How many, we wonder, of those into whose hands this magazine may come
are aware that the beautiful banner represented on its cover is the
official state flag of Wisconsin? That the number is much smaller than
it should be is certain. When we set out in quest of an example of our
state flag, our first application was at the nearby armory, but the
officer in charge confidently assured us that Wisconsin has no state
flag, and appealed to Webster’s _New International_ to support his
assertion. Notwithstanding the evidence of both soldier and
dictionary, for over fifty years Wisconsin regiments have carried the
state flag, although its legal definition and precise present design
date back only to 1913. That our beautiful banner, hallowed on many a
bloody battlefield, is so little known to our citizens is not at all
to our credit. Nor is it creditable that the service flags in the
hands of the custodian of public property at the capitol fail in
almost every respect to conform to the official specifications for the
state flag as set forth in the statutes.