Scouting For Girls, Official Handbook of the Girl Scouts Part 13

On that sh.o.r.e dimly seen through the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes.

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected now s.h.i.+nes on the stream; 'Tis the star-spangled banner; Oh, long may it wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved homes and the war's desolation Blessed with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto--"In G.o.d is our trust"; And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

--_Francis Scott Key_, 1814.

_The Star Spangled Banner_ was written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key at the time of the bombardment of Fort McHenry, near Baltimore, by the British. Key had been sent to the British squadron to negotiate the release of an American prisoner-of-war, and was detained there by the British during the engagement for fear he might reveal their plans. The bombardment lasted all through the night. In his joy the following morning at seeing the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry, Key wrote the first stanza of the _Star Spangled Banner_ on the back of an old letter, which he drew from his pocket. He finished the poem later in the day after he had been allowed to land. The poem was first printed as a handbill enclosed in a fancy border; but one of Key's friends, Judge Nicholson, of Baltimore, saw that the tune of _Anacreon in Heaven_, an old English drinking song, fitted the words, and the two were quickly united with astonis.h.i.+ng success. The old flag which prompted the poem is still in existence; it was made by Mrs. Mary Pickersgill.

"America"

My country, 'tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing; Land where my fathers died, Land of the Pilgrims' pride, From every mountain side Let freedom ring.

My native country, thee, Land of the n.o.ble free, Thy name I love; I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills; My heart with rapture thrills Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze, And ring from all the trees Sweet freedom's song; Let mortal tongues awake, Let all that breathe partake, Let rocks their silence break, The sound prolong!

Our father's G.o.d, to Thee, Author of liberty, To Thee we sing: Long may our land be bright With freedom's holy light; Protect us by Thy might, Great G.o.d, our King.

--Samuel F. Smith, 1832.

"America" was written in 1832 by Samuel Francis Smith, a graduate of Harvard, at that time studying for the ministry at Andover, Ma.s.s. The circ.u.mstances attending the writing of this hymn are told by the author in the following letter:

Newton Centre, Ma.s.s., June 5, 1887.

Mr. J. H. Johnson:

Dear Sir: The hymn "America" was not written with reference to any special occasion. A friend (Mr.

Lowell Mason) put into my hands a quant.i.ty of music books in the German language early in the year 1832--because, as he said, I could read them and he couldn't--with the request that I would translate any of the hymns and songs which struck my fancy, or, neglecting the German words, with hymns or songs of my own, adapted to the tunes, so that he could use the music. On a dismal day in February, turning over the leaves of one of these music books, I fell in with the tune, which pleased me--and observing at a glance that the words were patriotic, without attempting to imitate them, or even read them throughout, I was moved at once to write a song adapted to the music--and "America" is the result. I had no thought of writing a national hymn, and was surprised when it came to be widely used. I gave it to Mr. Mason soon after it was written, and have since learned that he greatly admired it. It was first publicly used at a Sabbath school celebration of Independence in Park Street Church, Boston, on the 4th of July, 1832.

Respectfully, S. F. SMITH.

The tune of "America," which Samuel Smith took from a German song book, was originally a French air. This French air was borrowed in 1739 by an Englishman, Henry Carey, who recast it for the British national anthem, "G.o.d Save the King." Switzerland, Prussia and other German States, and the United States have used the music for their national hymns.

_Letter and facts from The Encyclopedia Americana._

"Battle Hymn of the Republic"

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps; They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read his righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps: His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnish'd rows of steel: "As you deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal; Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel, Since G.o.d is marching on."

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat: Oh, be swift my soul, to answer Him, be jubilant my feet!

Our G.o.d is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me; As He died to make men holy, let us die to make them free, While G.o.d is marching on.

--Julia Ward Howe.

How to Make an American Flag

The exact proportions of the American Flag have been fixed by executive order; that is to say, by order of the President, as have other features, such as the arrangement and position of the stars. The exact size of the flag is variable, though the army has several regulation sizes. The cut given below shows the dimensions of one of the regulation army flags. The proportions fixed by executive order on May 26, 1916, are as follows:

If the width of the flag be taken as the basis and called 1, then

The length will be 1.9,

Each stripe will be 1/13 of 1,

The blue field will be .76 long and 7/13 of 1 wide.

Other features of the officially designed flag are as follows: The top and bottom stripes are red. Each State is represented by a five-pointed star, one of whose points shall be directed toward the top of the flag.

Beginning with the upper left-hand corner and reading from left to right the stars indicate the States in order of their ratification of the Const.i.tution and their admission to the Union. Find your State's star in the following list, and remember its number and line.

_First Row_ 1--Delaware 2--Pennsylvania 3--New Jersey 4--Georgia 5--Connecticut 6--Ma.s.sachusetts 7--Maryland 8--South Carolina

_Second Row_ 9--New Hamps.h.i.+re 10--Virginia 11--New York 12--North Carolina 13--Rhode Island 14--Vermont 15--Kentucky 16--Tennessee

_Third Row_ 17--Ohio 18--Louisiana 19--Indiana 20--Mississippi 21--Illinois 22--Alabama 23--Maine 24--Missouri

_Fourth Row_ 25--Arkansas 26--Michigan 27--Florida 28--Texas 29--Iowa 30--Wisconsin 31--California 32--Minnesota

_Fifth Row_ 33--Oregon 34--Kansas 35--West Virginia 36--Nevada 37--Nebraska 38--Colorado 39--North Dakota 40--South Dakota

_Sixth Row_ 41--Montana 42--Was.h.i.+ngton 43--Idaho 44--Wyoming 45--Utah 46--Oklahoma 47--New Mexico 48--Arizona

[Ill.u.s.tration]

AN EASY WAY TO DRAW THE FLAG

The sketch shows the steps in getting a flag drawn according to national requirements.

1. Draw the outline of your flag, making for convenience, the width equal an even 10 units (such as eighths or quarters or half, etc.) so that the length can be made 19 units.

2. Get the 13 stripes outlined as follows: a) Take your ruler and find a place marking 13 units, such as 3-1/4 inches, or 6-1/2 or even 9-3/4 inches. b) Then draw the 2 lines A B and A' B'; marking off the 13 points on each. It does not matter where the lines are drawn so long as they extend between the top and bottom of the rectangle. c) Through these points draw lightly, the lines for the stripes, covering the _whole_ flag.

3. Before making the final lines, block in the union in the upper left hand corner, making its length equal to 7.6 of the original units used for the whole flag. The width of the union is _seven_ stripes.

4. Place the stars as follows: The lines marking the stripes may be used to mark the 6 lines of stars. The eight stars to a line may be determined by dividing the length of the union into nine parts and dropping eight perpendiculars through the six lines already there. In the sketch the line, D F and D' F' are guide lines to make the new parallel lines. These are made just as in the case of A B and A' B' only containing nine units and extending between the two sides of the union.