The Dickinson press., 1890-06-21
HISTORY TOLD BY COINS.
A Numismatist's Idea Concerning Various
Now Designs on All Money.

NOW DesiHhs on All Money
Let us look at the knowledge of nu-
mismatist in the history of all nations.
How glibly he will tell you that such and
such king lived in such year. He
will recognize at a glance the lincaments
of Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Antonius or
any of the ancient worthless, and of more
modern days he is familiar with the his
tory of the dynastics of all the reigning
families. Why? Simply from his study
of the efligics of those rulers depicted
upon the coinage of their countries.
What would we know of many oriental
states were it not for their respective
coinage? What would we know of many
kings and empcrors? What assurance
have we of the duration of many histor-
ical cras? The answer is by tho history
as depicted upon the coins of various
countries. Rome had her libraries, SO
had Greece. War and fire destroyed
their archives, and but for the coinage
of the times our knowledge of the exist
encc Of such countries would be slight
indeed. Then, if i'll the course of CEN
turies hence history should repeat itself,
and the written history of our days be
destroyed, would our coinage teach the
people of that era anything of our his
tory? No From the uncouth designs
upon our coinage we would be taken for
barbarians. Then, say, let lis have
coinage that will teach all nations until
the end of time that we were great and
glorious nation. And how may we do
this? By adopting suitable desi gns for
our coinage.
l would advocate that one series Of
coins, say the half dollar pieces, should
be struck bearing the etfigies of our
presidents, commencing by issuing L.
100000 pieces bearing the head of WASH
ington, then issuing each six months
following as many bearing the effigy of
each president until we arrive at the
present time. After this, to carry out
the idea, IL series should be issued during
the administration of each president.
BY SO doing you will teach your children
and your children's children the history
of their country more readily and effect
lively than by any other means, and leave
imperishablc monuments of these links
in the history of our country. Ask any
one how many presidents we have had,
how long they were at the head of the
administration, how many could answer
the question? Had we Il coinage, one as
Ihave described, almost every one would
have IL collection of the coins bearing
etiigies and Inscriptions stating the dura-
ton of their administration, which would
familiarize them with our history.
then say lot us have coinage bear
ing the e11igies of our presidents. am
sure there is nothing antagonistic to
republican sentiment in this, for we have
paper money displaying portraits of our
presidents and great men; also on our
postage stamps. Can we hope that in
5000 years from now any of these paper
mcnentoes will be in existence? No; but
a coin lasts forever, for surely we have
coins extant that were issued six centu-
ries before Christ. If you are skeptical
examine any good collection of coins
and you will find more than one of that
age, and some of tho Eighth century be-
fore Christ, and even older. Therefore
we now reasonably expect our coinage
would be cXtant six centuries in the fut-
ure.
Show an ancient coin to u numismatist;
he will not only tell you the name of the
king or emperor during whose reign it
was issued, the history of the country,
but, what is more to the point, he will
tell you to what degree of artistic refine
ment and civilization that country had
arrived, whether its prosperity was on
the increase or not, and how, simply by
the purity of the metal used and the ex-
ccllence Of the die. l am sure we excel in
skillfulness Of die cutting and designing.
This new coinage would also familiar
ize the world with the greatness of our
country for all time to come. Should we
issue, say ,000, 900 coins of the denomina-
ton of fifty cents or of twenty-five cents,
how many would be in circulation in one
year? l would venture to say none. They
would find their way to every nook and
corner of the globe, be preserved in mu-
seums and private collections all over the
world, and even the little Hindoo and
Chinese boy centuries hence would as
readily tell their contemporaries all about
George Washington, the first president
Of the United States, Of President Lin
coin and of our present president, and
the entire series, and would be as famil-
lar with the history of the present era of
the United States as that of their own
era and country.-Paul L. Bcckwith in
Washington Star.