Texas Almanac, 1943-1944 Page: 48
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48 TEXAS ALMANAC.-1943-1944
STATE MOTTO.
The State Motto of Texas is "Friendship "
The word, Texas, or Tejas, was the Spanish
pronunciation of a Caddo Indian word mean-
ing "friends" or "allies." (See p 40 ) (Acts
of 1930, fourth called session of Forty-First
Legislature, page 105.)
STATE SONG.
The state song of Texas is "Texas, Our
Texas," the music of which was written by
William J. Marsh, Fort Worth, Texas, and
the words by Mr. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum
Wright, also of Fort Worth It was adopted
as the result of an award offered by the
Legislature (Acts of 1929, first called ses-
sion, Forty-First Legislature, page 286 )
STATE TREE.
The stately pecan is the state tree of Texas.
It has long been the most popular of Texas
trees, but the sentiment that led to its offi-
cial adoption probably grew out of the re-
quest of Gov. James Stephen Hogg that a
pecan tree be planted at his grave (Acts of
1919, Thirty-Sxth Legislature, regular ses-
sion, page 155. also Acts of 1927, Fortieth
Legislature, page 234)
STATE FLOWER
The state flower of Texas is the bluebonnet
also called buffalo clover, wolf flower, "el
conejo (rabbit). Scientifically, it is Lupinus
texensis. Lupinus subcarnosus is closely re-
lated. It was adopted by the State Legisla-
ture at the request of the Society of Colonial
Dames of America in Texas (Acts of 1901,
regular session of Twenty-Seventh Legisla-
ture, page 323).
STATE FLOWER SONG,
In addition to the State Song given above,
there is a State Flower Song of Texas, "Blue-
bonnets " Words are by Julia D Booth and
music by Lora C Crockett (Acts of 1933.
Forty-Third Legislature, regular session, page
930). This is not to be considered as a second
State Song but as a song honoring the State
Flower
STATE BIRD.
The mockingbird is the officially recog-
nized state bird of Texas, adopted by the
Legislature in 1927 at the request of the
Texas Federation of Women's Clubs (Acts of
1927, Fortieth Legislature, regular session,
page 486).
STATE SEAL.
The seal of the State of Texas consists of
"a star of five points, encircled by olive and
live oak branches, and the words, 'The State
of Texas.' " (State Constitution, Art. IV, Sec.
19.) The State Seal is a slight modification
of the Great Seal of the Republic of Texas,
first adopted by the Congress of the Repub-
lic, Dec 10, 1836, and readopted with modi-
fications in 1839 It is said that, when the
need of a seal first arose. Provisional Gov-
ernor Henry Smith made the imprint with a
large brass button cut from his overcoat, the
button having a five-point star and wreath of
oak leaves. Later the olive branch was added
to signify "peace" as well as "strength "
UNOFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED.
There has been no official adoption by the
state of any animal other than the mocking-
bird. However, the Longhorn, adopted by
University of Texas, the Mustang, adopted by
Southern Methodist University; the Horned
Frog, adopted by Texas Christian University,
are rather widely recognized as specifically
"Texan." and as being common property of
all Texans The chaparral bird, also knownas the roadrunner and Paisano, is a favorite
and was the adopted bird of the Centennial
Exposition of 1936
TEXAS HOLIDAYS.
Texas has two state holidays and several
special observance days. The two holidays
are Independence Day, March 2, and San
Jacinto Day, April 21. (See p. 32, under
"Anniversaries and Festivals, 1943 and 1944.")
POPULAR DESIGNATIONS.
Texas' popular designation, or nickname, is
Lone Star State, which is derived from the
single star on the Texas flag
TEXAN OR TEXIAN?
The dwellers within the confines of the
State of Texas today are usually referred to
as Texans, but at an early date the designa-
tion, Texian, was preferred The Texas Al-
manac of 1858 carries an extract from an old
manuscript criticizing Kennedy's "History of
Texas" for referring to the people of Texas
as Texans. "It is an indubitable fact," states
this review, "that the inhabitants of Texas,
literate and illiterate, have almost universally
accepted the term, Texian, to define their
political individuality . . . Tecian . . . has
more euphony and is better adapted to the
convenience of the poets who shall hereafter
celebrate our deeds in sonorous strains than
the harsh, abrupt, ungainly appellation,
Texan, impossible in rhyme to anything but
the merest doggerel.
Whether for reasons cited in this statement
or not, there has been a revival of the use
of "Texian" in recent years, notably since
the Texas Centennial, 1936, though "Texan"
is still the prevailing usage.
Lone Star Flag
The officially adopted flag of the State of
Texas today is the former flag of the Re-
public of Texas The Texas state flag is the
only flag of an American commonwealth
having previously served as the flag of a
recognized independent country. The flag
consists of a blue field with a single large
star and white and red horizontal stripes, the
white stripe being uppermost.
The flag of Texas was adopted by the Third
Congress of the Republic in session at Hous-
ton, Jan. 25, 1839, on motion of William H.
Wharton, Oliver Jones and others It speci-
fied that the flag should consist of "a blue
perpendicular stripe of the width of one-third
of the whole length of the flag and a white
star of five points in the center thereof and
two horizontal stripes of equal length and
breadth, the upper stripe of white, the lower
of red, of the length of two thirds of the
length of the whole flag." This is today the
Lone Star Flag of Texas. There was no other
specification of the Flag of Texas until a
statute was passed by the Forty-Third Legis-
lature (Acts of 1933, p. 186, ch 87), clarifying
(but not changing) the original description
given above. The statute, however, added
specifications, one being that the star, from
topmost to lowest points, shall be approxi-
mately one third of the depth of the blue
field.
Salute, or Pledge, to the Texas Flag.
An act of the Forty-Third Legislature, 1933
(p. 186, ch. 87), provides the following Salute
to the Texas Flag "Honor the Texas flag;
we pledge our loyalty to thee-Texas one and
indivisible "THE SHIPPERS WAREHOUSE CO.-DALLAS
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Texas Almanac, 1943-1944, book, 1943; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117165/m1/50/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.