flag, with a 

 star of five points in the center. The other 

 two-thirds of the flag is made up of two hori- 

 zontal bars, of equal width, one white and the 

 other red, the white at the top. Some years 

 ago a hoodlum committed an act of desecration 

 against the flag, which was roundly punished 

 by a native Texan. The State legislature was 

 so pleased with the performance that it passed 

 a special act commending the man who had 

 thrashed the offender. 



329. Iowa is the latest recruit to the list of 

 States having an officially adopted flag. On 

 May 11, 1917, the State Regent of the Daugh- 

 ters of American Revolution submitted a de- 

 sign to the War Council of Iowa, which 

 promptly approved it. The design was copy- 

 righted and the committee having charge of its 

 preparation was extended a vote of thanks by 

 the Council. The flag as adopted consists of 

 a field of white, on the upper half of which is 

 an eagle in natural colors in flight, carrying in 

 its beak a long pennant upon which appear the 

 Avords "Our Liberties We Prize And Our 

 Rights We Will Maintain." Below this pen- 

 nant appears in large block type the word 

 Iozva. The national colors are preserved, the 

 field being white, the lettering of the motto 

 blue, and the word Iowa red. The flag will be 

 of regulation size and form, and copies of it 

 are to be widely distributed by the Daughters of 

 the American Revolution throughout the State. 



333 



