Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-10-11
The Criterion OF Nobility.

the hne lmpOs, upon Two undtrgradu-
at-s at Exeter College, Oxford, for
wearing armorial bearings, says
"Armurial b. arings are defined as de
vice depicted on the shield of one of the
nobility of which gentry is the lowest
degree. The criterion of nobility is
the bearing of arms received from an
cestry. There is nothing, however, to
prevent persons assuming arbitrary
insignia aud armorial bearings Ia which
they ale not entitled, and certainly
there Is nothing to prevent those who
do so being made To pay tax. The tx
listing act expressly comprises any arm
oral bearing, crest, or euslgn, 10y what
ever name the same shall be called, and
whether the same shall be Registered IN
the Collrge of Arms or not. If this
act can lie limited TO arms borne
rightly or wrongly as "A family coat,
then the decision in the OxfO d case
was wrong, but If that decision be lisht
there L. almost no llmIt To It's applica-
ton. liz seems, however, reasonable
Ia look back aud see the Ihteution with
which this tax WAS fest imposed, and
We tiud thar il is clas>ei along with The
taxes on horses. Carriages, aud hair
poN der a. voluntarily paid by the rich
uo crafty their taste for luxury ar dis
play. ForueIly the Court ot Chlydlry
took coynlZ tuce of ci-es OF nnauihor-
IZel assumption of arms, and a writer,
more learned in heTaidry than III law,
suggests that lac who uses the arms of
another, may be arres. ed on an action
of tre-Dass; but this could hardly be at
any time correct. Although, says this
writer, these tokens 10 their first incep-
tiOn were taken up at any genrleman's
pleasure. yet hath that liberty for many
Al I'D Fn hs4r
laws of geniIllty allowed the bearing
thereof. hat those that either have
them by descent, grant purchase, or
from the body Ot a prisoner taken In
war. 81 that the lguoble are denied
the use of them by the law of all we'll
governed nations.' These words sup
ply. we think, the proper clue to the
meaning of the authors of this tax,
which, Ii must he remembered, was in
tToduced in the last century, when the
jurisdiction of the Court of Chivalry
was less of an antIquated fable than lt
now appears. The tax seems to have
been aimed at the assumption, with or
without warrant, of armUrlal bearings
as token of gentility. If a man had
a coat of arms painted and hung II up
III his library representing, or allowing
visitors to believe that II Is his own
family coat, he would be liable to tax.
But, suppose that he has fancy, with
or without knowledge, for antiquities,
and has picked up at some sale shield
with u device upon 1t which he exhibits
as an ornament in proof of his taste and
skill as collector Here is distinct
Iiun manifest To the minds probably of
all men except revenue officers. The
act provides that, if man buys or
hires a catIiage with armoIial bearings
"A. - l.. a ~,
is reasonable, because here We have
that assumption of gentility which,
when honestly made. Is taxable, and
which ought to toe not less SO when
made fTaudulently OF carelessly. So, If
a man were TO buy a lot of plate, with
another mans crest upon il, and We're
10 Use il at his table, he would be justly
liable. There was a story of a rich
paInbroker who gave dinner parties at
which splendid but miscellaneous plate |
was DISPLAYED If there had been half
a dozen different cTeSts upon his spoons
and folks he would not have been less |
liable than if there had been only one,
which mig ht be probably taken for his |
own. But If he had kept them all III |
hi shop 10 the Usual course of business |
he would not be liable. The mention |
of pawubrokers reminds us of the ia |
nous three balls, which may perhaps
have been originally heraldIc emblem,
but have entirely ceased TO be SO in any /
proper >eusr. In the last century shops 1
of various kinds, and not merely tav-
erns, Were distinguished by such signs |
as the Golden Cross" or the Sara
Gems Head :" but it is readily seen that
these emblems were not worn or used
to crafty the taste for luxury or dis
play. But. after The decision in the
Oxford case, 1t is difficult To say how
far the ann of The law may not reach.
The love of enblems is one of the most
universal of human Passions. The good
Templars have their .'regdlia," Forres-
ters and Odd Fellows have their badges,
Free Masons delight in occult symbol
lsIu, every uott club has irs flag with
some soft of device upon it, and even
procession 10 Ht de Park on a bank
holiday Will move more cheeTfully uu-
der an embroidered standard. The
young enthusiast ho desired TO plant
the banLer of Excelsior" on some
lofty height appears to have been safe
in point of law, although his grammar
might be questionable. A mere iu>cIip-
tl"n could not In any view bc tax Bile.
but perhaps such LETTERS as "T. \. G."
for Thames Yacht Club" might be
said to be an 'euslgD." In college
bbdt ldNtr u vi Nd>, 10 ldht
for prize '.pewIer having on it the
college arms, with the name of the
winning crew. There must beinnumer- !
able ''pewteIs' preserved as mt MORALS
OF college lie by M. II who would deny
themselves the luxury of wearing or
using armoIIal bearings properly SO
called. IL would astunish th-se men To /.
be told that they are liable tn tax and
and Yet, according 10 the pre-
vaIiing disposition of the law, they /.
Clearly are. 1t would be difficult to
frame a clause which should comprise
no more than is properly subject To this
tax, and yet should sufficiently guard =
against evasion. But, if il be necessary .
To give this wide scope to revenue laws, !
there ought, as we have SAID, to be
much caution in their application. 4
The Flow of Speech.