Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-10-23
,Ilioa and 9mtrifan.


AMERICAN COINAGE.
From the n. Y. journal ~ co0...,
Ane October number az Inc A,n..;..,
1919 80 q Aunlismotics opens with a sbor,
~ somewhat sharp article on the general
1910 s...- aSler Of our American coinage. The
-sluarSs would be more foreible n less se-
W put the article is Just, and il is not sur
tilsAig that any one Who has given atten.
ION 70 the subject Of coinage as an art which
1usn1 70 unite beauty with utility. should
- tnl moderately severe IN criticising the
= -ianiefiean coins Is it not possible. now that
NE gold and silver coins OF the country
nsFe temporarily ceased to be a circulatino
medium, 70 take advantage Of the times. and
oeVise new coinage which. when the neonle
again begin 70 use il, shall delight their
EYES, and do honor 70 the cultivated taste q
The miserable stuff which is now used for
cent two cent, and Eve cent pieces. should
INST be discarded. These are not only in
convenient and bothersome from their SINH.
larlty IN size, but they are certainly the
most uncieanly coins, in metal and in feel
ing, ever offered to American fingers. But
we DO not care now 50 much TO criticise the
substance as the style of all our coins
Ihere has never been a competent artist in
charge Of the Quilted States mintaee. and
the vaI1ous persons having control Of the
matter have, with singular unanimitv. re-
gected the suggestions of good artists who
have been IN their employ. There was
some little grace and beauty in the earliest
national coins The female head of Liberty
with flowing hair, which o-namented the
silver and copper of the last century. had
claims 70 beauty. The turbaned head
which followed this on the coins was
hideous, but was admirably in comparison
with the blockhead goddess of Liberty
which subsequently adorned the copper
coinage. The various designs on the nickel
pieces have been without artistic merit ex-
cept IN the varieties Of wreaths. laurel. oak.
etc, which seem 10 have exhausted the arts
OF design in the mint. The eagles in every
form on our coins, from the first to the latest.
have resembled turkeys and turkey buz.
yards, crows and chickens everything. In
short, but eagles.
The art OF coinage involves two reouire-
ments, beauty Of design and safety against
abrasion. The coinage of acient Macedon.
and Of Syracuse, has never been euuaIed for
freeness and beauty in art But It washable
to constant wearing and reduction in value.
on account of the boldness Of the work:
Modern coinage has in some instances united
the two requirements perhaps never more
perfectly than in the issues Of the French
mint during the period Of the last republic.
But the American mint has not as vet sue-
oeeded in either of these things.
An artist who understands the subject
would prepare a design in which the heavy
work should guard the lighter lines. while
he does not sacrifice beauty to the peculiar
style Of work required. Obviously this is no
ordinary task fof an artist. 1t demands ex-
perience as well as skill Il also requires
the aid Of good advice and suggestion even
10 the best artist.
We have heretofore proposed, and We ven
ture again TO urge, the adoption of the head
Of WASHINGTON as a device for the coins of
which the largest number are issued and
used. The great patriot forbade this in his
lifetime and wisely. But now there could
be no more appropriate selection. 1t would
crafty political parties TO place on the coins
the heads Of their favorite leaders in former
days, but il would give great and lust offence
now 70 use the head Of JACKSON, JEFFEB-
soN, LINCOLN, or any other deceased party
President. There has been too much Of this
in the paper currency, and it is matter of
surprise thatordinary good taste and modesty
did not lead some living politicians to forbid
such use Of their-by no means handsome
faces. The name Of WASHINGTON is not
connected with any partisan feeling. His
face is dear to all Americans. His memory
is more lasting THAI even thebrazen coins to
which the Roman poet probably alluded
when singing of his own Immortality, "1re
PereRnisg."
Bot, whatever be the designs, let us have
coinage which will teach artistic beauty TO
ali the people, and let us abolish forever the
Pagan idea Of putting the head Of goddess
on the circulating medium of the country.
When the notable direction was uttered,
"Render unto CESAR the things that are
CEsAR's," we have no doubt that the Divine
Teacher holding Roman denarius in his
hand, and looking first at the image and
superscription Of the Roman monarch,
turned the coin in his hand and saw on the
other side the common design Of god, or a
goddess Of the Pantheon, whence the solemn
conclusion Of the sentence, "and to GoD the
things that are GoD's" II has been a stand
ing disgrace 70 American Christianity and
religion that such design has remained on
our coinage. Ii is only marvellous that men
given to seeking after national sins as the
cause Of national trouble, have not found in
this as open and defiant sin as in some mere
ly local Institutions for which the nation
was not responsible.