Here you observe that Mr. Skinner gives Mrs. Ross =all= the credit for working out and giving us the flag. As it seemed to me that that sort of history and patriotism is all wrong and as there is, I believe, no warrant for that statement, I wrote on September 16, 1916, to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction at Albany, and asked to be furnished with the authority upon which that statement was based. A reply came very promptly signed “Wilmer L. Hall, Sub-librarian in history,” to whom my letter had been referred for reply. Mr. Hall says, “The statement you quote =may= be based upon one or more of the several histories of the American Flag. See for example; Peleg D. Harrison, The Stars and Stripes, 5th edition, 1914., and C. W. Stewart, The Stars and Stripes, 1915. These accounts do not assert that Betsey Ross originated the American flag but allow her the credit of making the first one. =It is said= that Congress appointed a Committee consisting of General Washington, Col. George Ross and Robert Morris, who called upon Mrs. Ross and submitted to her a rough drawing of the flag. As the American flag is a growth rather than a creation, its exact origin is not determined; =nor is the date of the manufacture= of the first one by Mrs. Ross and the date of its first use matters of exact knowledge.” Upon examining the two works referred to by Mr. Hall, I find that Mr. Harrison says that “the credit of making the first flag combining the Stars and Stripes is =generally given= to Mrs. Betsey Ross, and the story of its making is somewhat familiar to all.” Then Mr. Harrison goes on to give Mr. Canby’s account of what his grandmother told him. Mr. Stewart in his book says, “=Tradition tells us= that Mrs. Elizabeth Ross, known as Betsey Ross, of Philadelphia, constructed the first Stars and Stripes flag. Though we have no official record of the making of this first United States flag, the accounts given by Betsey Ross’ relatives are =generally= accepted.” I will here call attention to the use by Mr. Hall, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Stewart, and other writers of such expressions as “It is said,” “Tradition tells us,” “It is believed,” “Credit is generally given,” and so forth and so forth. These expressions are to history what the expression “they say” in common gossip or talk is to the truth, and are worth just as much. The fact that a thing is =generally believed= does not make it true. Sometime after the receipt of the foregoing letter from Mr. Hall, I wrote him suggesting that the account given on page 5 of the “Manual of Patriotism” previously quoted, be corrected to agree with the facts. It will be noted from the above correspondence that the State Department of Public Instruction does not now assert, as it did in 1904, that Betsey Ross =originated= the design of the flag for the United States.