Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-04
AMERICANS CHESTS.
WARD M'ALLiSTER FAvoRS A TAX
 ON COATS OF ARMS.

fAbIfshment of HeralPs Oface as One
 of the Government Apartments-Right
 of Americans to Wear Crests.
 The number of persons using crests
 and coats of arms in this country is very
 large, and there is no way of ascertain
 ing how large it is. The American who
 wants Q coat of arms and has not got
 one usually adopts one which pleases his
 eye, without regard to any other consid.
 erations. In England supporters are sell
 dom granted with coats of arms to any
 but members of the peerage. But Amer.
 cans must have everything of the finest,
 and therefore they usually take support
 CTS to themselves. There is one very
 rich and famous family in this city
 though of humble origin, which displays a coat of arms with four supporters in. stead of the two which usually satisfy
 English ducal families.
 There is, however, great deal of dis satisfaction with this irregular state of things. MT. Ward McAllister, the ar
 bitter of fashion, said it should not be tol. erated. Coats of arms, he says, should
 be registered at herald's office, as they are in England and other we'll regulated European countries. Then we should know who were entitled to them, how theyggot them and soforth.
 'Igpropose," said MT. McAllister, 'that the American herald's office should be established as one of the departments of the federal government at Washington. This is very practical suggestion. The government would be able to put tax on armorial bearings and in that way raise large revenue, as the English government does. It is one of the hap piest ways of raising tax I can think of. Members of fashionable society and all the other persons taxed would be pleased by it, and no one, think, can show any good reason against it.
 'I know it is easy for you to assert that Americans have no business with coats of arms and such things because they are relics of feudalism, but that is nonsense. They are not any more harm full relics of feudalism than many of our social customs. Fashion requires us to use them, and fashion must be obeyed. It is merely matter of fashion A man with coat of arms is not likely to be a more dangerous plutocrat than a rich man without one. Besides, armorial bearings are ornamental and look well on silver and china. That is one of the best reasons for having them.
 ''I must say few words as to who has the right to use them. It is not neces- sary that a family should obtain them by grant from the English or some other European king. It is enough if they have been used since the begin ming of the country's history, or for three generations. In England any re- spectacle person not in retail trade can get coat of arms by paying for it.
 "Unquestionablym many younger sons came over to this country who had a right to bear the arms of their family. Their descendants settled in different parts of the Union and are now in the fullest manner entitled to use arms. On the other hand, many men of wealth and high social standing, but not of aristo- cratic origin, have adopted them since the practice became fashionable, as they have perfect right to do. These fami- lies will transmit their arms to their de- scendants until they become as interest ing as those of aristocratic European origin.
 "There are some interesting anecdotes to be told of the introduction of coats of arms into the general society of this city. Of course there are few New York fam flies who have used them continuously since the creation of the colony, but when the practice first became genesal it was received with good deal of op- position. Gordon Hamersley used to say that his crest was useful to tell him which was his carriage. Colonel Thorne, who married Miss Jauncey, went to Flu rope 50 years ago and established him self in Paris, living as no other Amer ican had ever done. He took the British minister through his hotel, who, after viewing its. interior and its stables, turned to Colonel Thorne, exclaiming, "And you say you do all this on e12,O0O a yeari It is marvellous" On return ing to America to live the colonel turned out in this city positions with his coat of arms embroidered on the left sleeve of each postilion. This created such a rumpus, the population hissing him as he drove by, that he was compelled to withdraw them.
 ''Some of our best people were pill grims and Huguenots,. who on reaching this country and establishing themselves here abjured such vanities as coats of arms, as monarchical institution. This was all very well in the beginning, but the blue laws have faded. We no longer cultivate primitive simplicity, but with wealth and age-we turn to luxury and ind among its necessities the use of coats of arms. The necessity and love of the American for title or some designation 5f distinction, plain Mr. hot filing the Nu,' is ilustrated in the west and south. For 50 years or more it has been 3 universal custom to bestow a military title on all meI who have risen abSve mediocrity, such as governor, gen. sfal, captain, colonel, it being purely honorary. Such titles men carry through life with this love of ours for individual which is one of our marked When man wants to zeal his letters, mark his plate or decor: ste his harness, he wants crest, and as Americans with money own the universe his crest must be forthcoming. Of ,ourse it is only an accessory to the arms, md now the question is, How shall Amer cans get them? And how shall they | DO able to keep them?
 Let me repeat that society would wei come the establishment of a herald's | ,ffice for the better regulation of these matters. ."-New York World.
 When you walk" says Russian ,royerb, pray once; when you go to sea, ,ray twice; when going to be married, 'ray three times.
 Vast Property In Receivers Hands,
 More than $l, 200, 900, 900 of railway in this country is estimated to ,e in the hands of receivers. It is an total we'll calculated to give 'ome notion of the vastness of the trans ,ortation interests. Five great systems lnder receivers--the Union Pacific, Northern Pacific, Philadelphia and a n all