Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-20
COATS-OFARNIS,
Republican Citizens With COronets En-
blazOned on Their Letter Paper.

Republican Citizens With COrOnets En-
blazOned on Their Letter Paper.
Twas never more struck with the long
ing of simple republicans for aristocratic
belongings, says New York letter to the
Philadelphia Record, than the other day
in looking over a lot Of letters, answers to
invitations received by friend Of mine
who had given large and fashionable en-
tertainment, Nine out of every ten of
these letters had a coat-of-arms embossed
on the paper and envelopes, and not only
a c0at-Of-arms but cOats-of-arms that are
used by persons of very high nobility,
generally of royal descent. suppose out
of the $50 coats-Of-arms, at least 30 were
coroneted- | can not imagine anything
more absurd than q republican citizen
with coronet embaZOned ON his letter
paper. But our republican citizens seem
to have no sense Of the ridiculous in this
matter, and if you will notice the car
riages rolling up Fifth avenue to the park
you Will see these escutcheOns, with all
their elaborate quarteringS. and the cOrO-
net surmOunting the shield. 1t is a we'll
known fact that not half of the people who
use these cOats-of-arms have come by them
through Inheritance. Of course, there
are a great many American citizens whose
families honestly own their coat-Of-arms.
but there are great. many more who go
to book and copy the device that accom-
panies a name similar to their own |
have known this to be done in any number
Of cases, and ! have also known more
supplemented persons to select the crest
they thought the prettiest, regardless of the
family name that accompanied it. On one
of these very notes of which l speak there
was crest-a cOrOnet-with an arrow
through the middle of it. | happen to
know the family TO which this crest right
ly belongs, and there was no such name
i'll it as that which accompanied the crest.
In the times before envelopes were gum
med-indeed, before envelopes were in
vented at all-sealing wax was used of
necessity, and the seal of the writer was
quite as necessary in pressing it in place,
but nowadays, when all envelopes are
gummed, sealing wax is a supertluity. /
do not say that It is not much the prettier
or that do not like it more than the gum.
but do say that gum and sealing wax are
more than there is any call for. However,
the simple republicans of whom l have
been speaking do not seem to see that
there is anything incOngruous in this, and
1t Is no uncommon thing to see envelopes
glued and sealed with wax at the same
time. l saw the other day on some very
elegant paper a remarkably weIl-made
shield, and | said to the recipient of the
letter: "This is the clearest cut seal that
| ever saw; it looks as though it had been
made in the shop. There is no ragged wax
around the edges, and it certainly must
have been made by an expert" Don't
you know what that is?'' replied my
friend; lit is made seal, and if you will
examine the envelope you viii find that it
is made on the flap, and is only one OF the
innumerable limitations of the day. There
is no wax about it at all; it is simply
stamped paper" And upon examination
l saw that it was.