Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-05-15
FORMS OF MONEY.
SOME OLD AND ODD MEDIA OP
EXCHANGE.
Possibility of Colds Displacement by
Some Rarer BIetal-Many Primi-
tive Methods OF Barter Among
Uncivnized Races.

n IONEY is . subject that ha
| MI risen into such prominenc
| lV of late that the first extra
ordinary session of tn
United States Congress since the 70
hns been convened particularly on it
account. This event seems to be on
OF the later stages of a sort of descend
ing replacement among the metal
used in coinage, process that has
during the centuries and millennium
OF human history, slowly but plainl,
substituted copper for iron, silver TO
copper and gold for silver, says tn,
Washington Star. Each of thes,
metals seems to have made its appear
ance as coin in ascending order, ant
some are even ready to speculate OF
the possible appearance in the future
of some still more rare and costl,
metal to press the coveted yellow
standard lower in the scale, as it ha
done to silver. Iridium, osmium ant
palladium, metals scarcely known out
side the chemists laboratory, are men
toned, but hardly with seriousness
Russia, in 1928, undertook the coin
age of platinum, but the scheme wa
abandoned in 1S45 because of the grea
cost of minting and because of the in
stability of its value. Aluminium seem
to have larger prospects Of gaining (
place in the monetary system, par
ticularly on level below silver, will
q probability of displacing copper, fol
the intrinsic value of the material il
the prices Of lowest denomination il
now far less than the face value. TIT
recent discovery of means for the ex
tensive production of the new com
petitor is made in part to account TO,
the depreciation of silver.
I; The word denoting money to the
| people of one of the north Europear
races has an equivalent in the Lappisl
language, which still retains its orig
inal significance as the name for a Skin
in common with its later use. So
money to citizen of the United States
means golden eagles, silver dollars
copper pennies or their paper repre-
sentatives. Familiarity with these
| media gives to the innumerable othe,
| media, that are or have been in us.
among the peoples Of the earth, an ap
pearance of almost silly oddity.
But perfectly coined money is com
| parstively recent convenience, and tn,
story of the development to that which
Is at present in use is full of interest
The natives of the Society Islands 81
;hey lived not many years ago viii
serve as the subject of the first lesson.
A Partisan singer, making a profes
sional tour around the world, gave q
concert in the islands. She was to re-
eeive a third part of the receipt l.
When counted her share was found t.
consist of three pigs, twenty-three tur.
keys, forty-four chickens, 5000 cocoa.
nuts, besides considerable quantities OF
bananas, lemons and oranges. At the
French capital all the material would
have added 800 francs to her resources,
but on the islands it was worth to hel
only the value of that part which could
he consumed.
Other travellers among tribes where
primitive barter has not yet devel.
oped something having semblance to
common medium of exchange have
been given still keener appreciation
of the advantages coming from the
use of money. Wallace, when in the
Malay Archipelago, could not secure
supplies for dinner without a special
bargain and much pickering upon each
occasion. Because the vendor of ed
ibles did not always happen to meet
with something desired among the ar.
ticles which the party had to offer in
exchange, Mr.. Wallace and his com.
panions were often compelled to dc
without . meal. These experiences
led them to hold in readiness a supply
of such articles as the natives would
Invariably accept.
Such was doubtless the first form O
money-any commodity which was es-
teemed by all persons, which would be
readily received at all time, and which
all desired to possess in unlimited
quantities-the generalized value
which constitutes the lubricator O,
commerce.
Probably the most primitive money
consisted of the skins of wild animals.
The foundation of this theory is the
assumption that the earliest creatures
which could be called men we're hunt
ers. The meat which was procured
did not possess the requisite durability,
the bones lacked high value, but the
dried pelts possessed both qualities.
Psychological researches, moreover,
show that the earliest races used skins
as the representative of value. Classi.
cal writer's have recorded traditions to
the effect that the earliest currency
used at Rome, Lacedemon and Garth.
Age was made Of leather, and such
money is said to have circulated in
Russia as late as the reign of Peter the
Great.
In time some particular skin SEEM
to have become the standard. This
among the aborigines about Hudson's
Bay the early traders found to be that
If the beaver.
Some of the earliest forms in which
.he crude metal was shaped were small
bars or spikes, and wire, rolled into
bracelets or rings. Abundant speci.
mems Of this ring money have beer
found in various parts Of Europe and
Asia, and probably constituted the
6rst approximation to coinage. II is
aid to be still current in Nubia
Impressions were first made on onl,
'ome portion of the ingot, spike OF
ring. The early fiat coins we're stamped
On but one side, and rough edges pre-
vailed until comparatively recent times.
While circular coins vastly predor1.
aate, the forms into which others have
hom time to time been cast are pecu-
iar. Many octagonal and hexagonal
pieces have been issued in Germany,
and money in the the form of squares
and lozenges has been used in England.
Pilates Of copper, seven and halt
enches square, bearing an imprint in
each corner, circulated in Sweden in
the eighteenth century.
The japanese coinage Is composed