Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/257

 FLAG 249 den flowers exceed them in gorgeousness or beauty, and few require so little care. The Belgian florists have succeeded in raising many splendid hybrids and varieties, of every hue ; and the flower catalogues afford the names of the choicest of these, which command high prices. Gladiolus communis is hardy enough to survive our winters ; it is a slender-growing species, with pretty purplish or crimson blos- soms, and this and one or two others found in the south of Europe are exceptional ; the rest are natives of the hot regions, particularly of the Cape. The ixias are smaller, dwarf irids or flags, with open, showy blossoms upon spikes, and variously colored. They are finely suited for winter flowering in greenhouses ; their bulbs or cormi are planted early in the au- tumn ; the plants, on rising from the soil, are exposed to the air and light, and on approach of frost placed just beneath the sashes of the roof, where they blossom toward spring. These also require extremes of treatment, being kept perfectly dry and warm when in repose. FLAG (from a root signifying to hang down or droop, kindred with Lat. jftaccus, flabby, or drooping), a piece of stuff or cloth intended to be displayed so as to indicate, by shape, color, or symbols, nationality, rank, party, or opinion. In common speech the word is synonymous with standard, banner, ensign, or colors. The most ancient standards were probably symbols borne upon a pole. Among the Egyptians each battalion had a distinguishing emblem representing some sacred object, such as an animal or bird, or a tablet bearing a king's name or other device. The Assyrians, accord- ing to the Ninevite sculptures, had two stand- ards, one a figure of a man standing upon a running bull and drawing a bow, the other two bulls running in opposite directions. They are supposed to have been the symbols re- spectively of peace and of war. The Persians in the time of Cyrus adopted a white flag with a golden eagle displayed for their stand- ard. The Greeks bore divers symbols : some- times a piece of armor elevated upon a spear, sometimes the emblem of a divinity, some- times an initial letter. According to Homer, Agamemnon used a purple veil to rally his men. The Romans had many standards. In the most primitive times each company bore a bundle of hay tied to a pole. Afterward the figure of an open hand, a wolf, a bear, a horse, or other animal, was substituted. In the time of Marius a silver eagle, with expanded wings and holding the thunderbolts of Jove in its talons, was adopted as the standard of the legion. The different eagles, white, black, and red, with single or with double heads, borne by countries of modern Europe, are imitations of this. The Roman standards changed with their conquests, and succeeding emperors dis- played new forms and new emblems. Augustus used a globe to symbolize his empire over the world, and Constantine adopted the cross to commemorate his vision. (See LABAKUM.) Standards are mentioned frequently in the Bible. The Hebrews who went up out of Egypt were marshalled under distinctive banners. Accord- ing to tradition, the four leading tribes, Reuben, Ephrairn, Judah, and Dan, bore as devices re- spectively a man, an ox, a lion, and an eagle. From the most ancient times the dragon has been the chief symbol of China, Japan, and other eastern nations. It was also a prominent device among the Celtic, Germanic, Scandi- navian, and Slavic tribes. At first, like many other emblems used for standards, it was of metal or carved wood, but in time was dis- played upon a banner. It was the device on the banner of Harold at the battle of Hastings, and was borne by several other English mon- archs. The earliest flags proper were prob- ably square cloths of a single color; but as na- tions multiplied parti-colors and different com- binations were adopted to secure variety, and finally the devices or bearings of chieftains or of tribes were added. In modern times flags of a single color have generally a universally accepted meaning: thus, a white flag is a token of peace, a red of defiance ; a black flag denotes piracy, or is sometimes hoisted to indicate that no quarter will be given or taken ; a yellow denotes quarantine. Ancient standards were of many shapes, some square, some long and pointed, some swallow-tailed, and some ending in many points. The banner which Charle- magne received from the pope was oblong and split into three points ; the oriflamme of France was of the same shape with five points. The standards of Henry VIII. of England were long pointed streamers rather than flags. Nearly all the standards and ensigns of modern nations are rectangular, but there are some ex- ceptions. The naval flag of Sweden has three points, that of Denmark two, and the flag of China is triangular. Some of the principal European nations have each two or more flags, a royal or imperial standard, a national en- sign, a naval ensign, and a flag for merchant- men. Royal and imperial standards are never hoisted except on occasions of great ceremony, when the sovereign or some member of the royal family is present, or on the sovereign's birthdays. The royal standard of Great Brit- ain displays the heraldic insignia of England, Scotland, and Ireland, quartered, the field of the first and fourth quarters red, the second yellow, and the third blue. The national flag, called the "union jack," is blue, charged with the three crosses of St. George, St. Andrew, and St. Patrick. The cross of St. George is red on a white field, of St. Andrew a white saltier (di- agonal cross) on a blue field, and of St. Patrick a red saltier on a white field. The union jack adopted by James I. in 1606 combined only the first two, but on the union with Ireland in 1800 the cross of St. Patrick was added. This is the union jack which forms the canton in the British naval and commercial flags. The word jack is derived by some from the jacque or surcoat charged with St. George's cross,