The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1820-09-05


had in various ways distinguished themselves.
II this fact has been forgotten by our critics. his
tory will nevertheless record it as the hrst OF the
kind known in the annals Of our " ambitious
race. Again, Maine was lately ready to hazard, |
and even TO renounce its birgth-rsht, rather |
than be independent at the expense OF the cause
ofhumanity in the Missouri. Thus two stubborn |
fac's prove in unanswerable manner, TIE Unit |
ed nature and decorum Of our pretentions.
sequenty our motto cannot be interpreted as nav.
ing an arrogant bearing towards cur sister States;
and, in the intention of its employers, 1t merely
exhibits an anxiety TO keep up good iami'y nso-
its and good discipline aumong ourselves
As the historian may fee inclined to record II,
we observe that two series OF brilliant no'tnefn
lights ushered 10 the birth Of our new state one
occurring while the constitution was forming anu
the other while we were making our hrst eiec-
tons under it, Had not mechanical objections
presented themselves, this circumstance las oe-
ing one of good ausury) night possibly nave
found notice in The armora bearing 81 the ota,e'
under the shape of an electric bow with rays Is
suing from it /; accompanied with motto from
Paul's discourse to Agrppa saw IN the way
light, This emblem OF the aurora ooreahs,
like that of the polar star was. indieat"e %
our northern position and the two emoiems To-
gether might have formed, what Is not unPfeee
dented, a double crest : being in truth a Jae SIM
the star being always uppermost when both APP
pear together: and being accordingly so placed
in drawing for the whe.s of tho proposed arms
sketched oar for the use of the Committee. The
other parts Of the proposed arms being all aaoPo-
ed. the motto dirigo was made to take the place
ofthe bow, as the bow was rejected: and new
drawing was executed on tie occasion, snitea 10
the committee. The chief difficulty arising from
this arrangement has been, that the rules Of her.
II hi far he mr. n D-
arates the crest from the shield and its support
er,: whereas the motto should have been either
below or above the uhoie---This difficulty Of form
nevertheless has no concern with the purity and
Latinity of the motto F; which we venture 70
maintain IS correct in ,iher cftfe senses adopt
ed by the committee IL by correct Latinity we
mean. the language used by the Roman authors.
Trusting that we shall not violently shock the
feelings Of our master in critisism, Mr. Walsh, we
shall presume to intimate an objection to our
Stale Motto, precisely Of an opposite character
10 that which he has been pleased to urge a
gainst il. He has gaily termed the motto dtrigo
Is ambitious =, but we conjecture that It may
more Justly be complained of, ranting dignity
and sjtable objsrs Our State Seal is intended TO
characterize US in each Of our sister States and
in foreign parts as well as among our own c't'-
gems. and ought therefore TO dwell upon some.
thing besides our internal concerns and our
II ought TO touch upon some circumstance in our
federal and foreign relations; our other embems
being wholly employed in what may be termed
domestic concerns. The present motto, We ad-
nit is amiable and parental, but perhaps not
such as was expected from Us under the cifcuin-
stances in which we stand; and in any event 1t
does not speak for II SLY, since it requires more
than a common explanation in order to he I'M
derstood. Our other emblems indicating the ma
ture of our resources, the star might have been
made 10 figure for us oar home. The star also
aptly enough bespeaks for US both sovereignty
and confederation the American nation having
adopted collection of stars as the general token
of these and without any breach OF modesfy,
the motto m light have referred to them. When
we confined ourselves therefore to our single
stellar crest, we acquired right to a motto like
the following taken from the Astronomicon OF
Maniliu. Inter sidera oonspiciiur that is, Z" our
star makes part Of the national confederation"
There are strong reasons however for not yield
ing any thing to mistaken elaD,or; and whafev-
er our legislature shall continue TO approve on
this occasion it becomes US to maintain.
In the mean time we hazard the assertion, that
Mr.. Walsh's critic has made triple mistake he
ha. mistaken our Latin. he has mistaken his srn
Latin, aud he has mistaken the party to t0hon'
the Latin j. addressed. These are great over
sights in protested critic. As Hamlet there.
fore talks of one who oot-fl erods IIerod, we may
hint our critic, that he has ont criticised SIM
sslf; for in attempting 10 teach Others, he shews
that he requires some teaching himself on his
side.
We shall now terminate with a criticism oil
our own sort Of pord 70 IRE si'e. When
some critics desire that our star should be called
the Star in III, Eaa:, they forget that this star
was avowedly star Of d1sciisn |; and that the
name therefore assumes too much oi precedence
and favors too much Of good opini,n, When
Mr. Murray (afterwards Lord Nansheldl in the
British house Of Commons said that the German
interest which he AZ that time courted might
be called the Star Of che Eea the elder Mr..
Pitt replied, {" The honorable gentleman who
says this. has not however toldos' trat tbs was
the star which the ari,s men faiisutd" To IN
innate then that ours is the SsdT ~ the Er1, Is
70 say. that we are wiser than our peers and SIS
ter states, and fl TO guide others; Whereas the
North SIR properly so called, may serve as the
mere geographical index Of our situation, with
out being attended with any invidious circum-
lance whatever.
A CITIZEN OF MAINE.
august, 1924.