ause
they were upon the book plate of the General's family." He further
stated "that the stars on the book plate were of Roman origin," and in
support quoted from Virgil "Redire ad astra," meaning and inferring that
a return to the stars meant a future home of peace and happiness for the
human race, and that is what this nation would eventually become.
Assertions and statements similar to the above may be quoted by the
score, wherein reasons are given based upon theory and imagination as
to the origin of the devices which compose our national banner.

The claim that has been made about Betsy Ross, who worked at
upholstering and as a seamstress during the Revolution, who is said to
have lived in a house either No. 80 or 89 Arch street, Philadelphia, now
said to be No. 239 Arch street, as having some time in June, 1776, made
and designed the first American flag as we now worship it, cannot be
corroborated by historical research.

The claim is one of that legendary type that the Rabbins of old handed
down for centuries, and which were believed to be true, until modern
investigation proved their falsity, or like the imagination of artists
who attempt to paint historical events without consulting details,
historical, and geographical. The two most notorious in our history are
Leutze's painting of Washington crossing the Delaware, and Benjamin
West's painting of William Penn treating with the Indians. As to the
first, I write from authority, having been designated to represent the
Legislature of Pennsylvania as one of a committee of three to act in
conjunction with the Trenton Battle Monument Committee to select an
historical subject for the medallion to be placed upon one of the four
sides of a monument, erected at Trenton, to represent Pennsylvania's
part in that memorable event, we chose as the subject "Washington
Crossing the Delaware," and the result of our labor, and investigation
in conjunction with the Monument Committee can be seen to-day on the
west side of the monument. The bronze tablet placed there by the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania truthfully delineates that notable event.
The late General Stryker, of New Jersey, aided us, and furnished us
books, and documents to obtain part of the data. The tablet represents
a small rowboat, with General Knox sitting in the bow of the boat, and
Washington in the stern, the man rowing the boat was a Mr. Cadwalader.
He lived at McKonkey's Ferry, on the Pennsylvania side of the