fur traders. But in 1650 the orange stripe on 

 the Netherlands flag became the red stripe of 

 today's banner (775), and with the -withdrawal 

 of the East India Company's interests from 

 New Netherlands this flag disappeared from 

 our waters and shores. 



378. Dutch West India Company. — In 1621 

 the Dutch West India Company was formed 

 and, with other valuable concessions, was given 

 control of the fur trade of the New World by 

 the States General of Holland. Thus this flag 

 became dominant in the waters around New 

 York in 1622, and continued so for forty-two 

 years. The letters G. W. C. are the initials of 

 the company, "Geoctroyeerde West - Indische 

 Compagnie." In 1650 the orange stripe was 

 changed to red in accordance with a similar 

 change in the national flag of Holland. It was 

 not until the conquest of New Netherlands by 

 the English in 1664 that this flag disappeared 

 from our northern shores. 



379. Endicott's Fi,ag. — The red cross of 

 St. George on the English flags was a source 

 of question to the stern religionists of the 

 Massachusetts Colony. John Endicott, with 

 Spartan directness, attempted to settle the 

 matter by cutting out a part of the red cross 

 on the Salem ensign in 1634. This led to long- 

 drawn litigation. Fear of offending the mother 

 country struggled with the seeming idolatry of 

 a cross on a flag. Finally it was decided to 

 "render unto Caesar" his own, and inasmuch 

 as the fort of Castle Island, at Boston, was 

 maintained in the King's name, his colors were 

 allowed to fly there. It was not until 1651, 

 however, that the general court of Massachu- 

 setts gave official sanction to the use of the 

 flag with its cross. This illustration of the 

 Endicott flag, with its distinguishing blue ball 

 in the first quarter of the canton, shows it 

 before the mutilation. 



380. King's Standard in 1635. — The de- 

 signs on this royal flag, which was in use dur- 

 ing the early settlement of our country, are 

 especially suggestive and carry us back to the 

 very roots of English history. Each little 

 symbol found its place on the flag through 

 some noteworthy event in the ever-changing 

 fortunes of early England. The harp on the 

 third quarter is the ancient sjnnbol of Ireland 

 (see 839), which Elizabeth, in token of her' 

 success in dealing with the island, added to 

 the royal ensign. On the second quarter ap- 

 pears the lion of Scotland (see 838), in token 

 of that country's union with England. The 

 first and fourth quarters of the shield alike 

 bear the three lions and the three fleurs-de-lis. 

 Two of the lions were introduced by William 

 II from the arms of his native Normandy. 

 Authorities differ as to the origin of the third 

 lion, some maintaining that it was added by 

 Henry II in honor of his wife, Eleanor of 

 Aquitaine, who brought him as a dowry three 

 provinces in France. Edward III, on assum- 

 ing the title "King of France," in 1340, quar- 

 tered with the lions the fleurs-de-lis on a blue 

 field. It remained for James I, in 1603, to 

 combine these various symbols into the form 

 seen here! 



381. Three County Troop. — It was in 1659 

 that three counties of Massachusetts — Suffolk, 

 Middlesex, and Essex — raised a company of 



cavalry called the Three County Troop, which 

 continued its organization for twenty years or 

 more. Their standard is not known to be in 

 existence at present; but a most interesting 

 drawing of it and the original bill of cost for 

 it are preserved in the British Museum. The 

 legend in the drawing reads : "Thre Count} 

 Trom," apparently a mistake in copying the 

 word troop from the original banner. It prob- 

 ably waved above the brave Colonials in King 

 Philip's War of 1675 and 1676. 



382. Under the red ensign many of Eng- 

 land's greatest admirals won the victories 

 which, made the island kingdom mistress of 

 the seas. This is the famous "meteor flag of 

 Old England," and until the union of the king- 

 doms of England and Scotland under one par- 

 liament, in 1707, it was the ensign of the Eng- 

 lish colonies in America. It was especialh 

 dear to the New England colonists, who cher- 

 ished its brave traditions as their own. 



383. A Coloniae Feag. 384. Newbury 

 Mass. 388. New England, 1737. 390. Taun- 

 ton Feag. — To one interested in watching the 

 growth and development of customs or ■ in 

 tracing the symbolic expressions of the ideas 

 of a people, there is no more fascinating study 

 than the growth of our own flag. Naturally, 

 the Colonists used at first the flags of the 

 homeland (such as 361). But slowly the en- 

 vironment of this new, spacious country, 

 working in connection with the deep religious 

 consciousness of the people, wrought itself 

 into visible form in the flags. 



At Taunton, Mass., was raised, in 1774, flag 

 number 390, the red union English flag com- 

 mon at the time, with the addition of the 

 watchword of America — the magic watchword 

 that now, after nearly a century and a half, 

 bids fair to become the watchword of the 

 world. 



In 383 a stronger feeling of separation is 

 indicated in the plain red flag with the pure 

 white canton. In 384, the flag of Newbury. 

 Mass., the cross is retained, but the color of 

 the field has changed to the green of the New 

 England forests. 



Then, in place of the British cross, we see 

 coming into prominence the sturdy native 

 American emblems. A pine tree on a white 

 ground was a symbol of many qualities con- 

 spicuous in the lives of our New England an- 

 cestors. Simple, austere, and bearing withal a 

 stately dignity, it fittingly expressed the ideas 

 of the times. Moreover, it proclaimed the 

 patriots' love for this newest homeland with 

 its pine-clad hills. And so it was that the pine 

 tree waved over many a hard-fought field in 

 those trying years. Joined with St. George's 

 cross, it appeared on the blue banner of Bun- 

 ker Hill (363). 



Frequently the pine tree gave place to a 

 globe, as in the New England flag of 1737 

 (388). Again, the pine tree alone occupies the- 

 white canton of a red flag, best illustrated by 

 362, the Continental flag of 1775-1777. These 

 historic flags picture to us in striking form the 

 feelings and the hopes as well as the spirit of 

 '76. 



384. (See 383-) 



385. Andros' Flag. — In 16S4 the charter ol 

 Massachusetts was annulled and the home 



345 



