The Portland daily press., 1889-03-01
A RAGE FOR RAMPANT LIONS.
A Unique Sort OF .dIocy that AffIIcts
MANY Families In New York.
New York Letter..

New York Letter -its
One Of the ways to make a prodigious
splash and let the world know 20 are some
body is to have pedigree and coat-of-arms
have 1t on good authority that the London
College of Heralds draws a large part of its
profits from Americans.
A few New York families are entitled to
the use of arms, but the majority who use
them have adopted them according to fancy.
A fashionable stationer says that he has en-
graved the same device for ten different fam-
lilies. He says that rampant lions are very
popular, and that he has copied the Morris
coat-of-arms, which has two upon it, for six
persons in no wise related. This matches
the old story of the British ambassador al
Washington who sent his carriage to fac
tory for repair, and when he afterwards Wis
tied the place found his coat of arms emblaz.
oned on every vehicle in the shop. But what
Is to be done? The Four Hundred say it il
high time American aristocracy had some
sign other than the almighty dollar and some
foundation less vulgar than filthy lucre, and
that family arms are the proper thing, be.
sides being quite English, you know; and Sc
what are Tom, Dick and Harry to do but t.
follow suit and blaZon somebody's heraldit
device, II not their Own, upon their trap
pings.
III you will stand on the Fifth avenue curb
any fine afternoon you may observe that al
least two out of every six carriages bear
coats or orests on their door panels. The
occupant of a fine turnout is not as proud OF
her matched bays and their golden harness
as she is of this little bit of blazonzry which
signifies on aristocratic descent and distin-
guishes her carriage from all the others in
The throng. If you are posted in heraldry it
Is not necessary to glance inside to see who
my lady Is. Those deliberately quartered arms
wonder, for instance, belong only to the Liy-
Miss Clarier is within taking the air pre-.
parat0ry to another night of dissipation and
triumph this carriage bearing the gold cross
on red field, which marks descent from the
Crusaders, Is the Van Rensselaers. The pub
fishers Appleton are of Puritan lineage their
carriage bears three apples on silver shield
John Jays has two popinjays in the device;
the Morris coat of quartered arms is one of
those mostsnoted, and plain but accomplished
Miss Morris, whose debut ball last season
cost her father 10000. is as proud of her de-
scent as an English girl would be ii the
daughter of hundred earls. In the matter
Of pedigree these and other New York fam;
lilies are able to look down upon certain Of
the acknowledged leaders of fashion.
The Vanderbilts have searched in. vain
they have been able to find no armoral bear
ings to which they are entitled, and simple
the same with the Astors; in a quiet way
this family have tried TO trace their ancestry
back to some distinction, but beyond the
grandfathers OF the first American Aston,
who was a middle-class Engllshman, they
are not able to CO. And so where in other
houses the silver plate is covered with her
aldlc ensigns I'D the vanderDiits ana Ators
there are blank spaces. This is the Achilles
tendon OF the money princes, their one yul.
nerabie point money VIII not buy ancestry
and conservative Newfork still classes them
among tne a0ecedu ytche.
Jay Gould has coat of-arms, but he makes
no uispIay OF ~, anu MS daughter Helen mas
not even monogIain upon ner carriage
0ecretatfy ~ paya5Iu' IN tne contrary - very
or;o, i,o na' ~ yus. naJ aany yi5
,;nat map .ha a',, iu Gu[en - II
far,s,r t.e - dnsoenSad f ~ WIZ" t
nanrs ychausi;or 70 - ueSoonueu iioin TUG Ia
hi ~ 7, ne ,,.ai,, ~ 10 o.o, ~. ~
~ % ha,u .. ~ ~ = sna. al Aeil
vans wmp io pio,snu ~ aovw .nS aashion are
apd on ncc, au c oasS %
ina da,,;sa ,.h;a dnes ,,d, a. ,,,,S ia
castrv claimad Is NJ ,oora thap ~ ne poos na
for In this Ii,ht II IL beariIass tn Iengb ~
~ ,,si.; S' sh; ~ w aukn a.
meatth hara ho, o,,IS s, ia ransyt,
found thems,o,vas rhsy Nave haon = sina, ,
aoaHu .nelnsoly IVES aney nae9 oeen uSlhg
cla;nin Of tba so tia " n D onoa ane
Same one no ste IN beraldrv came ainnS II.
1y h 9nu poe'ou ~ nsi t vainu aions VII
Junu, udg anu % e ons VIC u o
~, m,tni, ,,nt tu NY LILLY ~
o uoh as lnes coai IN IJs MILL
guy u,uGi awh tha;u Erase .ne uiazohay
Sn;a " ShS tr,,a ay 'nT,
@ o e, .ruc ssoi y; aIu any
one cnancss W ane 81. IL Oeht.ai aalH cal
isSse spoL.,ns on ..o pa th uesise nasint
oeolcn puSkie aIlIss ane snieiu, anu tnIet
t sI anu th ~ .pe cLess, ne ma,
hnu ou. WY ~ ehe iais - " wnoHa lGaei'
oonie " sne oiu NEW oIk iauliIles "
nuHu . us ue1oen. a.o III .io selipe pieuic
anaeht u nos sn4mts wild. '1 t iga. nanie,
aae s, SEEMS s;,ls ' i,at alIoTg sne masueno
IIeIugees aIiv 'sa lnto noiianu were many
lamilies OF enildren whose parents had peer
ee As.cf iney were acc3lnpan.eu oy sonit
laisniul se ~ WIZ, aisaaa W give snt
.. "a tne Gnliulen, iesss.ereu snen uhuel
.ne,r DM1, Inc search dor pe9igrees ma
fevealed 20 many PROUD people tnat tney are
oearing Inc SCI wants name, ana nave no ides
" r Midas enelr OWN -. 3. 49,. h... =.
soarnb i f waH naaSe ~ .ne,r business V
ocditu lOE ptulSIttc dE6 lmpUTtdut ptISO0